Marianne of Austria

Marianne's parents were Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife Marianne , a Spanish infante, daughter of King Philip III . Marianne was their eldest daughter. Born December 23, 1634 in Vienna at the court of her grandfather, Ferdinand II . Her father, who became emperor in 1637, spent most of his time away from his family, participating in the Thirty Years War .

From childhood, she was destined to marry her cousin Balthazar Carlos , Prince of Asturias, son of Philip IV , who, however, died in 1646 at the age of 16. Philip IV was left without an heir, and Marianne without a groom. On November 8, 1649, Marianne married her uncle, Philip IV. Five children were born in this marriage ^[1] , but only two of them have come of age - Margarita Teresa and heir to the throne, Charles II . Karl had no heirs, since he was born as a result of incest , which had been practicing in the Habsburg dynasty for generations.

Philip IV died on September 17, 1665, his son Charles II was only 3 years old, and Marianne became regent . Karl, being an invalid, could speak and move with great difficulty, he was carried in his arms for up to 10 years, and he needed the regent more than others. She remained regent most of her life, except for the short period when she was expelled from Madrid in 1678 by the illegitimate son of Philip IV Juan of Austria as a result of a palace coup. The reason was her support for the favorite Fernando de Valenzuela , which caused dissatisfaction with the court. She returned to Madrid after the death of Juan in 1679, was no longer regent due to the age of majority of Carl, but continued to play a significant role in public affairs until her death in 1696.

By nature, a very cheerful young girl, over the years, under the influence of strict Spanish palace etiquette, she became increasingly sullen, melancholy and reserved. She died in 1696, having previously made numerous attempts to establish one of the Habsburgs as the heir to her son. However, all her efforts ended in failure, and after the death of Charles II, a war broke out for the Spanish inheritance .

• Margarita Teresa of Spain (1651–1673), Empress, wife of Leopold I
• Maria Ambrosia (1655)
• Felipe Prospero (1657–1661)
• Fernando Thomas (1658–1659)
• Charles II (1661-1700), Spanish king, the last of the Habsburg dynasty on the Spanish throne