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Mariana of Austria

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For Maria Anna of Austria (1683–1754), Queen consort of Portugal, see Maria Anna of Austria.

Mariana or Maria Anna of Austria,[a] (24 December 1634 – 16 May 1696), was Queen of Spain from 1649 until the death of her husband Philip IV of Spain in 1665. Appointed regent for their infant son Charles II, she remained an influential figure until her death in 1696.

Mariana of Austria
Portrait of Mariana of Austria by Diego Velázquez, 1652–53
Queen consort of Spain
Tenure7 October 1649 – 17 September 1665
Queen regent of Spain
Regency17 September 1665 – 6 November 1675
MonarchCharles II
Born(1634-12-24)24 December 1634
Wiener Neustadt, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Died16 May 1696(1696-05-16) (aged 61)
Palace of the Councils, Madrid, Crown of Castile
Burial
El Escorial
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1649; died 1665)​
Issue
Names
Maria Anna
HouseHabsburg
FatherFerdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
MotherMaria Anna of Spain
SignatureMariana of Austria's signature

Her regency was overshadowed by Spain's post-1648 decline and internal political divisions, combined with a general European economic crisis during the latter half of the 17th century. Her son's failure to produce an heir ultimately ended in the 1701 to 1714 War of the Spanish Succession.

Personal details

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Maria Anna was born on 24 December 1634 in Wiener Neustadt, second child of Maria Anna of Spain and her husband Ferdinand (1608–1657), who became Holy Roman Emperor in 1637. Her parents had three children who survived into adulthood, Mariana and her two brothers, Ferdinand (1633–1654), and Leopold (1640–1705), elected emperor in 1658.[1]

In 1646, Maria Anna was betrothed to her cousin Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias, heir to the Spanish throne. His death soon afterwards left her without a prospective husband and her widowed uncle Philip IV without a successor. On 7 October 1649, Philip married his 14-year-old niece Maria Anna in Navalcarnero, outside Madrid.[2]

 
Mariana in Spanish costume, c. 1630s

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.[3]

It has been suggested Charles inherited several rare genetic disorders from his parents, [4] but his elder sister did not experience the same issues, while the most significant study on this topic concludes such claims remain speculation.[5] Regardless, Charles' death was expected almost from birth, leading to internal struggles between backers of his two potential co-heirs, Louis XIV and Emperor Leopold. "Short, lame, epileptic, senile and completely bald before 35, ... [he] repeatedly baffled Christendom by continuing to live".[6]

Regency

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Mariana of Austria by Diego Velázquez, c. 1656

First regency: 1665–1677

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Charles was only three years old when Philip died on 17 September 1665, and Mariana was appointed regent, advised by a Regency Council, until he became a legal adult at the age of 14. She adopted the valido [b] system established by Philip in 1620, the first being Juan Everardo Nithard, an Austrian Jesuit and her personal confessor; as Philip's will excluded foreigners from the Regency Council, he had to be naturalised, causing immediate resentment.[7] Other informal advisors included Gaspar de Bracamonte, 3rd Count of Peñaranda and Mariana Engracia Álvarez de Toledo Portugal y Alfonso-Pimentel.[8]

Charles' poor health and lack of an heir meant his reign was often dominated by a power struggle between Mariana's Austrian faction, and a pro-French lobby initially led by his illegitimate half-brother, John of Austria the Younger. 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. As a result, government finances were in perpetual crisis, the Crown declaring bankruptcy in 1647, 1652, 1661 and 1666.[9]

 
Cardinal Juan Everardo Nithard, c. 1674, Mariana's first advisor until ousted in 1669

Spain was exhausted by almost a century of continuous war, while the second half of the 17th century coincided with a period of extreme cold weather known as the Little Ice Age. Between 1692 and 1699, crops failed across Europe and an estimated 5–10% of the population starved to death.[10] The new government inherited other problems, the long-running Portuguese Restoration War being the most urgent. This was made worse in May 1667 when France once again invaded the Spanish Netherlands, and occupied the Spanish province of Franche-Comté.[11] The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668) ended the war with France, while the Treaty of Lisbon (1668) restored Portugal's independence.[12]

Peace ended the drain on Spanish resources, while France returned most of the territories over-run in the War of Devolution. They represented a significant diplomatic achievement, but many Spanish military officers considered the terms humiliating. Joseph Malladas, an Aragonese captain, was executed in June 1668 for plotting to murder Nithard, reputedly on John's behalf.[13] In February 1669, Nithard was succeeded as valido by Aytona, who died in 1670 and replaced in turn by Valenzuela, a member of her household since 1661.[14] An outsider from the lower ranks of Spanish nobility, Valenzuela depended entirely on Mariana for his position.[15]

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

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John 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.[16] She 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.[17]

 
Mariana in her later years, by Claudio Coello, c. 1685–1693

Her replacement was Maria Anna of Neuburg, 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, while Eleonore was the third wife of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Anna was aunt to future emperors Joseph I and Charles VI, making her an ideal choice for the Austrian faction.[18] However, Charles was by now almost certainly impotent, his autopsy later revealing he had only one atrophied testicle.[19]

As his health declined, internal struggles over the succession became increasingly bitter, leadership of the pro-French faction passing to Fernández de Portocarrero, Archbishop of Toledo. 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; 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.[20] She died on 16 May 1696 at the Uceda Palace in Madrid, at the age of sixty-one, probably from breast cancer.[21]

Legacy

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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.[22]

The Portrait of Mariana of Austria 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 in Madrid; a copy was sent to her father Ferdinand and is held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. She also appears as a detail in Velasquez' masterpiece Las Meninas which features her daughter Margaret Theresa.

Notes

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  1. ^ Spanish: Mariana de Austria German: Maria Anna von Österreich
  2. ^ Translated as Favourite, its true meaning is closer to senior advisor

References

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  1. ^ O'Connor 1978, pp. 7–14.
  2. ^ Graziano 2004, pp. 106–107.
  3. ^ Rule 2017, pp. 91–108.
  4. ^ Callaway 2013.
  5. ^ Gonzalo, Ceballos & Quintero 2009, p. 5174.
  6. ^ Durant & Durant 1963, p. 25.
  7. ^ Storrs 2006, p. 154.
  8. ^ "Mariana Engracia de Toledo Portugal y Pimentel". Real Academia de la Historia (in Spanish).
  9. ^ Cowans 2003, pp. 26–27.
  10. ^ De Vries 2009, pp. 151–194.
  11. ^ Geyl 1936, pp. 311.
  12. ^ Barton 2009, p. 123.
  13. ^ Mitchell 2019, p. 53.
  14. ^ Storrs 2006, p. 155.
  15. ^ Knighton 2005, p. 293.
  16. ^ Mitchell 2013, pp. 265–269.
  17. ^ García-Escudero López et al. 2009, p. 181.
  18. ^ Rommelse 2011, p. 224.
  19. ^ García-Escudero López et al. 2009, p. 182.
  20. ^ Storrs 2006, p. 158.
  21. ^ Graziano 2004, p. 108.
  22. ^ Kamen 2002, p. 419.

Sources

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Family tree

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Ancestors of Mariana of Austria
Philip I
of Castile[i][ii][iii]
1478–1506		Joanna
of Castile[i][ii][iii]
1479–1555
Isabella
of Portugal[iv][v]
1503–39		Charles V
Holy Roman Emperor[iv][v]
1500–58		Ferdinand I
Holy Roman Emperor[vi][vii][viii]
1503–64		Anna
of Bohemia
and Hungary[vi][vii][viii]
1503–47		Isabella
of Austria[ix]
1501–26		Christian II
of Denmark[ix]
1481–1559
Maria
of Spain[x]
1528–1603		Maximilian II
Holy Roman Emperor[x]
1527–76		Anna
of Austria[xi][xii]
1528–90		Albert V
Duke of Bavaria[xi][xii]
1528–1579		Christina
of Denmark[ix]
1522–90		Francis I
Duke of Lorraine[ix]
1517–45
Philip II
of Spain[xiii]
1527–98		Anna
of Austria[xiii]
1549–80		Charles II
Archduke of Austria[xiv][xv]
1540–90		Maria Anna
of Bavaria[xiv][xv]
1551–1608		William V
Duke of Bavaria[xvi]
1548–1626		Renata
of Lorraine[xvi]
1544–1602
Philip III
of Spain[xvii][xviii]
1578–1621		Margaret
of Austria[xvii][xviii]
1584–1611		Ferdinand II
Holy Roman Emperor[xix]
1578–1637		Maria Anna
of Bavaria[xix]
1574–1616
Maria Anna
of Spain[xix]
1606–46		Ferdinand III
Holy Roman Emperor[xix]
1608–57
Philip IV
of Spain[xx]
1605–65		Mariana
of Austria[xx]
1634–96
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Joanna" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Elisabeth (eigentlich Isabella von Oesterreich)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 167 – via Wikisource.
  4. ^ a b Kurth, Godefroid (1911). "Philip II" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  5. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria von Spanien" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 19 – via Wikisource.
  6. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Karl II. von Steiermark" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 352 – via Wikisource.
  7. ^ a b Press, Volker (1990), "Maximilian II.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 16, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 471–475; (full text online)
  8. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Anna von Oesterreich (1528–1587)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 151 – via Wikisource.
  9. ^ a b c d Cartwright, Julia Mary (1913). Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan and Lorraine, 1522–1590. New York: E. P. Dutton. pp. 536–539.
  10. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Anna von Oesterreich (Königin von Spanien)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 151 – via Wikisource.
  11. ^ a b Sigmund Ritter von Riezler (1897), "Wilhelm V. (Herzog von Bayern)", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 42, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 717–723
  12. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria von Bayern" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 20 – via Wikisource.
  13. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Philipp III." . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 120 – via Wikisource.
  14. ^ a b Eder, Karl (1961), "Ferdinand II.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 5, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 83–85; (full text online)
  15. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Margaretha (Königin von Spanien)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 13 – via Wikisource.
  16. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria Anna von Bayern" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 23 – via Wikisource.
  17. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria Anna von Spanien" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 23 – via Wikisource.
  18. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Philipp IV." . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 122 – via Wikisource.
  19. ^ a b c d Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria Anna (Königin von Spanien)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 24 – via Wikisource.
  20. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Charles II. (King of Spain)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Mariana of Austria
Born: 23 December 1634 Died: 16 May 1696
Spanish royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Elisabeth of France 		Queen consort of Spain
7 October 1649 – 17 September 1665 		Vacant
Title next held by
Marie Louise d'Orléans
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