Carlos, Prince of Asturias

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Several of the Carlist pretenders to the Spanish throne were also known as Don Carlos.

Carlos, Prince of Asturias
Born	July 8, 1545(1545-07-08) Valladolid, Spain
Died	July 24, 1568 (aged 23)
Parents	Philip II of Spain (1527-1598) Maria Manuela of Portugal (1527-1545)

Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias (July 8, 1545 – July 24, 1568) was the son of King Philip II of Spain by his first wife Maria Manuela of Portugal, daughter of John III of Portugal.

Contents 1 Life 2 Ancestors 3 Legacy 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Life

Carlos was born at Valladolid, and his mother died a few days after his birth. The young Infante Carlos was delicate and deformed. He grew up proud, willful, and indolent, and soon began to show signs of mental instability as a young adult. Many of his physical and psychological afflictions may stem from the inbreeding common to the House of Habsburg and the royal houses of Portugal and Spain. Carlos had only four great-grandparents instead of the maximum of eight, and only six great-great-grandparents, instead of the maximum 16, his maternal grandmother and his paternal grandfather were brother and sister, his maternal grandfather and his paternal grandmother were as well brother and sister, and two of his great-grandmothers were sisters.

In 1559, Prince Carlos was betrothed to Elizabeth of Valois, a daughter of King Henry II of France. However, for political reasons, she was wed a few months later to his widowed father. Other brides were then suggested for the prince: Mary Queen of Scots, Marguerite de Valois, another daughter of Henry II of France, and Anna of Austria, a daughter of Philip's cousin Maximilian, who was to later become Philip's fourth wife.

Although Carlos's mental condition became more and more acute as he grew older, he was nonetheless recognized in 1560 as the heir to the Castilian throne, and three years later as heir to the crown of Aragon as well.

In 1562, Carlos met with an unspecified accident which was followed by a serious illness. After his recovery, he is said to have become exceedingly wild and unpredictable in his behavior, engaging in violent outbursts and excessive drinking both in public and in private. He took a marked dislike to the Duke of Alba, possibly because he wished to proceed to the Spanish Netherlands as governor instead of the duke. He also exhibited a morbid antipathy towards his father, whose murder he supposedly contemplated at one time.

In January 1568, Carlos arranged to flee from Spain and his father's control. However he was placed in solitary confinement by Philip's orders before he could depart, and died in isolation that same year. It was long rumored that he was poisoned, but there is little evidence to support this claim. It is much more likely that the frail Carlos died of more natural causes.

[edit] Ancestors

Carlos's ancestors in three generations

Charles, Prince of Asturias	Father: Philip II of Spain	Paternal Grandfather: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor	Paternal Great-Grandfather: Philip I of Castile
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Joanna of Castile
		Paternal Grandmother: Isabella of Portugal	Paternal Great-Grandfather: Manuel I of Portugal
			Paternal Great-Grandmother: Maria of Aragon
	Mother: Maria Manuela of Portugal	Maternal Grandfather: John III of Portugal	Maternal Great-Grandfather: Manuel I of Portugal
			Maternal Great-Grandmother: Maria of Aragon
		Maternal Grandmother: Catherine of Habsburg	Maternal Great-grandfather: Philip I of Castile
			Maternal Great-Grandmother: Joanna of Castile

[edit] Legacy

The idea of king Philip confining and murdering his own son later played a minor role in establishing the anti-Spanish Black Legend.

The historical conflict between Carlos and his father formed the basis for the 1787 drama by Friedrich Schiller, which in turn inspired the opera Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi.

The play La vida es sueño, by Spanish playwright Calderón de la Barca, also covers a king jailing his own son.

[edit] References

• Abstracted from Encyclopedia Britannica 1911 and several other sources.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

[edit] External links

• Don Carlos of Spain, the Crown Prince who liked to beat up girls - The Mad Monarchs Series.

Carlos, Prince of Asturias Spanish Habsburgs Born: July 8 1545 Died: July 24 1568
Preceded by Prince Philip his father who had ascended the throne	Prince of Asturias 1556-1568	Vacant Title next held by Infante Fernando