Ancestral Trails 2016 » Philip IV of SPAIN (1605-1665)

Personal data Philip IV of SPAIN 

• He was born on April 8, 1605 in Valladolid, Valladolid, Castilla-Leon, Spain.

  Attention: Age at marriage (??-??-1615) below 16 years (10).

• He died on September 17, 1665 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain, he was 60 years old.
• A child of Philip III of SPAIN and Margaret von OSTERREICH


• There is more biographical information available about Philip IV of SPAIN on RKDartists

Household of Philip IV of SPAIN

(1) He is married to Maria Anna von HABSBURG.

They got married on October 7, 1649 at Navalcarnero, Madrid, Madrid, Spain, he was 44 years old.

Child(ren):

1. Carlos II of SPAIN  1661-1700
2. Margaret Theresa von OSTERREICH  1651-1673 

(2) He is married to Elizabeth de FRANCE.

They got married in the year 1615, he was 9 years old.

Child(ren):

1. Maria Theresa of SPAIN  1638-1683 

Notes about Philip IV of SPAIN

Philip IV of Spain (8 April 1605 - 17 September 1665) was King of Spain (as Philip IV in Castille and Philip III in Aragon) and Portugal as Philip III. He ascended the thrones in 1621 and reigned in Spain until his death and in Portugal until 1640.

On the eve of his death in 1665, the Spanish Empire had reached approximately 12.2 million square kilometers (4.7 million square miles) in area but in other respects was in decline, a process to which Philip contributed with his inability to achieve successful domestic and military reform.

Philip IV was born in Valladolid, and was the eldest son of Philip III and his wife, Margaret of Austria. In 1615, at the age of 10, Philip was married to 13-year-old Elisabeth of France, although the relationship does not appear to have been close; some have even suggested that Olivares, his key minister, later deliberately tried to keep the two apart to maintain his influence, encouraging Philip to take mistresses instead. Philip had seven children by Elisabeth, but only one son, Balthasar Charles, who died at the age of sixteen in 1646. The death of his son deeply shocked the king, who appears to have been a good father by the standards of the day. Elisabeth was able to conspire with other Spanish nobles to remove Olivares from the court in 1643, and for a brief period she held considerable influence over Philip; by the time of her death, however, she was out of favour, following manoeuvering by Olivares' successor, Luis de Haro.

Philip remarried in 1646, following the deaths of both Elisabeth and his only legitimate heir. His choice of his second wife, Maria Anna, also known as Mariana, Philip's niece and the daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand, was guided by politics and Philip's desire to strengthen the relationship with Habsburg Austria. Maria Anna bore him five children, but only two survived to adulthood, a daughter Margarita Teresa, born in 1651, and the future Charles II of Spain in 1661 - but the latter was sickly and considered in frequent danger of dying, making the line of inheritance potentially uncertain.

Philip was idealised by his contemporaries as the model of Baroque kingship. Outwardly he maintained a bearing of rigid solemnity; foreign visitors described him as being so impassive in public he resembled a statue, and he was said to have been seen to laugh only three times in the course of his entire public life. Philip certainly had a strong sense of his 'royal dignity', but was also extensively coached by Olivares in how to resemble the Baroque model of a sovereign, which would form a key political tool for Philip throughout his reign. Philip was a fine horseman, a keen hunter and a devotee of bull-fighting, all central parts of royal public life at court during the period.

Philip was known for his numerous affairs, particularly with actresses; the most famous of these was his actress-mistress María Inés Calderón (La Calderona), with whom he had a son in 1629, Juan José, who was brought up as a royal prince. By the end of the reign, and with the health of Carlos José in doubt, there was a real possibility of Juan José's making a claim on the throne, which added to the instability of the regency years.

Philip IV's reign, after a few years of inconclusive successes, was characterized by political and military decay and adversity. He has been held responsible for the decline of Spain, which was mainly due to organic causes largely beyond the control of any one ruler. Philip IV died broken-hearted in 1665, expressing the pious hope that his surviving son, Charles II, who was only 4 years old at the time, would be more fortunate than himself. On his death, a catafalque was built in Rome to commemorate his life. In his will, Philip left political power as regent on behalf of the young Charles II to his wife Mariana, with instructions that she heed the advice of a small junta committee established for this purpose. This committee excluded Juan José, Philip's illegitimate son, resulting in a chaotic powerplay between Mariana and Juan José until Juan José's death in 1679.

With Elizabeth of France (1603-1644, daughter of Henry IV of France) - married 1615 at Burgos:
Maria Margaret of Austria, Infanta of Spain (14 August 1621 - 15 August 1621)
Margaret Maria Catherine of Austria, Infanta of Spain (25 November 1623 - 22 December 1623)
Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (21 November 1625 - 21 August 1627)
Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (31 October 1627 - 1 November 1627)
Balthasar Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (17 October 1629 - 9 October 1646), Prince of Asturias.
Francis Ferdinand of Austria, Infante of Spain (12 March 1634)
Infanta Maria Anna "Mariana" Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (17 January 1636 - 5 December 1636)
Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1638-1683), married Louis XIV of France and had issue.

With Mariana of Austria (1634-1696) - his niece - 1649:
Margaret Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (12 July 1651 - 12 March 1673), married Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Infanta Maria Ambrosia de la Concepción of Austria, Infanta of Spain (7 December 1655 - 21 December 1655)
Philip Prospero of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (28 November 1657 - 1 November 1661) Prince of Asturias
Ferdinand Thomas Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain (23 December 1658 - 22 October 1659)
Charles II of Spain (6 November 1661 - 1 November 1700) married Marie Louise d'Orléans, no issue. Married secondly Maria Anna of Neuburg, no issue.
With María Calderón:
John of Austria the Younger (7 April 1629 - 17 September 1679)
SOURCE: Wikipedia

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Timeline Philip IV of SPAIN

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