Anna of Austria (1549–1580)

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Alonso Sánchez Coello : Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain (1549–1580), oil on canvas, 1571, Kunsthistorisches Museum , Vienna
Archduchess Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain

Anna of Austria ( Spanish Ana de Austria ) (born November 2, 1549 in Cigales near Valladolid ; † October 26, 1580 in Talavera la Real near Badajoz ) was Archduchess of Austria. By marrying King Philip II , she was Queen of Spain , Naples , Sardinia and Sicily etc. from May 4, 1570 until her death , and also Queen of Portugal for a short time from September 12, 1580 .

Life

Anna was the eldest daughter of the Roman-German Emperor Maximilian II (1527–1576) from his marriage to Maria (1528–1603), daughter of Emperor Charles V. Anna was born in Spain when her parents were there as regent Emperor Charles V acted. Anna, who later grew up in Vienna, spoke German only very rudimentary. Her mother raised her in the Castilian language.

Anna was originally intended to be the wife of Don Carlos . Marriage was considered as early as 1556 during family discussions in Brussels, but Philip II kept putting off the decision because he found his son too young or too sick. Don Carlos died in 1568.

Thereafter, Catherine of Medici campaigned in vain for her son, King Charles IX. from France to Anna's hand.

The father of Anna's fiancé, Philip II , King of Spain, lost his third wife Elisabeth at that time . Anna married her biological uncle on September 12, 1570 in Segovia as his fourth wife. The dispensation for marriage was only issued by Pope Pius V after long resistance. On her bridal trip she was accompanied by her younger brothers Albrecht and Wenzel , who never returned to Austria.

She had inherited the cheerful disposition and temperament of her Hungarian grandmother Anna. She immediately won the affection of her two little stepdaughters. Anna loved to do handicrafts and managed to break through the rigid court ceremonies. She soon forgot her little knowledge of German after arriving in Madrid. A secretary had to write letters to her father in German. The renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola , whom Anna held in high esteem and who stayed at the court until 1574 , acted as the queen's maid .

During the trip to Portugal in order to consolidate Philip's claim to the throne there after the death of the childless King Henrique , the king fell ill with flu. Anna got infected with it while caring for Philip. The newly pregnant Anna did not survive the illness. The doctors who wanted to save her drained her veins. After having an incapable premature birth after days of agony, she died of a weak heart. She had given birth to five children, but only the future King Philip III. reached adulthood.

Philip was hit hard by the death of his wife, two years later he wrote to his daughter about the night of death: I will always remember that night, even if I should live a thousand years . He later had Anna buried in the Pantheon of the Kings of the El Escorial Monastery.

progeny

Anna had the following children from their marriage:

⚭ 1599 Archduchess Margaret of Austria (1584–1611)
  • Maria (1580–1583)

literature

Web links

Commons : Anna von Österreich  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christopher F. Laferl: The culture of the Spaniards in Austria under Ferdinand I. 1522–1564 , Böhlau, Vienna 1997, p. 121.
  2. ↑ Ernst Probst: Superfrauen 9. Painting and Photography , Grin, 2008, p. 15.
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Behringer, Hartmut Lehmann, Christian Pfister: Cultural Consequences of the "Little Ice Age" , Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2005, p. 8.
  4. ^ Friedrich Edelmayer : Philipp II. (1527–1598). The biography of a world ruler , Kohlhammer, 2009, p. 180.
Predecessors Office Successor
Elisabeth of Valois Queen of Spain
1570–1580 		Margaret of Austria
Catherine of Castile Queen of Portugal
1580 		Margaret of Austria
personal data
SURNAME Anna of Austria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal
DATE OF BIRTH November 2, 1549
PLACE OF BIRTH Cigales , near Valladolid
DATE OF DEATH October 26, 1580
Place of death Talavera la Real near Badajoz