Anna of Austria (1549–1580)

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Anna of Austria
Queen consort of Spain and Portugal
Spouse	Philip II of Spain
Issue
Philip III of Spain Maria of Spain Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias Diego, Prince of Asturias
Father	Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother	Maria of Spain
Born	c. 1 November 1549 Badajoz
Died	26 October 1580 (aged 30)

Anna of Austria (Cigales, Valladolid, 1 November 1549 – Badajoz, 26 October 1580), was Queen consort of Spain and Portugal.

She was the first daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain. She was born in Spain, but lived in Vienna from the age of four.

[edit] Family

Anna's maternal grandparents were Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella of Portugal, her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, Charles and Ferdinand's mother was Joanna of Castile, Joanna was the daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. She was born in Spain, but lived in Vienna from the age of four. She had many other siblings some became Holy roman emperors, among her sisters was Elisabeth of Austria who became the Queen of France.

[edit] Biography

Anna was betrothed to Don Carlos, son of Philip II and heir to the Spanish throne, but he died in 1568. Philip II lost his third wife in the same year and a marriage was arranged between Anna and Philip II, despite the fact that Philip was also Anna's uncle. Pope Pius V first opposed the marriage, but finally consented and gave a dispensation for it, and they were married in Prague on 4 May 1570.

The king was said to have been very much in love with the young and fair Anna. (There are no records of mistresses during this time in his life.) Anna had a personality very much like his own, and he was devoted to her. Queen Anna was also vivid and cheerful, and managed to ease up some of the stiff atmosphere at the Spanish court. She enjoyed art and came on good terms with her step-daughters, who were also her first cousins.

Philip II and Anna of Austria had 5 children:

• Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias: 4 December 1571 – 18 October 1578
• Carlos Lorenzo: 12 August 1573 – 30 June 1575
• Diego, Prince of Asturias: 15 August 1575 – 21 November 1582
• Philip: 3 April 1578 – 31 March 1621 (future king, Philip III of Spain)
• Maria: 14 February 1580 – 5 August 1583

In 1580 Philip II obtained the throne of Portugal; Anna became Queen of Portugal. However, she died the same year, victim of a contagious disease which had also struck King Philip.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Succession