Mariana of Austria

Mariana of Austria (1634-1696) was the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain, the daughter of King Philip III (1578-1621). Destined for marriage to the heir to the Spanish throne, her cousin Balthasar Charles (1629-1646), she married his father instead, her uncle Philip IV (1605-1665). After the death of Balthasar Charles, the king had to remarry in fact, to ensure succession to the throne. However, of the five children of the couple, the only one to survive the death of their father was the weak Charles II (1661-1700). Mariana exercised the regency of the kingdom until 1675, but later maintained a strong political role next to her son, who suffered from physical and mental deficiencies. The clash with the natural son of Philip IV, Don John of Austria the Younger (1629-1679), pushed her and Charles II to leave Madrid for two years (1677-1679). She died of breast cancer at age 62. The Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean are named after her.

Read more :

• J. Calvo Poyato, La vida y la época de Carlos II el Hechizado, Barcelona 1998.
• L. Oliván Santaliestra, Mariana de Austria. Imagen, poder y diplomacia de una reina cortesana, Madrid 2007.