You are not my son! Spanish Prince Don Carlos. A flawless monarch: why the Spaniards love King Philip VI Caring father and loving husband

Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias(July 8, 1545, Valladolid - July 24, 1568, Madrid) - heir to the Spanish throne, son of King Philip II of Spain and his first wife, Mary of Portugal. Due to mental imbalance, the prince was imprisoned by his own father in early 1568, where he remained for the next six months until his death. The life story of Don Carlos formed the basis of Schiller's poem and Verdi's opera.

Biography

Don Carlos was born in Valladolid on July 8, 1545. His mother, Maria Manuela of Portugal, died four days later from postpartum hemorrhage. The young infant was born weak and ugly. The boy grew up arrogant and self-willed and, already in adulthood, began to show signs of mental instability.

In 1556, the boy was proclaimed Prince of Asturias, and three years later he was betrothed to Elizabeth of Valois, the eldest daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici, but a few months later, for political reasons, she was married to his father, Philip II, as a result of Cato's imprisonment -The Peace of Cambresia between Spain and France. Other brides from royal families were offered as replacements for Don Carlos: Mary, Queen of Scots, Margarita of Valois, the youngest of Elizabeth's sisters, and Anna of Austria, who was Don Carlos's cousin. The choice of the king settled on Anna, but later, after the death of Elizabeth of Valois, she also became the wife of Philip II.

In 1560, being the sole heir of his male father, Don Carlos was named heir to the Crown of Castile, and three years later, heir to Aragon. He also became the 218th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He often attended meetings of the Council of State (which dealt with foreign affairs) and was in correspondence with his aunt Margaret of Parma, who ruled the Netherlands on behalf of his father.

In 1562, Don Carlos fell down the stairs and suffered a serious head injury. The life of the young prince was saved by a trepanation of the skull, performed by the outstanding anatomist Andreas Vesalius. After his recovery, Don Carlos became distinguished by wild, unpredictable behavior. He took a dislike to the Duke of Alba, who took over as commander of Philip's troops in the Netherlands, a post previously promised to Don Carlos himself. Carlos was probably trying to establish contact with a representative of the Count of Egmont from the Netherlands, who was one of the leaders of the uprising against Spain. Don Carlos also showed antipathy towards his father, whose murder, according to the confessor of the Infante, he allegedly planned at one time. In the autumn of 1567, he was about to flee to the Netherlands, but Juan of Austria, whom Carlos tried to involve in his plans, told King Philip about everything.

Shortly before midnight on January 17, 1568, King Philip II, dressed in armor, accompanied by four advisers, entered the chambers of Don Carlos, where he announced his arrest to his son, seized his documents and weapons, and boarded up the windows. Carlos remained in solitary confinement at the Madrid Alcazar until his death six months later. Rumors later appeared that the prince had been poisoned on his father's orders; the same was stated in the Apology of William I of Orange, a propaganda work against the Spanish king, written in 1581. Modern historians believe that Don Carlos died of natural causes. He grew up very weak and suffered from an eating disorder during his imprisonment, when the prince alternated fasting with heavy drinking.

Carlos left an unfavorable impression on some foreign ambassadors. The Venetian ambassador Hieronymus Soranzo thought that Carlos was "ugly and repulsive" and claimed that Carlos enjoyed roasting animals alive and once tried to get a shoemaker to eat a shoe he found unsatisfactory. Another Venetian, Paolo Tiepolo, wrote: "He [Prince Carlos] desires neither to study nor exercise, but [desires] only to harm others."

Origin

The reason for the physical and mental deviations of the Infante was probably incest between the Habsburgs and the royal houses of Portugal (Dynasty of Avis) and Spain. Don Carlos had only four great-grandmothers (Juan I the Mad and Maria of Aragon) and great-grandparents (Philip I the Handsome and Manuel I) instead of the maximum possible eight; moreover, his parents had the same co-inheritance ratio (1/8) as if they were half brother and sister. Also, Don Carlos had only six great-great-grandmothers (Mary of Burgundy, Isabella I of Castile and Beatrice of Portugal) and great-great-grandparents (Emperor Maximilian I, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Fernando, Duke of Viseu) instead of the maximum possible sixteen; his maternal grandmother (Catherine of Austria) was the sister of his paternal grandfather (Emperor Charles V), his maternal grandfather (Juan III) was the brother of his paternal grandmother (Isabella of Portugal), and his great-grandmothers (Juana and Maria) were sisters to each other .

Portrait of Don Carlos (A. Mor or A. Sanchez Coelho)

The day of July 8, 1545, when King Philip II (1527-1598) had an heir in Valladolid, was one of the happiest for the Spanish people. And four days after the birth of the boy, the country plunged into mourning - she died, never recovering from a difficult birth, the wife of the reigning monarch, Mary of Portugal, who gave the king a son.

Mary of Portugal(October 15, 1527, Coimbra - July 12, 1545, Valladolid) - Portuguese princess, first wife of King Philip II of Spain.

Don Carlos was the eldest legitimate son of Philip II and thus heir to the Spanish throne. He grew up stooped and mentally retarded. It is assumed that this was a consequence of incest practiced among the Habsburgs and between the royal houses of Spain and Portugal. Don Carlos had only four great-grandparents out of a possible eight, and only six great-great-grandparents out of a possible sixteen.

From an early age, Carlos experienced epileptic seizures, tantrums and outbursts of anger were repeated too often, and the character of the young infant was unbearable. And although many educators and teachers were assigned to him, they could not change the audacity, self-will and cruelty that awakened in the young prince. It was said that he liked to torture animals, which were brought to him from hunting by servants, and in this entertainment he found particular pleasure. He loved to fight, and his slaps in the face often went to those close to him, who somehow could not please the wayward heir. One of his contemporaries described Carlos as follows: “The Prince of Asturias has unbearable arrogance and is loose in his morals, his mind is weak, he is capricious and stubborn ...” One way or another, despite the bad character of the royal son, he still remained the only heir to the Spanish throne.

Because his mother died, and his father worked state affairs, the person closest to him was his aunt Juana, the younger sister of Philip II. But in 1552 she married the Crown Prince of Portugal. She returned after her husband's death in 1554, leaving her son Sebastian in the care of her grandparents. A widow at the age of 17, charming and intelligent, Juana tried to take care of Don Carlos.

Other brides that were proposed to the prince: Mary Stuart, Margaret of Valois, another daughter of Henry II, and Anna of Austria, daughter of Emperor Maximilian II, who later became the fourth wife of Philip II.

In 1558, when the war between Spain and France began, the monarchs of both powers met in a small abbey, where they decided to conclude a truce, and in honor of this event, to betroth their minor children: Carlos and Elizabeth. The Spanish heir was barely thirteen at the time, and the young princess was a year younger than her fiancé. Everyone began to patiently wait for the upcoming wedding and changes in the royal court.

Portrait of Don Carlos by Alonso Sanchez Coelho, (1558, Prado, Madrid)

However, in less than a few months, on November 17, 1558, the second wife of the king, Mary Tudor of England, died unexpectedly. Philip was only thirty-one when he became a widower, but the Spanish king still had strength, energy and passion. At the same time, those close to the monarch began to look for a new spouse. There was no suitable candidate, and Philip II decided to marry the bride of his own son.

In the summer of 1559, the engagement of King Philip II of Spain and a young French princess took place, who received the name Isabella in her new homeland. Six months later, on February 2, 1560, the young people were married, and the former groom played the role of an imprisoned father at the parent's wedding. The bride was only fourteen years old, and her beauty and sharp mind already aroused sincere admiration among the Spaniards. It seemed that happy times had returned to the country again.

Portrait Elizabeth of Valois by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, (c. 1560, Prado, Madrid)

But there was one who did not rejoice in the happiness of the Spanish monarch - his son, heir to the throne, Don Carlos. Passionately in love with Isabella, sensitive and selfish, the prince shed bitter tears and, hating his father, promised to avenge him for the happiness he had taken away. He became even more withdrawn, embittered and irritable.

Only the former bride could arouse joy in the infanta, who, through evil fate, became a stepmother, who always behaved simply, caringly with Carlos and tried to smooth out her hatred for her father. In the minutes of conversations with her, the heir seemed to change. He became more tolerant, softer, and a long-awaited smile appeared on his always stern and gloomy face.

It is still unknown whether the relationship between Carlos and Isabella was only platonic. Most likely, the young queen remained devoted to her husband and in no way violated the vow of fidelity given on the wedding day. Nevertheless, she always treated the prince too reverently and with caring, maternal love. However, there were those who, disliking a foreigner, tried to inspire the reigning monarch that his wife and son were connected by closer ties. Philip II even followed Isabella several times, but did not find anything suspicious.

And Carlos, in love with the young queen, burned with tender feelings for the former bride and hatred for the hypocritical parent. The Spanish king was indeed known in Europe as a deceitful, cold-blooded and cunning monarch. It seemed that the son took over from him the worst features, becoming even more cruel and inhuman. And life presented the heir with even more severe trials.

Although his mental health worsened every year, he was named in 1560 heir to the Castilian throne and three years later heir to the Aragonese kingdom.

After the king appointed not Don Carlos, but Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, the third Duke of Alba, as commander-in-chief in the Eighty Years' War, Don Carlos rebelled against his father. In a rage, he wrote a list of the people he hated the most, in which his father was in the first place. In the same year, he killed Philip II's favorite horse. To appease his son, Philip appointed him Minister of the Council of State, a role Don Carlos performed very well. However, later he again quarreled with his father and he deprived him of this post.

At the beginning of May 1562, the seventeen-year-old Infante, descending the stairs of his palace, inadvertently stumbled, rolled down the stairs and hit the floor hard. The prince, who had lost consciousness, was taken to his bedroom, and the doctors, after examining Don Carlos, considered that he did not have long to live. However, the royal physician Andreo Basilio went to extreme measures and opened the patient's skull, releasing fluid from there. Thus, the doctor brought the prince back to life. Unfortunately, the heir remained partially paralyzed, and excruciating headaches haunted him all his life.

When Carlos recovered a little, his father decided to marry his son to Princess Anna of Austria, who was four years younger than the heir and was his cousin. Acquainted with her early childhood, Carlos did not oppose the upcoming union, but events suddenly took a completely different turn.

Anna of Austria(November 2, 1549 - October 26, 1580) - the fourth wife of King Philip II of Spain. (1563, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien) Portrait by Giuseppe Arcimboldi

In the 1560s, an uprising broke out in the Netherlands, where Philip II was determined to eradicate Protestantism. In 1568, Don Carlos, being in a hostile relationship with his father, intended to flee from Spain to the Netherlands. He may even have made contact with some of the Dutch leaders.

The Spanish monarch, who previously had no special feelings for his son, now found a convenient moment to remove Don Carlos from the throne and deprive him of the title of royal heir. Such a serious decision should have been supported by state advisers, whom the monarch called to himself in order to decide with them the future fate of his son. Philip II reported that he no longer intended to endure the antics of his child, in whose fate he tried to accept the most Active participation, and asked the Council to consent to the arrest of the heir.

However, the monarch did not wait for the answer of the advisers. He immediately imprisoned the prince, and a few days later sent him to prison. There, Carlos was not allowed any excesses, and even when Queen Isabella decided to visit her stepson, she was categorically forbidden to do so. The inconsolable Infante stopped eating, refused clothes and swallowed ice, which led to a painful fever.

For several days, doctors tried to cure him, but no medicine helped the prince. He grew worse until, finally, the court physician informed the monarch that Carlos might be living his last days. This turn of events was very beneficial to the king, and he ordered the healer not to take any action, so as not to suddenly cure the dying heir. And it got worse every day. When the agony was reported to Philip, he decided to visit his son for the last time. However, Carlos no longer recognized anyone. He died at dawn on July 24, 1568.

He was buried with full honors in one of the churches in Madrid. It was announced that the heir to the throne "died of his own excesses." The young queen, 22-year-old Isabella, grieved so bitterly about the death of her stepson that Philip II forbade her to cry, and a few months later she died. It is believed that the cause of her death was the sudden loss of the child, whom the queen carried under her heart for several months, and the blood poisoning that followed this event.

The monarch had no heirs, so he decided on a fourth marriage. His next wife, by the will of fate, again became the bride of his son, Anna of Austria, with whom Philip II was married in 1570 and who gave her already elderly husband a son, who later became the Spanish king Philip III.

In 1598, Philip II set off from Madrid to Escorial. He wanted to spend the last days of his life there. Broken by a serious illness, the infirm old man did not stay there for long: on September 13 of the same year, the king of Spain, who ruled the country for more than forty years, died.

Anthony More. Portrait of Philip II. (1554, Budapest)

The unknown and incomprehensible details of the whole story associated with Don Carlos and the foreign princess Isabella continue to cause numerous controversies among historians. It is believed that Isabella was poisoned, and Carlos was allegedly even violently killed. The latter is indicated by the testimony of the Duke of Saint-Simon, who many years later opened the grave of the prince and was surprised to find that the head of the heir had been cut off. A few centuries later, when Napoleon, wishing to unravel the secret of the Madrid court, decided to re-open the tomb of Don Carlos, he saw that the remains of the Infante were covered with lime mortar and it was no longer possible to prove the words of Saint-Simon.

Source: Sardaryan A.R.
"100 Great Love Stories"

The Abbot of Saint-Real, Campistron, Ximenes, Andrey Chenier, Otway, Alfieri and Schiller, having immortalized Don Carlos in their novels and tragedies, exposed him - alas! Far from what he really was. Alfieri is a martyr, Schiller has a Jena or Mannheim student, an honest, straight soul, an enthusiastic nature, an eaglet in a golden cage ... We repeat: Infante Don Carlos, the son of Philip II, was far from similar to Don Carlos - the brainchild of Schiller's imagination. In many ways, this pitiful person reminds us of another, from recent times, namely the son of Peter the Great - Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich ... Even the mysterious death of both was almost the same. Schiller, when depicting Don Carlos in his tragedy, sinned against the truth just as much as he was faithful to it when depicting Philip II.

Don Carlos was more like a hero of a harlequinade than a tragedy....

However, do we dare to reproach the immortal poet who gave humanity his Don Carlos? Did Shakespeare create his Hamlet from some half-witted Danish prince?

Kondraty Petrovich Birkin
Philip II, King of Spain

Don Carlos, Infante of Spain

(German: Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien) - a dramatic poem Friedrich Schiller

in five acts. dramatic work, written in 1783-1787, tells about the social and political conflicts of the beginning of the Eighty Years' War, during which the Dutch provinces won independence from Spain, as well as social and family intrigues at the court of King Philip II. The play is written on the plot of a short story by the French writer Saint-Real (1639 - 1692). There are two stage versions - poetic and prose.

Friedrich Schiller. Portrait by Anton Graf. (1790)

Title page and frontispiece of the first edition (with obsolete spelling "Dom Karlos")

In Aranjus, the residence of the Spanish king near Madrid, is the entire Spanish court. Here is the king's son, Don Carlos. The king is cold to him, he is busy with public affairs and his young wife, who was formerly the bride of Don Carlos. Philip II assigned his servants to his son to spy on him.

The Marquis of Pose, a childhood friend of the prince, comes to Aranjus from Flanders, with whom he has touching memories. The Infante reveals himself to him in criminal love for his stepmother, and the Marquis arranges for Don Carlos to meet with Elizabeth in private. In response to the prince's passionate love confessions, she asks him to direct his love towards the unfortunate Spanish kingdom and hands him several letters with "Tears of the Netherlands".

After reading these letters, Don Carlos decides to ask his father to appoint him as governor of the Netherlands, instead of the cruel Duke of Alba, who is supposed to be in this position. This intention is also approved by the Marquis of Posa.

The court of the king moves to the royal palace in Madrid. With difficulty, Don Carlos obtains an audience with Philip. He asks to be sent to Flanders, where he promises to pacify the rebellion in Brabant. The king refuses, he believes that the place of the prince is at court, while the Duke of Alba will go to Flanders.

Don Carlos is disappointed, at this time the queen's page secretly hands him a love note with a request to come on a date with half of Elizabeth. The prince is sure that the note is from the queen, he comes to the indicated place and meets there the lady-in-waiting of Elizabeth, Princess Eboli. The infant is perplexed. Eboli declares her love to him, she seeks protection from him against attacks on her own innocence and gives the prince a letter as proof. Don Carlos hardly begins to understand his tragic mistake, while the princess, seeing the indifference towards her, realizes that the signs of attention of the infanta, which she took personally, actually belonged to the queen. Eboli chases the prince, but before that she asks to return to her the key that the page gave to Don Carlos, and the king's love letter to her, which she herself had just given to the prince. Don Carlos is shocked by the news of Philip's attitude towards Princess Eboli, he leaves, but takes the letter with him.

Meanwhile, at the court of the king, the prince has enemies who do not like the unbalanced temper of the heir to the throne. The confessor of King Domingo and the Duke of Alba believe that such a monarch would be very uncomfortable on the Spanish throne. The only way to remove Don Carlos is to make the king believe in the love of the queen for her son, in this case, according to Domingo, they have an ally - Princess Eboli, with whom Philip is in love.

Upon learning of the refusal of the king to send a prince to Flanders, Pose is upset. Don Carlos shows his friend the King's letter to Princess Eboli. The Marquis warns the Infante against the intrigues of the offended princess, but at the same time shames him for wanting to use the stolen letter. The pose breaks it and, in response to the suffering of the unfortunate infant, promises to re-arrange his meeting with the queen.

From the Duke of Alba, Domingo and Princess Eboli, Philip II learns about the "treason" of Elizabeth, he loses his peace and sleep, he sees conspiracies everywhere. In search of an honest man who would help him establish the truth, the king's eyes rest on the Marchioness of Posa.

Philip's conversation with the Marquis is most reminiscent of a conversation between a blind man and a deaf man. Pose considers it her duty, first of all, to put in a good word for her suffering Flanders, where people's freedom is being stifled. The old monarch cares only about personal well-being. Philip asks the marquis to "enter into the confidence of his son", "test the heart of the queen" and prove his devotion to the throne. leaving, the noble grandee still hopes that he will be able to achieve freedom for his homeland.

As Philippe's envoy, Posa gets a date alone with the queen. He asks Elizabeth to persuade Don Carlos to go to the Netherlands without the king's blessing. He is sure that the royal son will be able to gather "rebels" under his banner, and then his father, seeing the pacified Flanders, will himself appoint her governor to this province. The Queen sympathizes with the patriotic plans of the Marquis of Posa and appoints a date with Don Carlos.

The Marquis of Posa delivers Don Carlos' personal letters to the King. Among them, the monarch recognizes by handwriting a note from Princess Eboli, who, wanting to prove Elizabeth's betrayal of her husband, broke open the queen's box and stole letters from Don Carlos, written to Elizabeth, as it turned out, even before her marriage. Pose asks the king for a paper with his signature, which would allow him, as a last resort, to arrest the unstable prince. Philip gives such a document.

At court, the behavior of the Marquis of Posa causes bewilderment, which reaches its limit when the grandee orders the arrest of Don Carlos on the basis of a letter from the king. At this time, the postal director, Don Raymond de Taxis, appears, he brings a letter from Posa, which is addressed to the Prince of Orange, who is in Brussels. It should explain everything to everyone.

Princess Eboli informs Elizabeth about the arrest of the Infante and, tormented by pangs of conscience, confesses her villainy against the queen, she orders her to be exiled to the monastery of St. Mary.

After a meeting with the queen, in which he asks Elizabeth to remind the prince of their youthful oath, the Marquis of Posa goes to prison with his friend Don Carlos. Knowing that this is their last meeting, he reveals his plan to the Infanta. To save Carlos, he wrote a letter to the Prince of Orange about his imaginary love for the Queen and that the Infante Don Carlos had been given to Philip by him only to divert his eyes. Poza is sure that his letter will fall into the hands of the monarch. The prince is shocked, he is ready to run to his father-king to ask for forgiveness for himself and the Marquis, but too late: a shot is heard, the Marquis of Posa falls and dies.

Philip comes to prison with grants to free his son. But instead of the grateful and obedient Don Carlos, he finds there a heartbroken man who blames the king for the death of his friend. Noise is growing around the prison, it is in Madrid that a rebellion of the people begins, which demands the release of the prince.

At this time, a Carthusian monk falls into the hands of the spies of the Duke of Alba. With him were letters from the Marquis of Posa to Flanders, which dealt with the escape of the crown prince to the Netherlands, where he would lead an uprising for the independence of this country. The Duke of Alba immediately delivers the letters to the Spanish king.

King Philip summons the Grand Inquisitor. He is tormented by the thought that infanticide is a grave sin, while he decided to get rid of his son. To appease his conscience, the old monarch wants to enlist the support of the church in his crime. The Grand Inquisitor says that the church is able to forgive sonicide and makes the argument: “In the name of justice, the eternal son of God was crucified*. He is ready to take responsibility for the death of the Infante, if only the champion of freedom does not appear on the throne.

Night falls, Don Carlos comes on a date with Elizabeth. He sets out for Flanders, determined to accomplish in the name of friendship what he and the marquis had dreamed of. The Queen blesses him. The king appears with the Grand Inquisitor. The queen faints and dies, Philip, without a shadow of a doubt, hands over his son to the hands of the Grand Inquisitor.

And Philip II was married four times and outlived all four. The first wife, in 1543, was Maria Manuela of Avisa.

Maria, like Philip, was the granddaughter of Juana - her mother was Katerina, whom I talked about last time. She was fifteen, he was sixteen. Within a few months, both his own parents and his wife's parents reproached Philip for his coldness in dealing with his young wife. Two years after the wedding, Maria gave birth to a son - the birth was difficult, and there was no experienced midwife. Alas, she lived only four days, leaving Philip the first-born Charles, better known to us as Don Carlos. Monument to Mary:

The second wife of Philip is much more famous - this is Mary Tudor, "Bloody Mary". Soon after her coronation, the envoy of Emperor Charles V began to persuade her to marry Philip, the future king of Spain. At first she did not agree - she was thirty-seven, and he was only twenty-six. But the queen needed a Catholic heir, and Philip, moreover, was her relative (his grandmother, Juana, was the sister of Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon). And in June 1554, Philip, the future Prince Consort, arrived in England, and a month later the wedding took place. Here is a portrait of Mary with a ring donated by Philip:

And one more - after the engagement:

Unlike Mary, who fell in love with the groom, he was not delighted with her, which he told his closest advisers about. Like, older than him, poorly dressed, no eyebrows, and even she smells bad. True, Maria danced at the wedding better than a freshly baked spouse. Copy wedding dress Mary:

Despite all the queen's love, Philip had no power in England, and Mary only acted according to her husband's wishes when they coincided with her own. First the queen, then the woman.

In November, Maria felt that she was pregnant, but May came, and the child was still not born (a false rumor spread that a prince was born on April 30). By August, it became clear that there was no child and would not be - the pregnancy was false. (It is now believed that Mary had ovarian cancer, which is why she could not get pregnant).

In 1555, after the abdication of his father, Philip became king of the Netherlands and was forced to leave England. Maria saw him off in tears and then wrote letters asking him to return as soon as possible. Philip, on the other hand, demanded a coronation - the role of the prince consort did not suit him. Maria replied that if the coronation took place, then not now. Well, Philip was also happy in the Netherlands, where he had a lot of fun. Mary remained in England, and the years went by. In 1556 she turned forty. In May, she demanded that her husband return, threatening that if he was not there by 30 June, "she would not regard him as a trustworthy king." The portrait of Philip, hanging in the council chamber, began to annoy the queen, and she ordered him to be removed. She knew that Philip was cheating on her, but she tried to keep her face.

And when Philip, who had already become the king of Spain, finally returned, he did not stay with Mary for long - in June 1557 he started a war with France (the queen had to work hard to persuade the Council to support him). But, although at first things were going well, in January 1558, Calais, which had belonged to the British for more than two hundred years, was captured by the French. Who was blamed for this loss? Mary. It was a blow, all the more so since she again believed she was pregnant.

In March 1558, Mary wrote a will, but did not appoint an heir. The second pregnancy turned out to be false again. In the summer she fell ill with a fever - reports on her condition were sent to her husband, but he never came. In October, Mary made an addition to her will, according to which Philip was not to rule England after her death. She also asked him to be a father, brother and friend to the next sovereign, although she did not name him (Elizabeth was recognized as the heir a little later).

When the dying Maria regained consciousness, she cried a lot. She was asked if her husband was not around; Maria replied that this is one of the reasons, but the main thing is "when I die, in my heart you will find Calais." After Maria's death on November 16, her wedding ring was removed from her finger and sent to Hatfield. Mary was forty-two. Here is an allegory written at the beginning of the marriage of the queen and the king:

And Philip .. Philip needed an heir, and already in June of the next, 1557, he would marry Elizabeth of Valois, the sister of three kings - Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III, and one queen - "Queen Margo".

At first it was assumed that Elizabeth would become the wife of Philip's son, Don Carlos, but instead Philip married her himself. This story formed the basis of Schiller's drama and Verdi's opera, but more about it next time.

This marriage turned out to be happier than the first two. True, Elizabeth almost died after her first pregnancy, which ended in a miscarriage - the Spanish doctors simply left her to die (as you know, "queens do not have legs"). Fortunately, the Italian doctor saved her. While Elizabeth was recovering, Philip stayed with her all the time. Two years later, a second miscarriage occurred, and only two more years later a child was finally born - a girl, Isabella Clara Evgenia. A year later, Catalina Michaela was born.

And a year later, Elizabeth gave birth to a dead child and died ... She was only twenty-three. They say that this portrait was painted after her death:

Philip was present at the birth of both daughters, and although he was disappointed that Elizabeth never gave birth to his son, he loved the girls, especially Isabella Clara.

Subsequently, she was married to the Archduke Albrecht of Austria, nicknamed the Pious - he was Philip II's nephew. Wedding portrait of Isabella Clara Eugenia:

Albrecht became regent of the Netherlands, and after his death, Isabella Clara began to rule. They say that the period of their joint rule was a golden age for the Habsburg Netherlands. Rubens became their court painter in 1609.

And for the last twelve years of her life, Isabella Clara will be regent for her nephew, Philip IV.

It can be added that in 1570, when Albrecht was eleven years old, he, along with his younger brother Wenzel, accompanied their sister Anna, the future fourth wife of Philip II, to Spain. Wenzel stayed there to continue his education, and at the age of seventeen he became the Grand Prior of the Order of St. John. Alas, he died just a year later.

By the way, once upon a time, in the encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron, I came across an article "Isabelline color", which tells how a certain infanta, when her husband besieged the city of Ostend, swore that she would not change her undershirt, shemis, until then until the city is taken. The siege lasted a long time, and from June 1601 to September 1604 the infanta did not take off her shirt. Shemiza became yellow-brown, hence the "Isabelline color". So, this Infanta is Isabella Clara Eugenia.

And the second daughter, Catalina Michaela, was more like her beautiful mother than her father. Being the younger of two infantes, and, therefore, not so "important" for state purposes, she married for love Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Savoy. However, alas, she died young, at the age of thirty.

But back to Philip. If Elizabeth had given birth to his son, he most likely would not have remarried. But the heir, Don Carlos, died, and Anna Habsburg, the elder sister of Albrecht mentioned above, the daughter of Philip's sister, Mary, became Philip's fourth wife. By the way, Anna was also at first intended to be the wife of Don Carlos, like her Elizabeth. But as a result, she, like Elizabeth, did not marry her son, but her father.

Anna and Philip had five children - Fernando, Carlos, Diego, Philip and Maria, but only Philip, the future Philip III, survived.

In 1580, after ten years of marriage, Philip and Anna went to Portugal, where the childless King Enrique had just died. Since Philip's mother was a Portuguese princess, he wanted to secure his rights to the Portuguese throne. On the way, the king fell ill with influenza, and Anna, caring for her husband, became infected and died. She was only thirty.

It was rumored that Philip's fifth wife would be his second niece, Margarita, Anna's sister. But in 1585, when she was 18, Margarita went to a monastery.

And Philip? Philip lived as a widower after the death of his fourth wife for another eighteen years.

Poor queens. Poor princesses. They were given in marriage, they gave birth to children, often dying in childbirth, and then they wrote in history textbooks: "So-and-so, the son of such-and-such." And about "such and such" - not a word.

In January, the Spanish Bourbon dynasty traditionally celebrates two important dates. This year, in early January, Juan Carlos I celebrated his birthday, and at the end of the month, his son Philip VI, or Don Felipe, as the Spaniards respectfully prefer to call him, celebrates his 51st birthday. Stately, elegant and charming in his conservatism, he is often called a true monarch, worthy of the Spanish throne even in our republican age. Why, despite strong separatist sentiments, many Spaniards still adore the king, and even local anti-monarchists often admit: Don Felipe is a significant person in every respect.

Why is the Spanish monarch so loved and respected throughout the country?

Europe's youngest monarch

In 2014, Philip VI became Europe's youngest monarch after his father Juan Carlos abdicated in his favor. Officially, the reason for the renunciation was age and health problems, but in fact, the culprit was the sharp loss of popularity of the monarch among the common population. The thing is that in 2013, the public learned about the financial frauds of Infanta Cristina (the youngest of the two daughters of Juan Carlos and Sofia) and her family, who were allegedly covered by the Crown. As a result, the degree of anti-royalist sentiment only increased (especially against the background of rumors about the betrayal of the king to his wife) - so, they say, Juan Carlos had no choice but to go into the shadows, putting his 46-year-old son on the throne.

As you might guess, Philip got a difficult “legacy” - the country was going through a deep economic crisis, and separatist sentiments were growing every day. While the coronation was taking place in the Zarzuela Palace, anti-monarchists raged in demonstrations calling for a change in the form of government. Agree, not the most beautiful beginning of the reign. However, the young king immediately hastened to declare his readiness to do everything for the cohesion of the country. And he still remains true to his word.

Unlike his father, Don Felipe clearly separated the roles of a monarch and an ordinary person. The king has a rather reserved nature, carefully examining each potential confidant before allowing him into his life. According to one of his friends, His Majesty tightly controls himself, thus giving no grounds for accusations of negligence or royal "unsuitability".

And yet, despite the outward coldness, Philip and his charming wife Letizia do not follow the protocol as stiffly as Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. At official events and public appearances, they look completely natural, showing friendliness and openness. A similar mood reigns in the family of the monarch - for example, in 2015, the eldest daughter of the king, Princess Leonor, celebrated her communion in a noisy company of classmates (Princess Leonor: the story of the future Queen of Spain in photographs).

Sole of company

Most of the king's friends are, first of all, his colleagues at the Military Academy in Zaragoza. Today, it is with them that he spends those rare hours of relaxation in the company of men, discussing new films, talking about his plans and enjoying his favorite Iberico jamon. Why academy comrades? “He knows very well that we have no material or career interests,” explains one of his friends.

In spring and summer, Philip can often be seen in a light plaid shirt and light linen trousers on a walk with his wife through the streets of Palma de Mallorca (here is the summer royal residence of the Palacio de Marivent (Marivent Palace)). A couple can easily go incognito to a cozy local restaurant and chat over a glass of wine, like ordinary lovers.

In 2017, during a visit to London, the Spanish monarch pleasantly impressed Elizabeth II (and the British queen is very difficult to surprise), gently kissing her on both cheeks during the Horse Guards parade ceremony. And it was that same old-world charm of European monarchy that is highly prized among kings.

Sports

A few years ago, Don Felipe was named the sexiest king in Europe, and this is not surprising: with a height of 197 cm, His Majesty is always taut, and there is not the slightest hint of stoop in his figure (although anyone else would probably have bent under the weight of state affairs). Slender and stately, Philip is not at all like his overweight father, although from time to time His Majesty also indulges in a juicy steak, seafood delicacies and even burgers.

The king and queen can often be seen at the popular DiverXO restaurant in Madrid. Philip, by the way, rarely drinks alcohol, preferring to indulge himself occasionally with aged wines or gin and tonic. According to Spanish publications, His Majesty is well aware of the impact of diet on health, so from time to time he skips lunch, trying to avoid foods high in carbohydrates after dinner.

Like many representatives of the royal houses of Europe, Philip was once a member of the Olympic team of his country. On the Olympic Games In 1992, in Barcelona, ​​he acted as a flag bearer at the opening ceremony and, on general terms, took part in sailing competitions. By the way, in 2013, the president of the Atlético Madrid football club, Enrique Cerezo, emphasized in particular: “His Highness Philippe is an excellent athlete.” It is not surprising that the Spanish monarch never leaves the prestigious lists of the most physically developed leaders of states.

Caring father and loving husband

Amid rumors of his father's tumultuous love life, Philip appears to be the perfect (even slightly old-fashioned) family man. At one time, Juan Carlos was a real Don Juan (not for nothing that the first name of the king is Juan). According to some reports, after marrying his wife Sophia, His Majesty had thousands of novels on the side, and even Princess Diana once happened to encounter Don Juan's love and perseverance.

Philip, unlike his father, was not seen in adultery, so he can be safely set as an example as a loving spouse and caring father. His Majesty closely monitors the upbringing of the daughters Leonor and Sophia and their physical development and even personally taught the girls how to ski.

It is not surprising that many monarchs of Europe want the exemplary Felipe to become the spiritual mentor of their children or grandchildren. So, for example, Philip is already the godfather of Prince Vincent (son of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark) and Princess Ingrid Alexandra, heir to the throne of Norway.

Artful Diplomat

One day, the leader of the radical wing of the Spanish Podemos party, Pablo Iglesias, presented the king with a Game of Thrones DVD gift set. As Iglesias explained, in this way he tried to "help the monarch understand the political crisis in Spain." Well, it is not known what specific steps the politician sought from Philip: after all, the Spanish monarch does not like to solve problems cardinally, preferring good old diplomacy and soft power. Perhaps his only tough initiative was the dissolution of Parliament in 2015. Of course, this was not just a whim: after the parliamentary elections, none of the parties was able to secure an absolute majority for itself. As a result, the king had to intervene and call re-elections for the summer of 2016 (according to the Constitution, only the monarch can dissolve the General Cortes). This, by the way, was the first case in the history of Spain since the fall of the Francoist regime.

According to royal experts, having ascended the throne in 2014, the monarch and his wife showed an unequivocal desire to support new generations and social groups, and in some way even become part of them. Indeed, in June 2014, Philip VI became the first king of Spain to receive representatives of the LGBT movement in his palace. However, now many observers have the impression that, having relied on supporting entrepreneurs, fighting corruption and ensuring economic transparency (in 2015, the monarch announced that he would cut his own income by 20% amid the crisis), Don Felipe forgot about the social diversity of the country , in which the conservative Catholic population still plays a significant role. The latter, by the way, was not too happy when the monarch adopted a decree according to which it is now possible to take the oath to key positions without a Bible and a crucifix in their hands (in other words, representatives of other religions). But here the king has little choice: after all, he, like no one else, understands that sooner or later some old values ​​​​will have to be sacrificed in favor of the challenges of the new time.