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Anna of Austria (2 November 1549 – 26 October 1580) was Queen of Spain by marriage to her uncle,
King Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
. During her last days of life she was also briefly Queen of Portugal.


Life

Anna was the eldest daughter of
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II (31 July 1527 – 12 October 1576) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death in 1576. A member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, he was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany (Kin ...
, and
Maria of Spain Archduchess Maria of Austria (21 June 1528 – 26 February 1603) was the empress consort and queen consort of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia and List of Hungarian monarchs, Hungary. She served as regent of Spain in the absen ...
, who were first cousins. She was born in Spain during the reign of her maternal grandfather,
Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...
, but lived in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
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 Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representati ...
of Hungary was postponed because Anna was sick. She received a Catholic education.


Marriage

As the eldest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Anna was a desirable candidate for marriage at the European courts. Her parents thought a Spanish marriage would strengthen links between the Austrian and Spanish Habsburg families. Initially she considered her cousin,
Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...
, the only son of her maternal uncle
Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
. These plans were shattered in 1568 when Don Carlos died. Plans for a Spanish marriage were revived when Philip's third wife, Elisabeth of Valois, died in childbirth, also in 1568. As a result, Philip was left a widower with two young daughters,
Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia ( es, link=no, Isabel Clara Eugenia; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France with ...
and Catalina Micaela. He planned to remarry because he no longer had a male heir. The marriage was at first opposed by many, including
Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
, but arranged all the same. In February 1569, Anna's engagement to her uncle Philip II was announced. In May 1570, they
married by proxy A proxy wedding or proxy marriage is a wedding in which one or both of the individuals being united are not physically present, usually being represented instead by other persons. If both partners are absent a double proxy wedding occurs. Marriage ...
. She traveled from Austria to Spain in the autumn of 1570, accompanied by her brothers Albert and Wenceslaus. Anna passed along the English Channel, where
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...
sent her admirals, Charles Howard and William Wynter, to offer support and safe passage. 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. 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.


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 is 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 wife's bedchamber up to three times a day. Anna gave birth to five children, including four sons, of whom the eldest three died before Philip, and the youngest eventually succeeded him as Philip III. Anna was also described as a good stepmother to Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catherine Michelle. In 1580 she was in
Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populati ...
, where the court was briefly based because of Philip II's claim to the Portuguese throne. She died there of
influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...
, eight months after giving birth to her last child, Maria, who outlived her mother by less than three years. Anna was initially buried in Badajoz, but her body was later transferred to El Escorial.


Children

# Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias (4 December 1571 – 18 October 1578). # Carlos Lorenzo (12 August 1573 – 30 June 1575). #
Diego, Prince of Asturias Diego, Prince of Asturias and Portugal (Diego Felix; 15 August 1575 – 21 November 1582) was the fourth son of Philip II of Spain and his third son by his fourth wife, Anna of Austria. Early life At the time of his birth, Diego's elder bro ...
(15 August 1575 – 21 November 1582). #
Philip III of Spain Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621. A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...
(3 April 1578 – 31 March 1621), succeeded his father, the only child to live to adulthood."Philip II of Spain"
''Britannica'' # Maria (14 February 1580 – 5 August 1583)


Ancestry


References


Literature

*J. Brouwer, ''Montigny, Representative of the Netherlands by Philip II'' (Amsterdam z.j.
941 Year 941 ( CMXLI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * May – September – Rus'–Byzantine War: The Rus' and their allies, th ...
. *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). , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain 1549 births 1580 deaths 16th-century House of Habsburg Royal consorts of Naples Royal consorts of Sicily Spanish royal consorts Austrian princesses Burials in Extremadura Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial Wives of Philip II of Spain 16th-century Austrian women 16th-century Spanish women 16th-century Austrian people 16th-century Spanish people Deaths in childbirth Daughters of emperors Children of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor Daughters of kings