Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from his birth in 1886 until the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931.
Because his father died before he was born, his mother, Maria Christina of Austria, served as regent until he officially took power at age 16 in 1902.
His reign was defined by severe political instability, labor unrest, and colonial conflicts like the Rif War in Morocco. His decision to support the military dictatorship of General Miguel Primo de Rivera in 1923 deeply damaged the legitimacy of the monarchy.
Following the victory of republican parties in the 1931 municipal elections, he left Spain for exile in Rome, where he later abdicated his rights in favor of his son, Juan de Borbón, the father of the future King Juan Carlos I.