Author Topic: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family  (Read 31723 times)

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umigon

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Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« on: June 27, 2005, 12:40:47 PM »
With this thread I would like to comment and discuss a fact which, in my opinion, is a very interesting one within Spanish royals. I think the Spanish monarchy is the European monarchy with the most and the worst cases of consanguineous marriages. I am going to write down all of the different Spanish kings and queens and their respective consorts with their blood relationships:

1.      Ferdinand (1452-1516) and Isabella (1451-1504). They were married in 1469 and they were second cousins. Five of their children survived. Isabella also had a miscarriage and a stillborn daughter.
2.      Joan (1479-1555) and Philip I (1578-1506). They were married in 1496 and they were distant cousins. Their six children survived. From this point onwards is when the situation becomes interesting!
3.      Charles I (1500-1558 ) and Isabella of Portugal (1503-1539). They were married in 1526 and they were first cousins; their mothers (Joan and Mary of Aragon) being sisters. Only three of their seven children survived.
4.      Philip II (1527-1598 ).
·      He married firstly Maria Manuela of Portugal (1527-1545) in 1543. Philip’s father and Maria’s mother were brother and sister and, on the other hand, Philip’s mother and Maria’s father were ALSO sister and brother. Their only child, Carlos (1545-1568 ), was mentally unstable and his body was quite deformed.
·      Philip married secondly Mary I Tudor (1516-1558 ) in 1554. Mary was first cousin of Philip’s father, both being maternal grandchildren of Ferdinand and Isabella. This marriage proved barren.
·      His third marriage took place in 1559 and he married Elizabeth of Valois (1546-1568 ), of whom he was a distant cousin. Two daughters survived into adulthood, Elizabeth suffered a miscarriage of twin sisters and her last daughter only survived an hour and a half.
·      Philip married in fourth place Anna of Austria (1549-1580) in 1570. Anna was his niece, being daughter of his sister Empress Mary, but she was also the daughter of his cousin, Emperor Maximilian. She bore him 7 children of whom only one, Philip III, survived infancy.

5.      Philip III (1578-1621) and Margaret of Austria (1584-1611). They were married in 1599. She was the daughter of Archduke Charles, great uncle of Philip, and of Mary Anne of Bavaria, who was her husband’s own niece. Margaret had 8 children, with five survivors.
6.      Philip IV (1605-1665).

·      He married firstly Elizabeth of France (1603-1644) in 1615. Elizabeth’s maternal grandmother, Archduchess Joan of Austria, was great great aunt to Philip. Their marriage was not very consanguineous, but of Elizabeth’s pregnancies, three ended in miscarriages, five daughters died very young, a son died in his teens and only a daughter, Maria Theresa, survived into adulthood.
·      His second wife was Marianna of Austria (1634-1696), whom he married in 1649. Marianna was the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III, Philip’s cousin, and of infanta María, Philip’s sister. So, Marianna was her husband’s niece. Of their six children only two survived into adulthood.

7.      Charles II (1661-1700). He succeeded his father, Philip IV, in 1665. He died without issue, leaving the Crown to the grandson of his half-sister Maria Theresa, Philip of Anjou.
·      He married Marie Louise of Orleans (1662-1689) in 1679. Marie Louise’s father, Duke Philippe of Orleans was Charles cousin, but he was also Charles’s mother’s cousin!
·      His second wife was Maria Anna of Neuburg (1667-1740). They were married in 1690 and they were very distant cousins.

8.      Philip V (1683-1746).

·      He married firstly Maria Louisa Gabriella of Savoy (1688-1714) in 1701. They were second cousins. Of their four children only one would survive into adulthood, Ferdinand VI. Two died very young and the eldest, Louis I, died in his teens.
·      His second wife was Isabel Farnese of Parma (1692-1766). They were married in 1714 and they were very distant cousins. Of their seven children only one didn’t make it into adulthood.
9.      Louis I (1707-1724). He married Louise Isabelle of Orleans (1709-1742) in 1722. Louise was Philip V’s first cousin. This marriage was childless.

10.      Ferdinand VI (1713-1759). He married Barbara of Portugal (1711-1758 ) in 1729. They were distant cousins. This marriage was childless.

11.      Charles III (1716-1788 ). He married Maria Amalia of Saxony (1724-1760) in 1738. Although they were distant cousins, six of their thirteen children died in infancy or in their early teens. Another son, Felipe, was mentally retarded.

12.      Charles IV (1748-1819). He married Maria Louisa of Parma (1751-1819) in 1765. They were first cousins, as Maria Louisa’s father, Duke Filippo, was Charles III’s brother. They shared other blood relationships. Of Maria Louisa’s pregnancies (24 in total), ten ended in miscarriages, seven children died in infancy, a daughter died in her late teens and the other five survived into adulthood.

13.      Ferdinand VII (1784-1833).

·      His first wife was Maria Antonia of Bourbon-Naples (1784-1806). They were married in 1802. They were first cousins, as Antonia’s father, King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily (later Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies), was Charles IV of Spain’s brother. Only two miscarriages were produced in this marriage.
·      He married Maria Isabel of Braganza(1797-1818 ) in 1816. Isabel was his niece, as her mother, Carlota Joaquina, was Ferdinand’s older sister. Her father, John VI of Portugal, was also related to Ferdinand. Two daughters were born to the couple, on died aged one, the other was stillborn.
·      His third wife was Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (1803-1829). They were married in 1819. Her mother, Caroline of Parma was Ferdinand’s first cousin and her father, Maximilian of Saxony, was a cousin of Charles IV.
·      Maria Christina of Bourbon Two Sicilies (1806-1878 ) was his fourth and last wife, and they were married in 1829. She was, as Isabel of Braganza had been, his niece, as her mother, Maria Isabel of Bourbon, was Ferdinand’s younger sister. Her father, King Francis I of the Two Sicilies, was Ferdinand’s cousin. Their two daughters survived into adulthood.

14.      Isabella II (1830-1904). Hers was, from my point of view, the marriage with the worst consanguineous nature in European Royalty I ever heard of. She married Francis of Assisi of Bourbon (1822-1904) in 1846. He was twice his cousin. Their fathers, Ferdinand VII and Infante Francis of Paula were brothers and their mothers, Maria Christina and Louisa Carlota of the Two Sicilies, were sisters. To make things worse, they were nieces to their husbands. Even more complicated is the fact that Ferdinand VII and Francis of Paula’s parents were first cousins and Maria Christina and Louisa Carlota’s parents were also first cousins!! They had 12 children, although maybe some were not fathered by King Francis. Of this 12 children only 5 survived childhood. Of this five a daughter, Pilar, died aged 18.

15.      Alfonso XII (1857-1885).

·      He married firstly Maria de las Mercedes of Orleans (1860-1878 ) in 1878. She was his first cousin, as their mothers, Queen Isabella II and Luisa Fernanda, were sisters. Her father, Antoine of France, was also related to Alfonso. This marriage was childless.
·      His second wife was Maria Christina of Austria (1858-1929). Her parents, Archduke Charles Ferdinand and Archduchess Isabella, were first cousins. Alfonso and Maria Christina shared distant blood relationships.       Their three children survived infancy, but their daughters died young.

16.      Alfonso XIII (1886-1941). He married Victoria Eugenia ‘Ena’ of Battenberg (1887-1969). They were very very distant cousins. Of their seven children all survived infancy except a son who was stillborn. Two of their sons were haemophiliac and another son was deaf and dumb.

17.      Juan Carlos I (1938-). He was Alfonso XIII’s grandson, being the son of Prince Juan and his wife and second cousin Maria of the Two Sicilies. He married Sophia of Greece (1938-) in 1962. Sophia’s great grandfather, Kaiser Wilhelm II, was a first cousin of Juan Carlos’s grandmother, Victoria Eugenia. Their three children have survived into adulthood and have married out of Royalty, which makes very difficult for them to be relatives of their partners.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by umigon »

Prince_Christopher

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2005, 10:36:19 PM »
The tangled family tree of this family has always amazed me and boggled my mind. They are so hard to follow but you have done a good job, Umigon.

As a side note, although this family usually seems to be considered the most intermarried, the Swedish/Danish royal families run a close second.

NathalieD

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2005, 07:37:42 AM »
Great job
I read that Infante Jaime son of Alfonso XIII was not born deaf, but he suffered an ailment being a baby.
I think that Infanta Margarita sister of  King Juan Carlos is blind.

Sorry for my bad English

ilyala

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2005, 02:04:43 PM »
 :o
i knew they were incestuous but i didn't think it was that bad!

Paul

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2005, 11:56:10 PM »
Queen Maria I of Portugal (*17.12.1734 +20.3.1816) r.1777-1816 married her uncle in 1760. He reigned as Pedro III (*Lisbon 5.7.1717, +Ajuda 5.3.1786)

Their eldest son Jose (*Lisbon 20.8.1761 +there 11.9.1788) continued the "tradition" by marrying his mother's younger sister, Benedicta (*25.7.1746 +10.8.1829) in 1777.

Fortunately for Portugal, this marriage proved childless. Jose's younger brother succeeded their mother as John VI in 1816, after having been regent for some years.

Prince_Christopher

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2005, 11:04:10 AM »
I remember reading something about Jose and his aunt Benedicta.  Wasn't she reluctant to marry him, he being a teenage boy and I think she was already a widow?

Paul

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2005, 11:58:26 AM »
Quote
I remember reading something about Jose and his aunt Benedicta.  Wasn't she reluctant to marry him, he being a teenage boy and I think she was already a widow?


As reluctant as her sister, Maria I, to marry her uncle. I don't recall reading that she had been married prior. Benedicta & Maria I were the only two of their 4 sisters to marry.

umigon

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2005, 01:37:56 PM »

Benedicta hadn't been married before and she was not upset of marrying Jose, at least in the sources I dealt with! I read that she was quite ''in love'' with him, both being very intelligent and cultivated and Jose being a mature teenager.

But, of course, each historian will have a different view of these consanguineous marriages.

I know that, for example, Queens Anna of Austria and Marianna of Austria, respective wives and nieces of Philip II and Philip IV, were tremendously proud of marrying not only into their own family, but with their uncles, their Kings of Spain.

And about Maria and Pedro, I don't know much about their early relationship, when they just were niece and uncle, but I read that their marriage was quite happy and that Maria's sanity started to break more and more after Pedro's death. So, although she might have been reluctant at first the marriage eventually happened to work!!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by umigon »

ilyala

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2005, 01:58:17 PM »
isn't it a bit sick? ???

umigon

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2005, 02:18:15 PM »

It's sick from our modern points of view, but it was quite common in those times. Even in the 19th century, my greeat great great grandparents married in 1867 and they were uncle and niece, he was 46 and she was 14 and they were very happy together. She was reluctant at first, but just because of the age difference, not because of their blood relationship!!!!

Consanguineous marriages were a form of maintaining the ''blood purity'', lets put it that way. Ancient Egypt's consanguinity between the population, and very specially between royals, was even worst: brothers and sisters, fathers and daugthers, grandfathers and grandaughters, etc. That seems also disgusting but, again, those were other times, and genetic consecuences of these type of marriages and our modern ethic and morality were unknown to them.

« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by umigon »

Paul

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #10 on: June 30, 2005, 04:35:50 PM »
Before close consanguinity is dismissed as an Iberian quirk, please remember that even England has a couple of near-misses with it.

During the 1480s, a marriage between Richard III and his niece (Elisabeth of York) was considered. She, of course ended up as the wife of Henry VII and the mother of Henry VIII.

During Henry VIII's divorce woes, Pope Clemente was said to have suggested a novel solution to Henry's lack of an heir. He tentatively offered to sanction a "pharonic" marriage between Princess Mary (Henry's daughter by Catherine of Aragon) and Henry Fitzroy (Henry's bastard son by Bessie Blount). That would've been interesting!

Didn't one of the Coburg Dukes marry his niece as a 2d wife?

Prince_Christopher

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #11 on: June 30, 2005, 06:59:25 PM »
Yes, Duke Ernst, father of Prince Albert, married as his second wife his niece, Princess Marie of Wurttemberg, the daughter of his sister Antoinette.  They had no children but seemed to be well suited.  Prince Albert was very fond of his stepmother/cousin and was devastated at her death.

Prince_Christopher

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #12 on: June 30, 2005, 07:01:31 PM »
I'd forgotten about the mention of marriage between Princess Mary and her half-brother Henry Fitzroy.

SCARY!!!!!!!

umigon

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2005, 06:03:01 AM »

The idea of the Tudor-Fitzroy marriage is disgusting although it would have solved many problems for England, at least Henry VIII could have had another chance of being sane and not the mad man he was!! But of course, what would have been of their progeny, both being so feeble... their babies would have probably died very young. It was Henry, and not Clement, who started considering this option. He told Clement, who told him that he would think about it. It had to be, as always, Catherine of Aragon's great morality who refused absolutely even to consider that event occuring. So, the incestuous project didn't take place.

In Great Britain there have been other examples of consanguineous marriages: All of Henry VIII's wives except for Anne of Cleves, were descended, as he was, from King Edward III. Mary Stuart married Lord Darnley, her cousin, and the York family intermarried with the wealthy Neville's, who already were their relatives. Probably there have been more consanguineous marriages in Great Britain, but I can't remember in these moments. Well, apart of course of Victoria's marriage to Albert.


Here, in Spain, we have a similar case as that of Mary Tudor and Henry Fitzroy. Philip IV of Spain had been married twice and there were no male heirs to his throne. His eldest daughter, Maria Teresa, had renounced to her rights in order to marry Louis XIV. His second daughter, Margarita, was 9 years old and was considered by many as the next Queen of Spain. Philip had at least 30 illegitimate children, but he only loved and recognised as his one of them, Juan José of Austria. This Juan José was a very ambitious, intelligent and handsome young man who wished for a Crown. One day, he went to the Royal Palace (the 'Alcázar') to visit his father. Once there, he showed his father a miniature he claimed to have painted. The miniature showed Greek god Chronos smiling satisfied while watching the incestuous love between his children, Zeus and Hera. King Philip was very upset because in Chronos's face he could recognise his and Zeus and Hera's faces were, respectively, Juan José's and Margarita's. He expelled his son and never wanted to see him again, although he would recommend him to his widow in his last will.  A year later a baby son wa sborn to Philip IV, so Juan José resigned to his wishes of being the new King of Spain through an incestuous marriage to his half-sister.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by umigon »

cantacuzene

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Re: Consanguinity in the Spanish royal family
« Reply #14 on: July 02, 2005, 06:03:34 AM »
fantastic relation, my friend. You could add that Isabelle of Valois, as member of that cursed house brings too more illness and weakness to offsprings. In fact, Isabel Clara Eugenia didn´t have any descendants. C Mikaela was a delicate woman who died soon. and this curse conjtinued. Luis I of Spain and Ferdinand VI,his btrother,
sons of MGB Savoy died too. And, What about de descendants of the other sister Adelaide, married with the Dauphin. What a miscarriage. Valois bad blood was not
extinct at all. Another appreciation. The silence about haemophilic inheritance in royal Bourbons of Spain. Erradicated? Neither JC I, nor Philippe and i suppose the spected prince or princess. It's impossible they are all free, against Mendel laws. This fact is even actually hyden.Why? Absurd. Have a nice day