Template:POTD/2019-12-28
Alfonso XII (1857–1885) was King of Spain from 1874 to 1885. Coming to the throne at an early age and being of a benevolent and sympathetic disposition, Alfonso won the affection of his people by fearlessly visiting districts ravaged by cholera or devastated by earthquakes. He had been suffering from tuberculosis, but the immediate cause of his death was dysentery, and he died at the Royal Palace of El Pardo on 25 November 1885, aged 27. He was succeeded by his unborn son, who became Alfonso XIII at his birth the following year.
This picture shows Alfonso's funeral procession on its way from El Pardo to Madrid, engraved by Auguste Tilly for the French newspaper L'Illustration. The French text under the engraving reads 'The death of Alfonso XII – Translation of the king's body to Madrid' and 'After the sketches of Mr Campuzano, correspondent for L'Illustration'.Engraving credit: Auguste Tilly, after M. Campuzano; restored by Adam Cuerden