Mariana of Austria

The second of six children born to Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (1608-1657) and the Infanta Maria Anna of Spain (1606-1646), the younger sister of Philip IV, Mariana of Austria was initially betrothed to Prince Balthasar Charles (1627-1646), the heir to the Hispanic Monarchy. The Prince’s sudden death on 9th October 1646 left Philip IV without male heirs and he sought the Archduchess’s hand in marriage. The royal marriage, arranged to ensure the succession to the Crown and to strengthen the ties between the Madrid and Viennese branches of the House of Habsburgs, was celebrated in Navalcarnero on 7th October 1649. The King and Queen had five children: the Infanta Margaret Theresa (1651-1673), Holy Roman Empress by marriage to Leopold I (1640-1705); the Infanta Maria Ambrosia (born and died in 1655); Prince Felipe Prospero (1657-1661); the Infante Fernando Tomás (1658-1659), and the future King Charles II (1661-1700), who succeeded his father on the throne. 

During the second half of Philip IV's reign, Mariana of Austria's political role was confined to mediating between the courts of Madrid and Vienna. She became Regent during the minority of Charles II (1665-1675), and her Regency was marked by the court’s opposition to the Queen's favourites, Father Johann Eberhard Nithard and Fernando de Valenzuela; the inability of the Hispanic Monarchy to respond successfully to the foreign policy of Louis XIV of France; and by the confrontation between the Regent and John Joseph of Austria, the illegitimate son of Philip IV (1629-1679). 

Exiled to Toledo after her opponents at court seized power in January 1677, Mariana of Austria returned to Madrid after the death of John Joseph of Austria on 17th September 1679. During the personal reign of Charles II, the Queen had considerable sway over the King, in addition to significant political influence. Aware that the King was likely to die childless, Mariana of Austria advocated the appointment of her great-grandson, Prince Joseph Ferdinand Leopold of Bavaria (1692-1699), as heir to Charles II. The former Regent died in Madrid, in the Palace of the Duke of Uceda, on 16th May 1696. Her remains are buried in the Pantheon of Kings and Queens in the Monastery of El Escorial.

Source: Royal Academy of History (https://www.rah.es)