Mariana and the House of Habsburg
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria was a member of the European House of Habsburg. She called herself Mariana after her October 1649 marriage to her biological uncle, widower King Felipe IV of Spain, III of Portugal. She was 14 years old and he was 30 years her senior.
The Habsburgs were renowned for marrying members to each other in consanguine matches and for the prominent "Habsburg Jaw", a deformity that has been attributed to their dynastic inbreeding.
Maria Anna was born on Christmas Eve 1634. Her parents were Ferdinand III, the Holy Roman Emperor and his first wife Maria Anna of Austria. They were first cousins.
She was one of six children; only Maria Anna, Leopold, later Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand, King of the Romans survived childhood. Ferdinand died from smallpox at the age of 20.
The pregnant Holy Roman Empress died on 13th May 1644 after she fell ill with heavy bleeding and a fever. Her baby, Maria, lived for only a few hours.
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor Marries Habsburg Relatives
Ferdinand III married another Habsburg cousin, 16-year-old Maria-Leopoldine of Austria-Tyrol, in 1648. In 1649, she died in childbirth. Their son, Karl Josef, died aged 14 in 1664.
Maria Anna gained another stepmother in 1650. Eleanor Gonzaga was 21 years old when she married Ferdinand III, and again, they were related. Two of their four children survived to adulthood.
At an early age, Maria Anna was contracted to marry the Spanish Habsburg King Felipe IV's son and heir Baltasar Carlos, Prince of Asturius. He died in 1646 aged 16, and the king decided to marry Maria Anna, who was then 12 years old and just 4 years older than his daughter Maria Teresa, the future wife of King Louis XIV of France.
Felipe IV and Mariana
On 7th October 1649, Maria Anna became Felipe's second wife and Maria Teresa's stepmother. The wedding took place in Navalcarnero, close to Madrid. From this time, Maria Anna used the name Mariana.
The couple's first child, Margarita Teresa, was born in 1651.
Maria Ambrosia de la Concepcion was born and died in 1655.
Felipe Prosero arrived in 1657, and he died in 1661.
Ferdinando was born in 1658, and he died the following year.
Their final child was Carlos, the future King Carlos II, born in 1661.
Margarita Teresa married her uncle and cousin Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor in 1666. When she died in 1673, Leopold married another Habsburg relative, Claudia Felicitas, Archduchess of Austria, the last of the Tyrolean branch of the Habsburg dynasty.
The Habsburg Jaw
The Habsburg dynasty's reliance on consanguine marriages left a mark on several of its members. The narrow gene pool resulted in the "Habsburg" jaw,a pathological complaint in which a mandibular prognathism occurred. The lower jaw far outgrew the upper one and the crossbite was affected.
Other signs were the Habsburg nose, a long nose with a bulbous tip and a jutting bottom lip. Epilepsy and mental instability became common afflictions in the dynasty.
Carlos, Mariana and Felipe's son had a prominent Habsburg jaw and nose. He also suffered from poor physical and mental health. History remembers him as "Charles the Mad" or "Carlos El Hechizado". Witnesses claimed that he didn't chew his food properly because of his jaw, and this often led to periods of illness.
Mariana, the Queen Mother of Spain
Felipe IV died on 17th September 1665; his successor was his three-year-old son Carlos. A regency was established under Mariana, now the Queen Mother, and she competently ruled and fought off rivals until Carlos reached adulthood, his 14th birthday on the 6th November 1675.
Her regency came at a time of war, severe economic pressures and a mini-ice age that left up to 10% of the population dead. She drew criticism for having favourites that influenced her decisions. One was her Austrian confessor, and the other was Spanish nobleman Fernando de Valenzuela.
It has been suggested that Mariana exaggerated Carlos's physical and mental health issues so that she could retain control. She reestablished a regency in 1677, citing Carlos' incapacities.
Mariana Loses Her Power (Briefly)
The regency was halted by the arrival of Juan Jose (John) of Austria, King Felipe IV's illegitimate son, who claimed authority and banished Mariana from court.
He was a popular leader at first, but his arrogance and intriguing cost him allies. Juan Jose died in 1679, and Mariana wasted no time restoring the regency.
In the weeks before his death, Juan Jose arranged for Carlos to marry Marie Louise d'Orleans, and this union went ahead. She died in 1689, and Carlos married Maria Anna of Neuburg the same year. Neither marriage produced children.
Mariana died at the Ucena Palace in Madrid on 16th May 1696, aged 61.
Carlos died a few days before his 39th birthday on 1st November 1700. Carlos' successor was his great nephew Philippe of Anjou. He ruled as Felipe V.
The Mariana Islands and the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean were named in Mariana, Queen of Spain's honour. Without these landmarks, would we recall that she ever existed?
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