Maria Manuela of Portugal was born on 15 October 1527 as the daughter of King John III of Portugal and his wife, Catherine of Austria. She was their second child but the first surviving one. Seven more siblings would follow, but just one brother would live long enough to father an heir. The archbishop of [read more]
Royal uncle-niece marriages happened several times over the years. These marriages often happened for strategic reasons, such as land or power, but also because of rank and status. There simply weren’t enough others of high enough rank for marriage. The offspring of such marriages often suffered from genetic abnormalities, such as the famous Habsburg jaw. [read more]
On 3 August 1492, Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus departed on the first of four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean to seek out new lands. For years, Columbus had petitioned the nobles and royals of Europe to gain funding for his ventures, before finally receiving backing from Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II [read more]
Read part one here. During her regency in Spain, she took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as the only woman in the male-only Jesuit order under a pseudonym, Mateo Sánchez. This was only allowed on the condition that her membership be kept an absolute secret. As a powerful protector of the Jesuits, she intervened [read more]
Joanna of Austria was born in Madrid on 24 June 1535 as the daughter of Isabella of Portugal and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. She would be their last surviving child, and she had two elder surviving siblings: the future King Philip II of Spain and Maria of Austria. At the time of her birth, [read more]
On 1 November 2003, the engagement between the Prince of Asturias and journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was announced. The wedding took place on 22 May 2004 in the Almudena Cathedral at the Royal Palace of Madrid. Embed from Getty Images In the early hours of 22 May, a wreath of flowers from Felipe and Letizia [read more]
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