 Between the death of Alfonso XII and the birth of Alfonso XIII, there was a period of seven months where the pregnant Queen Maria Christina served as Head of State with the title of "Regent" for her daughter Maria de las Mercedes, who was declared to be "Queen in Name" until the gender of her baby sibling was known.The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14, 1931 when Alfonso XIII left the country following a period of social unrest after the collapse of General Primo de Rivera's dictatorship a year earlier, and April 1, 1939 when the last of the Republican ("republicanos") forces surrendered to the Nationalist ("nacionales") forces led by Francisco Franco, at the end of the Spanish Civil War.Presidents in exile
On October 1, 1936 General Francisco Franco was proclaimed Head of State ("Caudillo") in parts of Spain controlled by Nationalist ("nacionales") forces after the Spanish Civil War broke out.