heir to her father's vast fortune, which subsequent Dukes of Aosta inherited, and thereby obtaining wealth independent of their dynastic appanage and allowances from Italy's kings. The wedding day of Prince Amedeo and Donna Maria Vittoria was marred by the death of a station master, who was crushed under the wheels of the honeymoon train. In March 1870, Maria Vittoria appealed to the King to remonstrate with her husband for marital infidelities, which caused her hurt and embarrassment. However, the King wrote in reply that he understood her feelings, but he considered that she had no right to dictate her husband's behaviour, and her jealousy was unbecoming. King of Spain After the Glorious Revolution deposed Isabella II, the new Cortes decided to reinstate the monarchy under a new dynasty. The Duke of Aosta was by father line, a descendant of King Philip II of Spain through his daughter Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain and her son Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, and, by mother line, a descendant of King Charles III of Spain through his daughter Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain. The Savoyard prince was elected king as Amadeo I on 16 November 1870 and swore to uphold the Constitution in Madrid on 2 January 1871. The election of the new king coincided with the assassination of General Juan Prim, his chief supporter. Amadeo then had to deal with difficult situations, with unstable Spanish politics, republican conspiracies, Carlist uprisings, separatism in Cuba, interparty disputes, fugitive governments and assassination attempts. Amadeo could count on the support of only the Progressive Party, whose leaders traded off in the government by its parliamentary majority and electoral fraud. The progressives divided into monarchists and constitutionalists, which worsened the country's instability, and in 1872 a violent outburst of interparty conflicts hit a peak. There was a Carlist uprising in the Basque and Catalan regions, and republican uprisings later occurred in cities across the country. The artillery corps of the army went on strike, and the government instructed Amadeo to discipline them. Though warned of a plot against his life on 18 August 1872, he refused to take precautions. While returning from Buen Retiro Park to Madrid in company with the queen, he was repeatedly shot at in Vía Avenal. The royal carriage was struck by several revolver and rifle bullets. The horses were wounded, but its occupants escaped unhurt. A period of calm followed that