Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain

Anna of Austria
Anna by Antonis Mor
Queen consort of Spain
Tenure 4 May 1570 – 26 October 1580
Born 2 November 1549
Cigales, Spain
Died 26 October 1580(1580-10-26) (aged 30)
Badajoz, Spain
Burial El Escorial
Spouse
Issue
Detail
House Habsburg
Father Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother Maria of Austria
Religion Roman Catholicism

Anna of Austria (2 November 1549 – 26 October 1580) was Queen of Spain by marriage to her uncle, King Philip II of Spain.

Life

Anna as an Austrian archduchess

Anna was the eldest daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain, who were first cousins. She was born in Spain during the reign of her maternal grandfather, Emperor Charles V, but lived in Vienna from the age of four. Anna was considered her father's favorite child. The story goes that he enjoyed playing and gambling with her and once a meeting of the Estates of Hungary was postponed because Anna was sick. She received a Catholic education even though her father was sympathetic to Lutheranism.

Marriage

As the eldest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Anna was a desirable candidate for marriage at the European courts. Her parents thought of a Spanish marriage to strengthen links between the Austrian and Spanish Habsburg families. Initially she had her cousin Don Carlos of Spain in mind, the only son of her maternal uncle Philip II of Spain. These plans were shattered in 1568 when Don Carlos died. Plans for a Spanish marriage were revived when Philip's third wife, Elisabeth, died in childbirth, also in 1568. As a result, Philip was left a widower with two young daughters. Philip had been married three times before: first to his double first cousin Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal, secondly to his first cousin, once removed Mary I of England, and thirdly to the aforementioned Elisabeth of Valois. Philip was now looking for his fourth wife, since he had no male heir since Don Carlos died. The marriage was at first opposed by many, including Pope Pius V,[1] but it was arranged all the same.

In February 1569, Anna's engagement to her uncle Philip II was announced and in May 1570 they married by proxy. Anna traveled from Austria to Spain in the autumn of 1570 accompanied by her brothers Albert and Wenzel. They traveled through the Netherlands, where Anna was accosted by friends and relatives of Floris of Montigny, the younger brother of the executed Count of Horn. Floris had been imprisoned in Spain since 1567. Now that King Philip had entered into a new marriage, Floris' family and friends hoped for leniency. They received a promise from the future queen that she would do her utmost to free Floris; however she was unsuccessful, with Floris being strangled on the orders of the king.

Anna passed along the English Channel, where Elizabeth I sent her admirals, Charles Howard and William Wynter, to offer support and safe passage.[2]

On 3 October Anna arrived on Spanish soil, but before she could reach the king, Floris was secretly put to death on 16 October 1570. The historian John Brewer believes that Philip had him hastily executed soon after Philip's first meeting with Anna, in which he refused to free Floris.

Queen of Spain

Coat of arms of Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain.

Upon her arrival in Spain, Anna was provided with a new household formed under the direction of the experienced and influential lady-in-waiting Margarita de Cardona, who had previously been the lady-in-waiting of her mother and who would have been known to her since her childhood in Austria. Queen Anna was described as vivid and cheerful, and managed to ease up some of the stiff atmosphere at the Spanish court. Anna busied herself mostly with needlework.

The marriage between Anna and Philip are described as happy. Besides being her father's favorite child, Anna was reportedly also Philip's most beloved wife.

According to diplomats, the king was in love with his young bride. There are no records of Philip having mistresses during the time of their marriage. Anna had a personality very much like his own, and he was devoted to her. Philip was a conscientious monarch and maintained his relationship with Anna twice a week in the form of notes, as well as visiting his niece's bedchamber up to three times a day.

It was Philip's fourth marriage, but the king still had no male heir, and the marriage had been arranged to provide him with heirs. The desired result was achieved, and Anna gave birth to five children, including four sons, of which the eldest three died before Philip, and the youngest succeeded as Philip III. Anna was also described as a good stepmother to Philip's daughters Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catherine Michelle,[3]

Queen Ana of Spain and her newborn son Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias.

She died of heart failure eight months after giving birth to her last child, Maria who outlived her mother by less than three years.

Children

  1. Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias (4 December 1571 – 18 October 1578).
  2. Carlos Lorenzo (12 August 1573 – 30 June 1575).
  3. Diego, Prince of Asturias (15 August 1575 – 21 November 1582).
  4. Philip III of Spain (3 April 1578 – 31 March 1621), succeeded his father, the only child to live to adulthood.[4]
  5. Maria (14 February 1580 – 5 August 1583)

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain- Spanish School Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "LETTER SIGNED, AT THE HEAD ("ELIZABETH R"), TO LORD CHARLES HOWARD". Sothebys.
  3. ↑ Anna of Austria
  4. ↑ "Philip II of Spain" Britannica
  5. ↑ Wikisource Holland, Arthur William (1911). "Maximilian I. (emperor)". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  6. ↑ Wurzbach, Constantin, von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Philipp I. der Schöne von Oesterreich" (in German). Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire]. 7. Wikisource. p. 112.
  7. ↑ Wikisource Poupardin, René (1911). "Charles, called The Bold, duke of Burgundy". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  8. 1 2 Press, Volker (1990), "Maximilian II.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) (in German), 16, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 471–475 ; (full text online)
  9. 1 2 3 Wikisource Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Joanna". Encyclopædia Britannica. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  10. 1 2 Vladislas II, King of Bohemia and Hungary at Encyclopædia Britannica
  11. ↑ Boureau, Alain (1995). The Lord's First Night: The Myth of the Droit de Cuissage. Translated by Cochrane, Lydia G. The University of Chicago Press. p. 96.
  12. ↑ Cazacu, Matei (2017). Reinert, Stephen W., ed. Dracula. Brill. p. 204.
  13. ↑ Noubel, P., ed. (1877). Revue de l'Agenais [Review of the Agenais]. 4. Société académique d'Agen. p. 497.
  14. 1 2 Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor at Encyclopædia Britannica
  15. 1 2 Wurzbach, Constantin, von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria von Spanien" (in German). Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire]. 7. Wikisource. p. 19.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Stephens, Henry Morse (1903). The story of Portugal. G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 125, 139, 279. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  17. 1 2 Harris, Carolyn (2017). Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting. Dundurn Press. p. 78.

Literature

  • J. Brouwer, Montigny, Representative of the Netherlands by Philip II (Amsterdam z.j. [1941]).
  • R. Rodríguez Raso, Maximiliano de Austria, gobernador de Carlos V en España: cartas al emperador (Madrid 1963).
  • Fernando González-Doria, Las Reinas de España (Madrid 1986).
  • A. W. Lovett, Early Habsburg Spain, 1517-1598 (Oxford 1986).
  • John Lynch, Spain 1516-1598. From nation state to world empire (Oxford 1991).
  • Geoffrey Parker, Philip II (Chicago / La Salle 1996).
  • Henry Kamen, Philip of Spain (New Haven / London 1997).
  • Manuel Ríos Mazcarelle, Reinas de España. Casa de Austria (Madrid 1998).
  • L. Cabrera de Córdoba, Historia de Felipe II, rey de España, J. Martínez Millán and C.J. ed the Carlos Morales (Madrid 1998).
  • Paula Sutter Fichtner, The Emperor Maximilian II (New Haven 2001).
  • Pedro Gargantilla, Enfermedades de los reyes de España. Los Austrias. De la locura a la impotencia de Juana de Carlos II el Hechizado (Madrid 2005).
Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain
Born: 1 November 1549 Died: 26 October 1580
Royal titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Elisabeth of Valois		 Queen consort of Spain
1570–1580		 Vacant
Title next held by
Margaret of Austria
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