Monarchs

1598 - 1621

The fourth of five children born to Philip II (1527-1598) and his last wife, Anna of Austria (1549-1580), the future Philip III became heir to the Crown after the death of his older brothers, Princes Ferdinand and Diego, in 1578 and 1582 respectively. Prince Philip’s education was supervised by his tutor, García de Loaysa y Girón, who designed an educational programme that included subjects such as History and Geometry, languages (Latin, French and Portuguese) and classical and modern works of literature. In the early 1590s, Philip II ordered the Prince to participate in the sessions of the Government Council. Thereafter, the latter not only began to gain experience in how to conduct affairs of state, but he also had the opportunity to comprehend the political struggles...

1621 - 1665

The third son of Philip III (1578-1621) and Margaret of Austria (1584-1611), the future Philip IV was born in Valladolid, the capital of the Hispanic Monarchy between 1601 and 1606. Sworn heir to the Crown on 30th January 1608, in the Church of San Jerónimo El Real in Madrid, he was educated by Galcerán Albanell, a Catalan nobleman of renowned erudition. Prince Philip, as he was then, received classes in History, Geography, Mathematics and military tactics. After ascending the throne in 1621, he furthered his education by expanding his reading and learned languages such as Italian and French. ...

1621 - 1644

The second of six children born to King Henry IV of France and III of Navarre (1553-1610) and Marie de' Medici (1575-1642), Elisabeth of France was reared at the refined court of her mother, who inculcated in her a deep artistic and cultural sensitivity. Her marriage to Prince Philip, the future Philip IV (1605-1665), was part of a new diplomatic rapprochement between France and the Hispanic Monarchy that also included the marriage between the Infanta Anne of Austria (1601-1666)...

1649 - 1665

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 Ambrosi...

1665 - 1700

The last of five children born to Philip IV (1605-1665) and his second wife, Mariana of Austria (1634-1696), the future Charles II was born just five days after the death of his older brother, Prince Felipe Prospero, then heir to the Spanish throne. A frail child, the Prince nonetheless managed to survive against all odds and succeed his father, Philip IV, to the throne on 17th September 1665. He was less than four years old when he became King of Spain, and his mother, Mariana of Austria, ruled as Regent until he was officially declared of age in November 1675. The infant King's education was entrusted to Francisco Ramos del Manzano and included elementary education, Catholic dogma, Latin, Italian and French, as well as geography and history. Throughout his youth, Charles II witnesse...

1679 - 1689

The first-born daughter of Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans (1640-1701), brother of Louis XIV of France (1638-1715), and Henrietta Anne of England (1644-1670), Marie Louise d'Orléans received a careful education in horse riding, playing musical instruments such as the harpsichord, singing and dancing with ease, and holding conversations typical of the most select courtly circles.  Her marriage to Charles II (1661-1700) was celebrated in the village of Quintanapalla in Burgos on 18th November 1679, within the context of the signing of the Treaties of Nijmegen between France and the Hispanic Monarchy. The new Queen made her official entry into Madrid on 13th January 1680. Numerous public festivities such as bullfights and comedies were held in her honour, in additi...

1700 - 1746

The second son of Louis of Bourbon (1661-1711), commonly known as the Grand Dauphin, heir to the French Crown, and Maria Anna Christine Victoria of Bavaria (1660-1690), the future Philip V grew up at the court of Versailles during the reign of his grandfather, Louis XIV of France. He was educated by François Fénelon, later Archbishop of Cambrai. Grandson of the Infanta Maria Theresa, eldest daughter of Philip IV, on his father’s side, he ascended the Spanish throne after the death of Charles II, who appointed him as his successor in his last will and testament dated 3rd October 1700.  The first Spanish monarch of the House of Bourbon, Philip V's reign took place in two stages. The first lasted from November 1700 until 10th January 1724, when the monarch abdica......

1701 - 1714

The second daughter of Victor Amadeus II (1666-1732), Duke of Savoy, and Anne Marie d'Orléans (1669-1728), the princess Maria Luisa Gabriella was educated at the court of Turin. Her marriage to Philip V (1683-1746), ratified in Figueras on 3rd November 1701, was arranged by Louis XIV of France, the King's grandfather, in order to strengthen the alliance between the House of Savoy and the Bourbons, within the context of the War of the Spanish Succession.  Although the King and Queen were wed when Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy was not yet thirteen, the Queen surprised the Spanish court with her maturity: “she has the spirit and penetration of a woman in her thirties", confessed a contemporary witness after meeting her. Endowed with considerable personal charm......

1724 - 1724

The eldest son of Philip V (1683-1746) and his first wife, Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy (1688-1714), Louis I was the first Bourbon monarch to be born in Spain. His birth was hailed with joy by the people, who had not witnessed the birth of an heir to the Crown for forty-six years. Christened Louis Ferdinand, his godparents were his great-grandfather, King Louis XIV of France, and his aunt, the Duchess of Orléans. Prince Louis' childhood coincided in part with the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). On 7th April 1709, when he was not yet two years old, he was sworn in as Prince of Asturias at the Church of San Jerónimo El Real in Madrid. His early years were spent in the company of his mother, Queen Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy, his governess, the Princesse des ......

1759 - 1788

The first-born son of Philip V (1683-1746) and his second wife, Elisabeth Farnese (1692-1766), the future Charles III was educated by Joseph Arnaud, the Jesuit priest Ignace de Laubrussel, and Father Saverio de la Conca. Together with learning to read and write, his training included knowledge of geography, history, religion, military tactics, Latin and modern languages, as well as other disciplines of a more social nature such as horse riding, hunting, dancing and music.  Charles III was not originally destined to reign, as his older brothers, the future Louis I and Ferdinand VI, preceded him in the line of succession to the Spanish throne. However, in early 1731, he was recognised as Duke of Parma and Piacenza, following the death of Antonio Farnese, and heir to the Grand Duchy of ......

1759 - 1760

The fourth of fourteen children born to Augustus III (1696-1763), King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and Maria Josepha of Austria (1699-1757), Maria Amalia of Saxony spent her childhood between Dresden, Pilnitz and Warsaw, where she moved after her father's accession to the Polish throne. Described by a contemporary witness as a "tall and robust" young woman, she had a strong personality, was noted for her religious piety and fondness for animals, especially exotic ones such as monkeys and parrots. Her marriage to the future Charles III (1716-1788), then King of Naples and Sicily, was ratified in Portella (Naples) on 19th June 1738, when Maria Amalia of Saxony had not yet reached the age of fourteen. The King and Queen had thirteen children: the Infanta María Isabe...

1874 - 1885

The sixth of ten children born to Queen Isabella II (1830-1904) and her husband and King consort Francisco de Asís (1822-1902), the future Alfonso XII was first educated by the Marquess of Alcañices, then head of the Prince's Chamber. In 1865, the responsibility of his education was given to the Count of Ezpeleta. That same year, General Álvarez Osorio was appointed his head of studies; Canon Cayetano Fernández, his professor of religion, later succeeded by the Archbishop of Burgos; and Bernardo Uribarri, Isidro Losa and Guillermo Morphy were appointed his Gentlemen of the Bedchamber. ...

1878 - 1878

Daughter of Antoine of Orléans (1824-1890), Duke of Montpensier, and the Infanta Maria Luisa Fernanda (1832-1897), second daughter of Ferdinand VII (1784-1833), Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans spent her early years between Seville, Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) and England, where her paternal family lived in exile. As a child, María de las Mercedes of Orléans had very little contact with her Bourbon cousins, the children of Isabella II (1830-1904), only meeting them at family events and public functions.  After the 1868 Revolution in Spain, the Duke and Duchess of Montpensier and their family settled in Auvergne (France). There they were visited in 1872 by Prince Alfonso (1857-1885) whose mother, Isabella II, had abdicated her dynastic right......

1879 - 1885

Daughter of Archduke Karl Ferdinand (1818-1874) and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1831-1903), Maria Christina of Austria was well educated. By the age of twelve she had mastered several languages, was an accomplished pianist, and had extensive knowledge of political science and economics. Her marriage to Alfonso XII (1857-1885) was arranged by Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, president of the Council of Ministers. The King and Queen were wedded at the Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid on 29th November 1879. Although Alfonso XII and Maria Christina of Austria were married for a short time, two daughters were born to them within two years: María de las Mercedes (1880-1904), Princess of Asturias and also Princess of the Two Sicilies, by marriage to her cousin Carlos of t...