Mariana-Thérèse of Denmark (Reign of Kings)

Mariana-Thérèse (29 September 1853 – 26 February 1933) known before her marriage as Princess Thyra of Denmark, a Danish princess, she became Queen of Spain, Portugal, and the Spanish and Portuguese Dominions as spouse of King Alfonso XII (reigned 1904-1914). She youngest daughter and fifth child of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel.Thyra was the younger sister of Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, George I of Greece, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia and an elder sister of Prince Valdemar of Denmark.

Early life
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Marriage
Thyra was an attractive and gentle young woman, with dark hair and dark blue eyes, and Queen Louise wanted her youngest daughter to make a good marriage as her elder daughters had. Thyra's first suitor was King Willem III of the Netherlands, but as he was thirty-six years older than she was, she rejected him. Thrya King Alfonso XII of Spain on 29 November 1878 at the Basilica of Atocha in Madrid, she converted to Roman Catholicism and changed her name to Mariana-Thérèse. The arranged marriage was concerted on the basis of finding a bride in countries other than the Austrian Empire or France that had traditionally provided consorts for the Kings of Spain.

Public Life
Mariana-Thérèse was beloved by the Spanish public. Early on, she made it a priority to learn the Spanish language and to try to understand the Spanish people. The Madrid court of the royal couple was chosen by Alfonso's mother, Queen Maria Isabella. They summoned people who had been in court service for a long time and were much older than Alfonso and Maria Isabella. Upon the arrival of Mariana-Thérèse in Madrid they made the Royal Palace of Aranjuez their preferred residence. In summer, they resided at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso.

Mariana's first child, Infanta Marie Louise was born on 11 October 1879. Mariana sowed devotion to her children: "She was in her glory when she could run up to the nursery, put on a flannel apron, wash the children herself and see them asleep in their little beds. Alfonso and Mariana had six children in total: Marie Louise, Alfonso Christian, Infanta Alexandra, Infanta Isabella, Infante Christian, Infante Ernest Augustus. As a mother, she doted on and was quite possessive of her sons. She had a more distant relationship with her daughters. Her favorite child was Alfonso Christian, and Marie Louise and Christian were closer to their father.

As Princess, Mariana was considered by some as extravagant, but far more for her many charitable works in aid of the Spanish and Portuguese people. She was known by the Spanish and Portuguese people as an "angel of charity" and "mother of the poor" for her compassion and work on social causes. At a masquerade ball in 1874, she changed her costume three times. For eight months over 1875–76, the Prince of Asturias was absent from Spain on a tour of Brazil, but to her dismay Mariana was left behind. She spent much time in Portugal, and was largely responsible for the interiors of the Ajuda Royal Palace in Lisbon, still used to this time for banquets during state visits by foreign heads of state.

Mariana rarely interfered with politics, preferring to devote her time and energies to her family, charities, and the more social side of her position. Her one exception to official politics was her militant anti-German sentiment because of the annexation of Danish territories by Prussia in 1864, a sentiment also expressed by her sisters, Alexandra and Maria Feodorovna. As part of her role as a member of Spanish royalty, Mariana visited churches and convents across Spain and Portugal.

Queen consort (1904–1913)
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Queen Mother (1913-1933)
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