The Last of The Spanish Habsburgs
The respective marriages of Anne of Austria and Maria Theresa into the French Royal Family would not be thought much of despite Spain's tradition of following cognatic primogeniture (it did not exclude females from reigning on the throne of Spain). The Habsburgs themselves had come into possession of Spain through a female line: Joanna of Castile, the last heir of the joint sovereigns Isabella I of Castile and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon, as her elder brother and the heir apparent had died childless.
Probably, (similar to what Philip V attempted to secure his dynasty's possession of Spain) the Habsburgs wanted to prevent the succession of any other royal house to the throne of Spain through a female line. Fortunately, each Habsburg king had a son to succeed him. Luck apparently ran out with the death of Baltazar Carlos, Philip IV's heir apparent.
Therefore, with her brother's death, as a birthright, María Teresa could inherit the vast Spanish Empire and all the wealth it offered, since there was no restriction in Spanish succession law to the accession of a queen regnant (unlike in France, with its famous Salic Law). Likewise, if María Teresa refused the throne, it would pass to the next blood descendants, the Austrian Habsburgs, who were also descended from a female line of the Spanish Habsburgs.
Desperate for a male heir and fearing the extinction of the dynasty, Philip married his late son's intended bride, his own niece, Mariana of Austria, the daughter of his sister Maria Anna of Spain (1606–46) and Emperor Ferdinand III.
The degree of inbreeding between the Spanish and Austrian branches of the House of Habsburg came to its zenith with this marriage and likewise, the resultant offspring was a culmination of nearly a century of incestuous marriages. This inbreeding in the Habsburg family genealogy had given many in the family hereditary weaknesses and left later generations prone to still-births. Charles's birth was greeted with joy and relief by the Spaniards, who had feared the dispute which could have ensued if Philip IV left no male heir. However, Charles was mentally and physically disabled as well as disfigured, which in turn limited his efficacy as a leader and earned him the name El Hechizado ("The Hexed") in Spanish history.
Of Maria's six children, only one survived her, the Dauphin Louis, who died in 1711. Marie-Thérèse's grandson, Philip, Duke of Anjou, would eventually come to inherit her rights to the Spanish Throne, after the death of her mentally unstable half-brother Charles II of Spain. He acceded to that throne in 1700. It is through him that her descendants now reign over Spain. The War of the Spanish Succession was caused by this.
| Claimant | Portrait | Relationship to Spanish Habsburgs | Rival Claimant | Portrait | Relationship to Spanish Habsburgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Theresa of Spain | Daughter of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria | Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor | His mother was Maria Anna of Spain, daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria | ||
| Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria, Prince of Asturias | His maternal grandmother was the daughter of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria | Archduke Charles of Austria | His paternal grandmother was Maria Anna of Spain, daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria | ||
| Louis, Dauphin of France | His mother was Maria Theresa of Spain, daughter of Philip IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France, and his paternal grandmother was Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria | Archduke Charles of Austria | His paternal grandmother was Maria Anna of Spain, daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria | ||
| Philip, Duke of Anjou | His paternal grandmother was Maria Theresa of Spain, daughter of Philip IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France, and his paternal great-grandmother was Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria, making him simultaneously a great nephew and a great-grandson of Philip IV of Spain, the next-to-last Habsburg ruler of Spain | Archduke Charles of Austria | His paternal grandmother was Maria Anna of Spain, daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria | ||
| Charles, Duke of Berry | He was the youngest son of The Grand Dauphin, and younger brother of Philip of Anjou, and was, till the birth of Prince Luis, the heir presumptive to the Throne of Spain | Archduke Charles of Austria | His paternal grandmother was Maria Anna of Spain, daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria |
Read more about this topic: Bourbon Claim To The Spanish Throne
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