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Regicide attempt by the priest Martín Merino Gómez, (1789-1852) against Queen Isabella II on 2 February 1852 (1893). On the occasion of the presentation of the newborn Infanta Isabella, known as "La Chata", at the ceremony that was to take place in the Basilica of Atocha, the priest Merino took advantage of the Queen's departure from the Royal Chapel in the direction of Atocha. The Queen was holding the Infanta in her arms when she was surprised by an ecclesiastic who, feigning a bow, stabbed her in the chest with a knife hidden in his cassock. The queen collapsed backwards, although the halberdier colonel Manuel de Mencos could catch the newborn princess before she fell. The queen was immediately taken to her chambers in fear for her life, although the corset and the thick embroidery of the dress prevented the dagger from reaching her heart, and she suffered only a slight wound. From "Historia General de España" (General History of Spain) by Miguel Morayta, Vol VII, Madrid, 1893.