Maria Anna of Spain

Maria Anna of Spain
Holy Roman Empress, German Queen,
Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia

Tenure 1631–1646
Born (1606-08-18)18 August 1606
El Escorial, Spain
Died 13 May 1646(1646-05-13) (aged 39)
Linz, Austria
Spouse Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Issue Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans
Mariana, Queen of Spain
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
House House of Habsburg
Father Philip III of Spain
Mother Margaret of Austria
Religion Roman Catholicism
House of Habsburg
Spanish line
Emperor Charles V
(King Charles I)
Children
Philip II of Spain
Maria, Holy Roman Empress
Joan of Spain
Don John (illegitimate)
Margaret of Parma (illegitimate)
Philip II
Children include
Carlos, Prince of Asturias
Isabella of Spain
Catherine, Duchess of Savoy
Philip III of Spain
Maria of Spain
Philip III
Children include
Anne, Queen of France
Philip IV of Spain
Maria Ana, Holy Roman Empress
Infante Carlos
Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand
Philip IV
Children include
Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias
Maria Theresa, Queen of France
Margaret, Holy Roman Empress
Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias
Charles II of Spain
Charles II

Maria Anna of Spain (18 August 1606 – 13 May 1646), Infanta of Spain, the youngest daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria, was Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the wife of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor.[1]

Biography

Maria Ana, Holy Roman Empress, by Frans Luycx, ca. 1638, Visitationist Monastery in Warsaw

Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Spain was a younger sister of Anne of Austria, queen consort of Louis XIII of France, and mother of Mariana of Austria, queen consort of Philip IV of Spain. She was also an older sister of Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand.

In the early 1620s, James I of England envisioned Maria Ana as a possible bride for his son and heir, the future Charles I of England and Scotland. Charles even visited Madrid to meet the young Maria Ana.[2] In English history, this possible marriage is known as the Spanish Match. Negotiations failed, however, as Maria Ana did not wish to marry a Protestant and Charles would not convert to Catholicism. Charles eventually married Henrietta Maria of France.

On 20 February 1631, Maria Anna ceremonially married her first cousin, the future Ferdinand III, then the titular king of Hungary, who later would become the Holy Roman Emperor. The princess traveled from Spain to Austria through Italy, a dangerous journey during the Thirty Years' War. The trip would take 14 months to complete and about a month before its completion, when she had reached Trieste on 26 January 1631, Maria Anna had been married to Ferdinand by proxy, with her brother-in-law, Bishop Leopold Wilhelm of Strassburg, Passau, and Halberstadt serving as the proxy.

The second marriage ceremony, with Ferdinand present, was celebrated in Vienna, with festivities lasting a month. The marriage was described as friendly. Maria Ana was described as happy-tempered, friendly, and intelligent, and she able to ease the feelings of the melancholic emperor. She was active politically and acted as the adviser of her spouse. She was his regent during his absence and followed him on his travels.

Engraving of Maria Anna

Issue

Empress Maria Anna with her eldest son, Ferdinand, painting by Frans Luycx, 1634

Ferdinand and Maria Ana had six children:

Death

During the Thirty Years' War, the imperial family moved hastily to Linz where, after a fever and heavy bleeding, Maria died of poisoning during her last pregnancy on 13 May 1646. The child she was carrying, also named Maria, was born alive by caesarean section, but died soon afterward. Mother and daughter were buried together in a single coffin.

Ancestors

References

  1. "Ferdinand III". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  2. "BLKÖ:Habsburg, Maria Anna von Spanien". Wikisource (in German). Retrieved 2014-12-13.

External links

Maria Anna of Spain
Born: 18 August 1606 Died: 13 May 1646
Royal titles
Preceded by
Eleonore Gonzaga
Empress of the Holy Roman Empire
German Queen, Archduchess consort of Austria

1637–1646
Vacant
Title next held by
Maria Leopoldine of Austria
Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia
1631–1646
Vacant
Title next held by
Margaret Theresa of Spain
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