Mariana of Austria ( es, Mariana de Austria) or Maria Anna (24 December 163416 May 1696) was
Queen of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
as the second wife of her uncle
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...
from their marriage in 1649 until Philip died in 1665. She was then appointed regent for their three-year-old son
Charles II, and due to his ill health remained an influential figure until her own death in 1696.
Her regency was overshadowed by the need to manage Spain's post-1648 decline as the dominant global power, internal political divisions and the European economic crisis of the second half of the 17th century. The inability of her son
Charles to produce an heir led to constant manoeuvring by other European powers, which ultimately ended in the 1701 to 1714
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
. The
Mariana Islands consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and through them the
Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench is an oceanic trench located in the western Pacific Ocean, about east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about in length and in width. The maximum known ...
, are named after her.
Early life
Maria Anna was born on 24 December 1634 in
Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
, second child of
Maria Anna of Spain
, house = Habsburg
, father = Philip III of Spain
, mother = Margaret of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = El Escorial, Spain
, death_date =
, death_place = Linz, Austria
, burial_place = Imperial Crypt
, ...
and her husband
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
(1608-1657), who became
Holy Roman Emperor in 1637. Her parents had six children, of whom only Maria Anna and two brothers survived to adulthood;
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
(1633-1654), and
Leopold (1640-1705), elected emperor in 1658.
Queen of Spain
The Habsburgs often married within the family to retain their lands and properties, and in 1646 Maria Anna was betrothed to her cousin and heir to the Spanish throne,
Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias
Balthasar Charles (17 October 1629 – 9 October 1646), Prince of Asturias, Prince of Girona, Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera, and Lord of Balaguer, Prince of Viana was heir apparent to all the kingdoms, states and dominions of the Spa ...
. His death three months later left her without a prospective husband and her widowed uncle
Philip IV without an heir. On 7 October 1649, the 44-year-old Philip married his 14-year-old niece in
Navalcarnero
Navalcarnero is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located about from Madrid.
Sights include the church of Inmaculada Concepción.
History
By the end of 1499 the city of Segovia founded the location of Navalcarnero, to put an en ...
, outside
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
; from then on, she was known by her Spanish name 'Mariana.' The exclusion of women from political life meant she focused on religion and education, which society viewed as fitting women's role as nurturers and providers of moral guidance.
Only two of their five children survived to adulthood; the eldest,
Margaret Theresa (1651-1673), married her maternal uncle
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1666. Mariana's second daughter, Maria Ambrosia, lived only fifteen days, followed by two sons,
Philip Prospero (1657-1661) and Ferdinand Thomas (1658-1659). On 6 November 1661, Mariana gave birth to her last child,
Charles, later known as El Hechizado or "The Bewitched", in the belief his disabilities were caused by "sorcery." In his case, the so-called
Habsburg jaw was so pronounced he spoke and ate with difficulty all his life. He did not learn to walk until he was eight and never attended school, but foreign observers noted his mental capacities remained intact; others speculated the Regents overstated his defects to retain political control.
It has been suggested Charles suffered from the endocrine disease
acromegaly and a combination of rare genetic disorders often transmitted through
recessive genes, including
combined pituitary hormone deficiency
Hypopituitarism is the decreased (''hypo'') secretion of one or more of the eight hormones normally produced by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. If there is decreased secretion of one specific pituitary hormone, the condition is know ...
and distal
renal tubular acidosis. However, his elder sister did not appear to suffer the same issues and the authors of the most significant study state ''it has not been demonstrated (his) disabilities...were caused by...recessive alleles inherited from common ancestors.'' Regardless of the cause, Charles suffered ill health throughout his life, and the Spanish court was split by the struggle between his co-heirs,
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ver ...
and Emperor Leopold. His death was expected almost from birth; he was "short, lame, epileptic, senile and completely bald before 35,...repeatedly baffling Christendom by continuing to live."
Regency
First regency: 1665-1677
When Philip died on 17 September 1665, Charles was only three; Mariana was appointed regent, advised by a Regency Council, until he became a legal adult at the age of 14. She adopted the system of using a ''valido'' or 'favourite' established by Philip in 1620 and widely used elsewhere in Europe. The first was
Juan Everardo Nithard, an Austrian Jesuit and her personal
confessor
Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways.
Confessor of the Faith
Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.[Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the n ...]
, who came from the lower rank of Spanish nobility. Even modern accounts of her reign often reflect contemporary sources that viewed women as incapable of ruling on their own and thus imply a sexual relationship. Mariana used a variety of advisors, including
Count Peñaranda and the Marquis de Aytona; historian Silvia Mitchell disputes whether Nithard or Valenzuela were 'validos', since Mariana used them to retain power, rather than delegating it. Despite the emphasis put on her male advisors, she also had female advisors, notably
Mariana Engracia Álvarez de Toledo Portugal y Alfonso-Pimentel
Mariana Engracia de Toledo Portugal y Pimentel (1623-1686), was a Spanish courtier. She was the lady-in-waiting (junior '' Camarera mayor de Palacio'') to the queen of Spain, Mariana of Austria, and the ''aya'' (nurse or royal governess) to king C ...
.
Her son's poor health and lack of an heir led to a constant struggle between Mariana's 'Austrian' faction, and a 'French' faction, nominally led by his illegitimate half-brother,
John of Austria the Younger
John Joseph of Austria or John of Austria (the Younger) ( es, Don Juan José de Austria; 7 April 1629 – 17 September 1679) was a Spanish general and political figure. He was the only illegitimate son of Philip IV of Spain to be acknowledged b ...
. Spain was also divided into the Crowns of
Castile and
Aragon, whose very different political cultures made it almost impossible to enact reforms or increase taxes. Government finances were in perpetual crisis, the Crown declaring bankruptcy in 1647, 1652, 1661 and 1666. Mariana faced issues that would have challenged the most competent ruler; Spain was financially exhausted by almost a century of continuous war, while her reign coincided with the
Little Ice Age, a period of cold weather during the second half of the 17th century. Between 1692 and 1699, crops failed across Europe and an estimated 5-10% of the population starved to death.
The new government also inherited a wide range of economic and political problems. The long-running
Portuguese Restoration War was the most urgent, followed in May 1667 by the
War of Devolution
In the 1667 to 1668 War of Devolution (, ), France occupied large parts of the Spanish Netherlands and Franche-Comté, both then provinces of the Holy Roman Empire (and properties of the King of Spain). The name derives from an obscure law know ...
, when France invaded the Spanish Netherlands and the Spanish province of
Franche-Comté. The need to reduce spending resulted in the 1668 treaties of
Aix-la-Chapelle and
Lisbon ended the wars with France and Portugal.
Peace ended the constant drain of Spanish resources, while Aix-La-Chapelle forced France to return most of the territories over-run in 1667 to 1668. Despite this, the army consisted them a humiliation; in June 1668, Joseph Malladas, an Aragonese captain living in Madrid, was executed for plotting to murder Nithard, reputedly on John's behalf. An internal power struggle ended with Nithard becoming Ambassador to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in February 1669; he was succeeded by Aytona, who died in 1670 and was replaced by
Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the n ...
, a member of her household since 1661.
In 1672, Spain was dragged into the
Franco-Dutch War; Valenzuela was dismissed when Charles came of age in 1675, but Spanish policy continued to be undermined by the struggle for power. Mariana reinstated the regency in 1677 on the grounds of Charles's ill-health and Valenzuela was restored, before John finally gained control in 1677.
Second regency: 1679-1696
John of Austria the Younger died in September 1679 and Mariana became regent once again; one of his final acts was arranging the marriage of Charles to 17-year-old
Marie Louise of Orléans, which took place in November 1679.
Marie Louise died in February 1689, without producing an heir; as with many deaths of the period, limited medical knowledge led to allegations she was poisoned. Modern assessments of her symptoms conclude it was almost certainly appendicitis, possibly from the treatments undertaken to improve fertility. Her replacement was
Maria Anna of Neuburg
Maria Anna of Neuburg ( es, Mariana; 28 October 1667 – 16 July 1740), was a German princess and member of the Wittelsbach family, who became Queen consort of Spain in 1689 as the second wife of Charles II, last Habsburg King of Spain.
Her m ...
, one of 12 children whose family reputation for fertility made them popular choices for royal marriages. Of her sisters,
Maria Sophia married
Peter II of Portugal
'' Dom'' Pedro II (Peter II; 26 April 1648 – 9 December 1706), nicknamed "the Pacific", was King of Portugal from 1683 until his death, previously serving as regent for his brother Afonso VI from 1668 until his own accession. He was the fifth ...
, while
Eleonore was the third wife of
Emperor Leopold. Maria Anna was aunt to future emperors
Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to:
*Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283
* Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711)
*Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696)
*Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...
and
Charles VI, making her an ideal choice for the Austrian faction.
Charles remained childless; by that time, he was almost certainly impotent, his autopsy later revealing he had only one atrophied testicle. As his health declined, internal struggles over the succession became increasingly bitter, leadership of the pro-French faction passing to
Fernández de Portocarrero, Cardinal and Archbishop of
Toledo.
Under the influence of the 'Austrians,' in 1690 Spain joined the
Grand Alliance in the
Nine Years' War with France. It declared bankruptcy again in 1692 and by 1696, France occupied most of
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
; Mariana retained power with the support of German auxiliaries under Maria Anna's brother
Charles Philip, many of whom were expelled after Mariana's death. She died on 16 May 1696 at the
Uceda Palace in Madrid, at the age of sixty-one; the cause is thought to have been breast cancer.
Issue
* As
Queen of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
(from 1649-1655):
**
Margaret Theresa (12 July 1651-12 March 1673), Mariana was 16 at the birth. She had four children after marrying
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1666, Mariana's only grandchildren:
*** Ferdinand Wenceslaus Joseph Michael Eleazar (28 September 1667-13 January 1668), Archduke of Austria
*** Maria Antonia Josepha Benedicta Rosalia Petronella (18 January 1669-24 December 1692), Archduchess of Austria
*** John Leopold (born and died 20 February 1670), Archduke of Austria
*** Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Apollonia Scholastica (9-23 February 1672), Archduchess of Austria
** Maria Ambrosia de la Concepción (7-21 December 1655), Mariana was 20 at the birth.
**
Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias
Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias (Felipe Próspero José Francisco Domingo Ignacio Antonio Buenaventura Diego Miguel Luis Alfonso Isidro Ramón Víctor; 28 November 1657 1 November 1661) was the first son of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of ...
(28 November 1657-1 November 1661), Mariana was 22 at the birth.
** Ferdinand Thomas, Infante of Spain (21 December 1658-23 October 1659), Mariana was 23 at the birth.
**
Charles II, King of Spain
Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last House of Habsburg, Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabili ...
(6 November 1661-1 November 1700), Mariana was 26 at the birth. He married twice, first to
Marie Louise d'Orléans
es, María Luisa de Orleans e Inglaterra
, house = Orléans
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Palais Royal, Paris, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Royal Alcázar, Madrid, Spain
, burial_place = El Escorial
, father ...
from 1679 to 1689, next to
Maria Anna of Neuburg
Maria Anna of Neuburg ( es, Mariana; 28 October 1667 – 16 July 1740), was a German princess and member of the Wittelsbach family, who became Queen consort of Spain in 1689 as the second wife of Charles II, last Habsburg King of Spain.
Her m ...
from 1690 to 1700. Neither marriage produced any issue. He was Mariana's only child to outlive her.
Legacy
In 1668, Mariana approved the establishment of a Jesuit mission under
Diego Luis de San Vitores and
Saint Pedro Calungsod on a series of islands the Spanish referred to as the Ladrones, which were renamed the
Mariana Islands in her honour.
The
Portrait of Mariana of Austria
''Portrait of Mariana of Austria'' is a 1652–1653 oil-on-canvas painting by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age, existing in a number of versions. Its subject, Doña Mariana (known as Maria Anna), was the daughte ...
painted by
Diego Velázquez was commissioned by Philip and is the only known full-length painting of her. The original is in the
Prado Museum
The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...
in Madrid; a copy was sent to her father Ferdinand and is held by the
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Several other portraits of her were made, including
Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo
Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (c.1612 – February 10, 1667)
was a Spanish Baroque portrait and landscape painter, the most distinguished of the followers of his father-in-law Velázquez, whose style he imitated more closely than did any o ...
's ''Queen Mariana of Spain in Mourning'', 1666. She also appears as a detail in Velasquez' masterpiece
Las Meninas
''Las Meninas'' (; ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its complex an ...
which features her daughter Margaret Theresa.
Family tree
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, style="text-align: left;", Notes:
References
Sources
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* Stolicka, Ondrej. Different German Perspectives on Spanish Politics in the 1670s: The Reaction of Vienna and Berlin on the Coup of Juan José de Austria in the Year 1677, JEHM 23(4), 2019, pp. 367–385. https://doi.org/10.1163/15700658-00002638
*
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mariana Of Austria
1634 births
1696 deaths
17th-century viceregal rulers
Spanish royal consorts
Philip IV of Spain
Queen mothers
Regents of Spain
Austrian princesses
Deaths from breast cancer
Deaths from cancer in Spain
Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial
Royal consorts of Naples
Royal consorts of Sicily
Austrian expatriates in Italy
Austrian expatriates in Spain
Nobility from Vienna
People from Wiener Neustadt
Spanish people of Austrian descent
17th-century House of Habsburg
17th-century women rulers
17th-century Spanish monarchs
17th-century Spanish women
Daughters of emperors
Children of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Daughters of kings