Maria Padilla is a story of political ambition. The heroine is one of Donizetti's most singular creations. Donizetti wrote many operas with grand and tragic heroines. Some of them are murdered or executed at the end of the opera, some die of grief or commit suicide. Maria Padilla dies of a surfeit of joy; an accession of blood rushes to her head, and she becomes comatose and collapses. Of course, this was not the original ending as envisioned by the hyper-dramatic Donizetti and his librettist Gaetano Rossi. Rossi's libretto was based on a French play by Francois Ancelot, a man of considerable theatrical talents. He based his theater work on actual history, although he altered many of the facts to increase its theatrical appeal. As history records it, Maria was seduced by Pedro the Cruel, and lived at the palace as his favorite. But she remained his mistress, even after he had married the Princess Blanche of France, until her death some time afterwards. In Ancelot's play, Maria commits suicide, after publicly proclaiming her right to be the queen of Castille, as Pedro's lawful wife.

Donizetti was particularly enthusiastic about Ancelot's story, which offered him many spectacular dramatic scenes. They included a mad scene for Maria's father, the seduction and humiliation of Maria at the hands of King Pedro the Cruel of Castille, as well as her suicide during the public coronation of Princess Blanche. He had worked out an entirely original ending to the opera, in a single climactic scene, but when he showed the finished work to the Milan censors, they made him alter the ending. Queens were not allowed to commit suicide on the operatic stage in Italy, and Donizetti had to find another way to dispose of Maria. So she was made to die of a surfeit of joy after her husband had declared her to be the true consort of his heart. This ending did not satisfy Donizetti, and he eventually dispensed with her death altogether. For the revision of 1842, he composed a happy ending, and wrote a final showpiece for his heroine which ends the opera on a dramatic high.

Maria Padilla premiered at the Teatro La Scala in Milan on December 26, 1841. It was only a moderate success, despite a beautiful libretto and sumptuous music. Particularly strong is the vocal writing for the prima donna, which is both florid and dramatic at the same time, and the characterization of Maria. The colorful orchestrations reflect Donizetti's compositional experience in France, where the level of orchestral playing was somewhat higher than in Italy, and somewhat more sophisticated. The orchestral pieces provide an emotional backdrop for the story as well as touches of local color.

Don Ruiz is perhaps the most complex character in the story. He goes mad, according to Donizetti, due to a melancholy fixation about the seduction and disgrace of his daughter. He has a vendetta cabaletta in Act II, and a duet with Don Pedro when he challenges him to a duel of honor. Then he is beaten by the king's men and goes mad. Don Ruiz's music is sometimes heroic, and sometimes introspective. His character must be played with sensitivity to his strained psychological state, which results in intense loneliness and alienation. Donizetti composed several mad scenes for soprano, two mad scenes for baritone voice, one for bass voice, and one for the tenor voice of Don Ruiz. Donizetti himself went mad at the end of his life, due to the ravages on his central nervous system caused by syphilis.

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