Maria Anna of Pfalz-Neuburg
Encyclopedia
Countess Palatine Maria Anna of Neuburg (28 October 1667 – 16 July 1740) was Queen consort
of Spain
from 1689 to 1700 as the second wife of King Charles II
. She was known as Mariana in her adopted Spain. She was the aunt of Elisabeth Farnese.
, she was the twelfth child of Philip William, Elector of the Palatinate
, and Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
.
She spent her childhood in the castle of Neuburg
, where she was raised by a German governess, Frau von Klau, together with her sisters Maria Sophia, Dorothea Sophia
- to whom she was very close - and Hedwig Elizabeth. Her family affectionately called her Mariandl. Since an early age, she was physically attractive: tall, thin, red-haired and with a fair complexion. However, she was also known for being haughty, vain, authoritarian and selfish.
Marie Louise of Orléans, the first wife of Charles II of Spain, had died childless on 12 February 1689. Maria Anna was chosen out of the many candidates to become his second wife because her ancestors had been very fertile - her parents had had 23 children -. In addition, her eldest sister Eleonore was married to Emperor Leopold I so Spain's ties with the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs would become even stronger.
, Germany
with the attendance of her brother-in-law Emperor Leopold and her sister Empress Eleonore among other illustrious guests. However, it took Maria Anna several months to arrive in Spain, which didn't happen until the spring of 1690. She married Charles in person on 14 May 1690 in San Diego, near Valladolid
. Nevertheless, this marriage also remained childless, in all probability not because she was infertile herself but because of the king's health problems.
During her time as queen, Maria Anna dominated her husband through her bursts of anger and her imaginary pregnancies. In addition, she was actively involved in several intrigues in the Spanish court, including her husband's exorcisms, and wanted Archduke Charles of Austria
, her nephew and Charles's relative, to succeed to the Spanish thrones. Needless to say, she was in very bad terms with her mother-in-law, Maria Anna of Austria
, the Queen Mother, who wished that the crowns would devolve upon her great-grandson, Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria.
Most people at the Spanish court hated Maria Anna, in part, because she used to do everything in order to get as much money as she could for her Palatine family and for herself, even stealing precious paintings from the royal collections of art and sending them to her German relatives. Nevertheless, the economy of the kingdom was far from good and even Maria Anna had to make some economic sacrifices at times. For instance, once she was forced to pawn her own jewels in order to cover some expenses because her husband had no money at the time. She complained about this to her family writing that her sisters had had a better dowry than her. Her anger was even greater after hearing that her predecessor, Marie Louise of Orleans, had brought magnificent jewels with her when she married Charles. Her mother, Elizabeth Amalia, wrote about this subject:
and in his will he stated that his widow should be given a good allowance each year as well as treated with respect by his successor. However, the new king, Philip V
, ordered Maria Anna to leave Madrid before making his entrance into the capital. The queen had no choice but to settle in the nearby city of Toledo
, where she lived in the old and dark Alcazar. She sent some letters to her family in Germany, asking for their help. In early 1701, her eldest brother, John William, Elector of the Palatinate
, wrote to Empress Eleonore the following letter:
Nevertheless, Maria Anna had to resign herself to stay in the old Alcazar of Toledo, where her situation continued to be quite difficult. In the fall of 1704, the queen wrote to her mother complaining in the following terms: "I am completely abandoned, they don't give me my allowance or, at least, just the third part... so I seldom have any servants, nor am I allowed to have them because there's no money to pay them, and sometimes I don't even have much food... I am so miserable that I cannot trust anyone and I'm afraid everyone will abandon me."
Two years later, in 1706, her destiny changed when her nephew, Archduke Charles of Austria, occupied the city of Toledo with the imperial army. Naturally Maria Anna was very pleased and welcomed them, something that made King Philip V to expel her from Spain a few years later. She settled in Bayonne
, France
, where she lived during the next few decades, forgotten by everyone. Her confessor was the Spanish priest and composer Sebastián Durón
, who officiated at her scandalous marriage to the young son of a barrel maker.
In 1739, being old and sick, she was finally allowed to return to Spain. She settled in the Infantado Palace in Guadalajara, Spain
, where she died on 16 July 1740. She was buried in El Escorial
Monastery.
http://historicalartmedals.com/MEDAL%20WEB%20ENTRIES/SPAIN-MEXICO/CHARLES%20II%20AND%20MARIA%20ANNA-BW380%20HIGH.htm Medal of Maria Anna and Charles II from Collection of Benjamin Weiss
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Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from 1689 to 1700 as the second wife of King Charles II
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
. She was known as Mariana in her adopted Spain. She was the aunt of Elisabeth Farnese.
Life
Born in Benrath Palace in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, she was the twelfth child of Philip William, Elector of the Palatinate
Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
Philip William of Neuburg, Elector Palatine was Count Palatine of Neuburg from 1653 to 1690, Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1653 to 1679 and Elector of the Palatinate from 1685 to 1690...
, and Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt was a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt and wife of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate.-Biography:...
.
She spent her childhood in the castle of Neuburg
Neuburg an der Donau
Neuburg an der Donau, literally Neuburg on the Danube River, is a town which is the capital of the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district in the state of Bavaria in Germany.-Divisions:The municipality has 16 divisions:-History:...
, where she was raised by a German governess, Frau von Klau, together with her sisters Maria Sophia, Dorothea Sophia
Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg
Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg Duchess of Parma from 1695 to 1727. She was the sixth daughter of the Elector of the Palatinate, Philip William of Neuburg, and Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt...
- to whom she was very close - and Hedwig Elizabeth. Her family affectionately called her Mariandl. Since an early age, she was physically attractive: tall, thin, red-haired and with a fair complexion. However, she was also known for being haughty, vain, authoritarian and selfish.
Marie Louise of Orléans, the first wife of Charles II of Spain, had died childless on 12 February 1689. Maria Anna was chosen out of the many candidates to become his second wife because her ancestors had been very fertile - her parents had had 23 children -. In addition, her eldest sister Eleonore was married to Emperor Leopold I so Spain's ties with the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs would become even stronger.
Marriage
The marriage by proxy took place on 28 August 1689 in IngolstadtIngolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with the attendance of her brother-in-law Emperor Leopold and her sister Empress Eleonore among other illustrious guests. However, it took Maria Anna several months to arrive in Spain, which didn't happen until the spring of 1690. She married Charles in person on 14 May 1690 in San Diego, near Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
. Nevertheless, this marriage also remained childless, in all probability not because she was infertile herself but because of the king's health problems.
During her time as queen, Maria Anna dominated her husband through her bursts of anger and her imaginary pregnancies. In addition, she was actively involved in several intrigues in the Spanish court, including her husband's exorcisms, and wanted Archduke Charles of Austria
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
, her nephew and Charles's relative, to succeed to the Spanish thrones. Needless to say, she was in very bad terms with her mother-in-law, Maria Anna of Austria
Mariana of Austria
Mariana of Austria was Queen consort of Spain as the second wife of King Philip IV, who was also her maternal uncle...
, the Queen Mother, who wished that the crowns would devolve upon her great-grandson, Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria.
Most people at the Spanish court hated Maria Anna, in part, because she used to do everything in order to get as much money as she could for her Palatine family and for herself, even stealing precious paintings from the royal collections of art and sending them to her German relatives. Nevertheless, the economy of the kingdom was far from good and even Maria Anna had to make some economic sacrifices at times. For instance, once she was forced to pawn her own jewels in order to cover some expenses because her husband had no money at the time. She complained about this to her family writing that her sisters had had a better dowry than her. Her anger was even greater after hearing that her predecessor, Marie Louise of Orleans, had brought magnificent jewels with her when she married Charles. Her mother, Elizabeth Amalia, wrote about this subject:
Widowhood
Her husband died on 1 November 1700 in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and in his will he stated that his widow should be given a good allowance each year as well as treated with respect by his successor. However, the new king, Philip V
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, ordered Maria Anna to leave Madrid before making his entrance into the capital. The queen had no choice but to settle in the nearby city of Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, where she lived in the old and dark Alcazar. She sent some letters to her family in Germany, asking for their help. In early 1701, her eldest brother, John William, Elector of the Palatinate
Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine was Elector Palatine , Duke Palatine of Neuburg/Danube , Duke of Jülich and Berg , and Duke of Upper Palatinate and Cham...
, wrote to Empress Eleonore the following letter:
Nevertheless, Maria Anna had to resign herself to stay in the old Alcazar of Toledo, where her situation continued to be quite difficult. In the fall of 1704, the queen wrote to her mother complaining in the following terms: "I am completely abandoned, they don't give me my allowance or, at least, just the third part... so I seldom have any servants, nor am I allowed to have them because there's no money to pay them, and sometimes I don't even have much food... I am so miserable that I cannot trust anyone and I'm afraid everyone will abandon me."
Two years later, in 1706, her destiny changed when her nephew, Archduke Charles of Austria, occupied the city of Toledo with the imperial army. Naturally Maria Anna was very pleased and welcomed them, something that made King Philip V to expel her from Spain a few years later. She settled in Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where she lived during the next few decades, forgotten by everyone. Her confessor was the Spanish priest and composer Sebastián Durón
Sebastián Durón
-Life and career:Sebastian Duron was, with Antonio de Literes, the greatest Spanish composer of stage music of his time. He was born in Brihuega, Guadalajara, Spain, and was taught by his brother Diego Duron, also a composer...
, who officiated at her scandalous marriage to the young son of a barrel maker.
In 1739, being old and sick, she was finally allowed to return to Spain. She settled in the Infantado Palace in Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789...
, where she died on 16 July 1740. She was buried in El Escorial
El Escorial
The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...
Monastery.
Ancestry
External links
- http://www.xs4all.nl/~kvenjb/madmonarchs/carlos2/carlos2_bio.htm A biography of Charles II of Spain in Joan's Mad Monarchs Series
http://historicalartmedals.com/MEDAL%20WEB%20ENTRIES/SPAIN-MEXICO/CHARLES%20II%20AND%20MARIA%20ANNA-BW380%20HIGH.htm Medal of Maria Anna and Charles II from Collection of Benjamin Weiss
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