Anna of Austria

Anna of Austria (1549-1580)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anna of Austria (Cigales, Valladolid, November 1, 1549–Badajoz, October 26, 1580), was Queen consort of Spain and Portugal.

She was the first daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain. She was born in Spain, but lived in Vienna from the age of four.

She was betrothed to Don Carlos, son of Philip II and heir to the Spanish throne, but he died in 1568. Philip II lost his third wife in the same year and a marriage was arranged between Anna and Philip II, despite the fact that Philip was also Anna's uncle.

Pope Pius V first opposed the marriage, but finally consented and they were married in Prague on May 4th, 1570.

Philip II and Anna of Austria had 5 children:

Fernando: December 4, 1571 – October 18, 1578

Carlos Lorenzo: August 12, 1573 - June 30, 1575

Diego Félix: August 15, 1575 – November 21, 1582

Philip: April 3, 1578 - March 31, 1621 (future king, Philip III of Spain)

María: February 14, 1580 - August 5, 1583

In 1580 Philip II obtained the throne of Portugal; Anna became Queen of Portugal. However, she died the same year, victim of a contagious disease which had also struck King Philip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_of_Austria_%281549-1580%29

Anna of Austria (1549–1580)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 (Redirected from Anna of Austria (1549-1580))

Jump to:navigation, search

Anna of Austria

Anna of Austria by Alonso Sánchez Coello

Queen consort of Spain

Tenure 1570-1580

Queen consort of Portugal

Tenure 1580

Spouse Philip II of Spain

Detail

Issue

Philip III of Spain

Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias

Diego, Prince of Asturias

House House of Habsburg

Father Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor

Mother Maria of Spain

Born 1 November 1549

Cigales, Spain

Died 26 October 1580 (aged 30)

Badajoz, Spain

Burial El Escorial

For other people named Anna of Austria, see Anna of Austria (disambiguation).

Anna of Austria (Cigales, Valladolid, 1 November 1549 – Badajoz, 26 October 1580), was Queen consort of Spain and Portugal.

She was the first daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain. She was born in Spain, but lived in Vienna from the age of four.

Contents

[hide]

   * 1 Family

   * 2 Biography

         o 2.1 Children

   * 3 Gallery

   * 4 Ancestors

   * 5 References

   * 6 Literature

   * 7 Succession

[edit] Family

Anna's maternal grandparents were Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella of Portugal, her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, Charles and Ferdinand's mother was Joanna of Castile, Joanna was the daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. She was born in Spain, but lived in Vienna from the age of four. She had many other siblings; some became Holy Roman emperors and among her sisters was Elisabeth of Austria (1554–1592) who became the Queen of France.

[edit] Biography

Arms of Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain.

Anna was considered the favorite child of her father. The story goes that he enjoyed playing and gambling with her even once a meeting of the State of Hungary was postponed because Anna was sick. Anna received a Catholic education, even though her father was sympathetic to Lutheranism. Her many brothers, included the later emperors Rudolph II and Matthias, also Archduke Albert of Austria, were partially educated at the Spanish-Habsburg court.

As the eldest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Anna was a desirable party for marriage at the European courts. Her parents thought of a Spanish marriage for its 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, due to falling out with his father and going on hunger strike. The Spanish marriage plans received a boost when Philip's third wife, Elisabeth of Valois, also died and Philip was now a widower with two young daughters. Philip had been married three times: firstly to his double cousin Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal, secondly to Mary I of England and thirdly to the previously mentioned Elisabeth of Valois. Philip was now looking for his fourth wife, since he had no male heirs since Carlos died. In February 1569 Anna's engagement to her uncle Philip II was announced. In May 1570 they married by proxy.

Anna traveled to Austria in the autumn of 1570 accompanied by her brothers Albert and Wenzel to Spain. They traveled through the Netherlands, where Anna was accosted by friends and relatives of Floris Montigny, the younger brother of the executed Alva, Earl of Horne. Montigny had been imprisoned in Spain since 1567. Now the king had entered a new marriage, Montigny's family and friends dared to hope for leniency. They got the promise of the future queen that she would do her utmost to free Montigny. In 1790, a dramatic copper engraving made from a (probably imaginary) scene where the wife and the mother of Montigny and Anna on their knees begging to intercede for Floris. Anna arrived on October 3 on Spanish soil, but before she could reach the king, Floris was secretly put to death on October 16, 1570. The historian John Brewer believes that Philip had him hastily executed, soon after the Philip's first meeting with Anna, in which he refused to free Floris.

As her father's favorite child, she was also Philip's most beloved wife. But the marriage was at first opposed by many, including Pope Pius V[1]. According to diplomats, the king was in love with his young bride. Philip was a conscientious monarch and maintained his relationship with Anna twice a week to write notes. It was Philip's fourth marriage, but the king still had no male heir. Anna completed her duties flawlessly in that regard. Not only was she a good stepmother to Philip's daughters Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catalina Micaela' [2], she also gave birth to five children:

[edit] Children

  1. Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias (4 December 1571 – 18 October 1578), died in Philip's lifetime

  2. Carlos Lorenzo (12 August 1573 –30 June 1575), died young

  3. Diego, Prince of Asturias (15 August 1575 – 21 November 1582), died in Philip's lifetime

  4. Philip III of Spain (3 April 1578 – 31 March 1621), succeeded his father, only child to live to adulthood[3].

  5. Maria (14 February 1580 – 5 August 1583), died young

There are no records of mistresses during the time of marriage. Anna had a personality very much like his own, and he was devoted to her. Queen Anna was also vivid and cheerful, and managed to ease up some of the stiff atmosphere at the Spanish court. Anna busied herself mostly with needlework.

The couple travelled to Portugal, after the death of the childless Henry of Portugal, the royal couple became seriously ill. At the time, Anna was pregnant with her daughter, Maria. The doctors who wanted to save her, left her to bleed for anemia. In much pain and after childbirth, she died of heart failure.

[edit] Gallery

Anna of Austria, by Alonso Sánchez Coello

Anna by Antonis Mor

Philip and Anna banqueting with family and courtiers, by Alonso Sánchez Coello, c. 1596.

Anna by Giuseppe Arcimboldo

[edit] Ancestors

[show]

v • d • e

Ancestors of Anna of Austria (1549–1580)

16. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor

8. Philip I of Castile

17. Mary of Burgundy

4. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

18. Ferdinand II of Aragon

9. Joanna of Castile

19. Isabella I of Castile

2. Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor

20. Casimir IV Jagiellon

10. Vladislas II of Bohemia and Hungary

21. Elisabeth of Austria

5. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary

22. Gaston de Foix, Count of Candale

11. Anna of Foix-Candale

23. Catherine of Foix

1. Anna of Austria

24. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (= 16.)

12. Philip I of Castile (= 8.)

25. Mary of Burgundy (= 17.)

6. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

26. Ferdinand II of Aragon (= 18.)

13. Joanna of Castile (= 9.)

27. Isabella I of Castile (= 19.)

3. Maria of Spain

28. Fernando, Duke of Viseu

14. Manuel I of Portugal

29. Beatrice of Portugal

7. Isabella of Portugal

30. Ferdinand II of Aragon (= 18.)

15. Maria of Aragon and Castile

31. Isabella I of Castile (= 19.)

[edit] References

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain

  1. ^ Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain- Spanish School

  2. ^ Anna of Austria

  3. ^ "Philip II of Spain" Britannica

[edit] 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).

[edit] Succession

Anna of Austria (1549–1580)

House of Habsburg

Born: 1 November 1549 Died: 26 October 1580

Preceded by

Elisabeth of Valois Consort of the Seventeen Provinces of the Spanish Netherlands

1570–1580 Succeeded by

Elisabeth of Bourbon

as Consort of the Spanish Netherlands

(Titular Duchess consort of Burgundy, Duchess consort of Brabant, Upper Guelders, Limburg, Lothier, Luxembourg, Countess consort of Artois, Burgundy, Flanders, Hainaut and Namur)

Succeeded by

United Provinces

as sovereign ruler of Groningen and Ommelanden, Friesland, Overijssel, Lower Guelders and Zutphen, Holland, and Zeeland

Queen consort of Spain

1570–1580 Succeeded by

Margaret of Austria

Preceded by

Catherine of Habsburg Queen consort of Portugal

1580

This page was last modified on 10 May 2010 at 21:44