Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress, German Queen Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia 'Portrait of Maria Anna' by Velazquez, 1630 Consort 1631–1646 Consort to Ferdinand III Issue Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans Mariana, Queen of Spain Leopold, Holy Roman Emperor Father Philip III of Spain Mother Margaret of Austria Born 18 August 1606 El Escorial, Spain Died 13 May 1646 Linz, Austria

House of Habsburg Spanish line

Maria Anna of Spain (18 August 1606 – 13 May 1646), Infanta of Spain, the youngest daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria, was Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the wife of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor.^[1]

Biography [edit]

Maria Ana by Frans Luycx, ca. 1638, Visitationist Monastery in Warsaw.

Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Spain was a younger sister of Anne of Austria, queen consort of Louis XIII of France, and mother of Mariana of Austria, queen consort of Philip IV of Spain. She was also an older sister of Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand.

In the early 1620s, James I of England envisioned Maria Ana as a possible bride for his son and heir, the future Charles I of England and Scotland. Charles even visited Madrid to meet the young Maria Ana. In English history, this possible marriage is known as the Spanish Match. However, negotiations failed, as Maria Ana did not wish to marry a Protestant and Charles would not convert to Catholicism, and Charles eventually married Henrietta Maria of France.

She was married to her first cousin, the future Ferdinand III, then the titular king of Hungary, on 20 February 1631. She travelled from Spain to Austria through Italy, a dangerous journey during the Thirty Years' War, which took 14 months to complete. She was married to Ferdinand by proxy with her brother-in-law, Bishop Leopold Wilhelm of Strassburg, Passau and Halberstadt, when she reached Trieste in 26 January 1631, and to Ferdiand himself in a second ceremony in Vienna. The wedding was celebrated for a month. The marriage was described as friendly. Maria Ana was described as happy tempered, friendly and intelligent, and she was able to ease the feelings of the melancholic emperor. She was politically active, acted as the advisor of her spouse, his Regent during his absence, and followed him on his travels.

Issue [edit]

Maria Anna with her son, Ferdinand, in 1634

Ferdinand and Maria Ana had six children:

• Ferdinand IV of Hungary (8 September 1633 – 9 July 1654).
• Mariana of Austria (22 December 1634 – 16 May 1696). Married her maternal uncle Philip IV of Spain.
• Philip August, Archduke of Austria (15 July 1637 – 22 June 1639).
• Maximilian Thomas, Archduke of Austria (21 December 1638 – 29 June 1639).
• Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705).
• Maria, Archduchess of Austria (13 May 1646).

Death [edit]

During the Thirty Years' War, the imperial family moved hastily to Linz, where she died of poisoning during her last pregnancy after fever and heavy bleeding.^{[citation needed]} The child she was carrying, Maria, was still alive, and was born by cesarean section, but died soon after. Mother and daughter were buried together in a single coffin.

Ancestors [edit]

References [edit]

• Worldroots.com

• This page is a translation of its French equivalent Marie-Anne d'Autriche (1608-1646).

We're sorry, but there's no news about "Maria Anna of Spain" right now.