Carlos, Prince of Asturias
- Several of the Carlist pretenders to the Spanish throne were also known as Don Carlos.
Carlos, Prince of Asturias, also known as Don Carlos (8 July 1545 – 24 July 1568), was the eldest son and heir of King Philip II of Spain. His mother was Maria Manuela of Portugal, daughter of John III of Portugal. Carlos was mentally unstable and was imprisoned by his father in early 1568, dying after half a year of solitary confinement. His fate was a theme in Spain's Black Legend, and inspired a play by Friedrich Schiller and an opera by Giuseppe Verdi.
Life
Carlos was born at Valladolid, and his mother died a month after his birth. The young Infante Carlos was delicate and deformed. He grew up proud and willful and, as a young adult, began to show signs of mental instability. Many of his physical and psychological afflictions may have stemmed 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,[1] and his parents had the same coefficient of coancestry (1/8) as if they were half siblings. He had only six great-great-grandparents, instead of the maximum 16;[1] his maternal grandmother and his paternal grandfather were brother and sister, his maternal grandfather and his paternal grandmother were also brother and sister, and his two great-grandmothers were sisters.
In 1559 Prince Carlos was betrothed to Elizabeth of Valois, eldest daughter of King Henry II of France. However, for political reasons, she instead married King Philip in 1560. Three other brides were then suggested for the Prince: Mary, Queen of Scots; Margaret of Valois, youngest daughter of Henry II of France; and Anna of Austria, who was to later become Philip's fourth wife, and was a daughter of Philip's cousin, the Emperor Maximilian II.
Carlos was recognized in 1560 as the heir to the Castilian throne, and three years later as heir to the Crown of Aragon as well. He became also the 218th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He often attended meetings of the Council of State (which dealt with foreign affairs) and was in correspondence with the Netherlands regent, Margaret of Parma.[2]
In 1562 Carlos fell down a flight of stairs, which caused serious head injuries. His life was saved by a trepanation of the skull, performed by the eminent anatomist Andreas Vesalius.[3] After his recovery, Carlos became wild and unpredictable in his behavior. He took a dislike to the Duke of Alba, who became the commander of Philip's forces in the Netherlands, a position that had been promised to Carlos. Carlos possibly made contacts with representative of the Count Egmont from the Low Countries, who was leading the revolt against the Spanish. He also exhibited an antipathy towards his father, whose murder, according to Carlos' confessor, he supposedly contemplated at one time.[4] In the autumn of 1567 he made preparations to flee to the Netherlands.[4] However, Don Juan de Austria revealed these plans to King Philip.
In January 1568 Don Carlos was arrested and placed in solitary confinement on his father's orders. He died in isolation six months later.[5] It was later claimed that he was poisoned on the orders of King Philip, especially by William the Silent in his Apology, a 1581 propaganda work against the Spanish king.[6] Modern historians think that Don Carlos died of natural causes. He grew very thin and developed eating disorders during his imprisonment, alternating self-starvation with heavy binges.[7]
Carlos left an unfavourable impression on some foreign ambassadors. The Venetian ambassador Hieronymo Soranzo thought that Carlos was "ugly and repulsive" and claimed that Carlos liked to roast animals alive and once tried to force a shoemaker to eat shoes Carlos had found unsatisfactory. Another Venetian, Paolo Tiepolo, wrote: "He [Prince Carlos] wished neither to study nor to take physical exercise, but only to harm others."[8]
Legend
The idea of King Philip confining and murdering his own son later played a minor role in establishing the anti-Spanish Black Legend. It also formed the basis for Friedrich Schiller's 1787 tragedy Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien; Schiller's play was adapted into several operas, most notably Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlos.
The story of a king jailing his own son is also the basis for the Spanish play La vida es sueño (Life Is a Dream) (1635), by Pedro Calderón de la Barca; however, this play does not explicitly refer to Don Carlos.
Ancestors
Ancestors of Carlos, Prince of Asturias |
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16. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (=#28) |
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8. Philip I of Castile (=#14) |
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17. Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (=#29) |
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4. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor |
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18. Ferdinand II of Aragon (=#22, 26, 30) |
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9. Joanna I of Castile (=#15) |
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19. Isabella I of Castile (=#23, 27, 31) |
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2. Philip II of Spain |
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20. Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu (=#24) |
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10. Manuel I of Portugal (=#12) |
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21. Infanta Beatrice of Portugal (=#25) |
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5. Isabella of Portugal |
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22. Ferdinand II of Aragon (=#18, 26, 30) |
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11. Maria of Aragon (=#13) |
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23. Isabella I of Castile (=#19, 27, 31) |
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1. Carlos, Prince of Asturias |
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24. Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu (=#20) |
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12. Manuel I of Portugal (=#10) |
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25. Infanta Beatrice of Portugal (=#21) |
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6. John III of Portugal |
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26. Ferdinand II of Aragon (=#18, 22, 30) |
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13. Maria of Aragon (=#11) |
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27. Isabella I of Castile (=#19, 23, 31) |
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3. Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal |
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28. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (=#16) |
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14. Philip I of Castile (=#8) |
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29. Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (=#17) |
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7. Catherine of Austria |
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30. Ferdinand II of Aragon (=#18, 22, 26) |
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15. Joanna I of Castile (=#9) |
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31. Isabella I of Castile (=#19, 23, 27) |
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Notes
- ^ a b Parker p. 87
- ^ Parker p. 91
- ^ Parker p. 88
- ^ a b Parker p. 90
- ^ Parker pp. 90, 92
- ^ Parker pp. 92–93, 201
- ^ Parker p. 92
- ^ Marshall pp. 18-19
References
- Marshall, Peter: The Magic Circle of Rudolf II: Alchemy and Astrology in Renaissance Prague. Walker & Company. 2006. ISBN 9780802715517
- Parker, Geoffrey: Philip II: Fourth Edition. Open Court. 2002. ISBN 9780812695199
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Further reading
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The generations indicate descent from Charles I, under whom the crowns of Castile and Aragon were united, forming the Kingdom of Spain. Previously, the title Infante had been largely used in the different realms.
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1st Generation |
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2nd Generation |
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3rd Generation |
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4th Generation |
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5th Generation |
none
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6th Generation |
none
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7th Generation |
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11th Generation |
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12th Generation |
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13th Generation |
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14th Generation |
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15th Generation |
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16th Generation |
none
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*title granted by Royal Decree
**consort to an Infanta who was naturalized as a Spanish Infante
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1st generation |
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2nd generation |
Archduke Cristopher · Maximilian I · Archduke John · Archduke Wolfgang
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3rd generation |
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4th generation |
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5th generation |
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6th generation |
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12th generation |
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13th generation |
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14th generation |
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15th generation |
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16th generation |
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17th generation |
Crown Prince Otto · Archduke Robert*** · Archduke Felix · Archduke Carl Ludwig · Archduke Rudolf · Archduke Ferdinand Karl · Archduke Heinrich Maria · Archduke Leopold Franz** · Archduke Guntram** · Archduke Radbot** · Archduke Johann** · Archduke Georg** · Archduke Stephan** · Archduke Dominic** · Archduke Friederich Salvator** · Archduke Andreas Salvator** · Archduke Markus** · Archduke Johann** · Archduke Michael** · Archduke Franz Salvator** · Archduke Karl Salvator** · Archduke Joseph Karl · Archduke Andreas Agustinus · Archduke Nicholas Franz · Archduke Johann Jacob · Archduke Edward Karl · Archduke Paul Rudolf
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18th generation |
Archduke Karl · Archduke Georg · Archduke Lorenz*** · Archduke Gerhard*** · Archduke Martin*** · Archduke Karl Philipp · Archduke Raimund Joseph · Archduke Itsván · Archduke Rudolf · Archduke Carl Christian · Archduke Karl Peter · Archduke Simeon · Archduke Johannes · Archduke Maximilian Heinrich · Archduke Philipp Joachim · Archduke Ferdinand Karl · Archduke Konrad · Archduke Sigismund** · Archduke Georg** · Archduke Guntram** · Archduke Leopold** · Archduke Alexander Salvator** · Archduke Thaddäus Salvator** · Archduke Casimir Salvator** · Archduke Matthias** · Archduke Johannes** · Archduke Bernhard** · Archduke Benedikt · Archduke Joseph Albrecht · Archduke Paul Leo · Archduke Friedrich Cyprian · Archduke Benedikt Alexander · Archduke Nicolás · Archduke Santiago · Archduke Paul Benedikt
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19th generation |
Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir · Archduke Karl Konstantin · Archduke Amedeo*** · Archduke Joachim*** · Archduke Bartholomaeus*** · Archduke Emmanuel*** · Archduke Luigi*** · Archduke Felix Carl · Archduke Andreas Franz · Archduke Paul Johannes · Archduke Carl Christian · Archduke Johannes · Archduke Thomas · Archduke Franz Ludwig · Archduke Michael · Archduke Joseph · Archduke Imre · Archduke Imre · Archduke Christoph · Archduke Alexander · Archduke Lorenz Carl · Archduke Wilhelm · Archduke Johannes · Archduke Ludwig · Archduke Philipp · Archduke Nicholas · Archduke Constantin · Archduke Jacob Maximilian · Archduke Leopold Amedeo** · Archduke Maximilian** · Archduke Leopold** · Archduke Constantin Salvator** · Archduke Paul Salvator**
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*also an infante of Spain
**also a prince of Tuscany
***also a prince of Modena
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1st Generation |
Infante Henrique • Sancho I • Infante João
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2nd Generation |
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3rd Generation |
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4th Generation |
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5th Generation |
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6th Generation |
Infante Afonso • Infante Dinis • Peter I • Infante João
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7th Generation |
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14th Generation |
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15th Generation |
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16th Generation |
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17th Generation |
Pedro, 5th Prince of Brazil • Joseph I • Infante Carlos • Peter III • Infante Alexandre
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18th Generation |
none
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19th Generation |
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20th Generation |
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21st Generation |
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22nd Generation |
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^also an infante of Castile and León, Aragon, Sicily and Naples, *also an infante of Spain, **claimant infante, ^^only prince or infante by marriage
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Persondata |
Name |
Carlos |
Alternative names |
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Short description |
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Date of birth |
8 July 1545 |
Place of birth |
Valladolid, Spain |
Date of death |
24 July 1568 |
Place of death |
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