Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias

Names
	Baltasar Carlos de Austria y Borbón

Balthasar Charles
Balthasar Charles
Prince of Asturias; Prince of Portugal
	Portrait c. 1645-46
Born	17 October 1629; Royal Alcázar, Madrid, Spain
Died	9 October 1646 (aged 16); Zaragoza, Spain
Names
Names
	Baltasar Carlos de Austria y Borbón
House	Habsburgs of Spain
Father	Philip IV of Spain
Mother	Elisabeth of France

Balthasar Charles (Spanish: Baltasar Carlos de Austria; 17 October 1629 – 9 October 1646), Prince of Asturias, Prince of Girona, Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera, and Lord of Balaguer, Prince of Viana was heir apparent to all the kingdoms, states and dominions of the Spanish monarchy from his birth until his death.

Life

The only son of King Philip IV of Spain and his first wife, Elisabeth of France, Balthasar Charles was born in the Royal Palace of Madrid on 17 October 1629.^[1] He was baptized on 4 November 1629 in the Parish of San Juan, Madrid.^[2] His godparents were Infanta Maria Anna and Infante Charles, aunt and uncle of the newborn.^[3]

On 7 March 1632, Balthasar Carlos was sworn in before the Nobility of Castile as "His Majesty's Heir" and "Prince of these kingdoms of Castile and Leon, and others that are subject to these Crowns, united and incorporated", in a ceremony held at the Monastery of San Jerónimo el Real of Madrid.^[4]

Inés de Zúñiga y Velasco, Countess of Olivares (wife of the Count-Duke of Olivares), who was also chief lady-in-waiting to the Queen, served as the prince's governess.^[5] Later, his father appointed Juan de Isasi Idiáquez, a noble from Salamanca, as the prince's governor and tutor.^[6] Balthasar Charles received a humanist education,^[7] as well as instruction in military arts.^[8] Alonso Martínez de Espinar trained him in hunting, while Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo gave him drawing lessons.^[9] He was reportedly an outstanding pupil,^[10] with an aptitude for languages.^[11]

Queen Elisabeth played a significant role in Balthasar Charles's upbringing and education, encouraging the prince to develop interests in music and theatre.^[12] She adored her son,^[7] and he was "devotedly attached" to his mother.^[13] She fell ill in October 1644 and would not allow Balthasar Charles or his sister, Maria Theresa, to approach her on her deathbed, stating, "There are plenty of Queens for Spain, but Princes and Princesses are rare".^[14] She died a day later, on 6 October 1644.^[15]

His father soon began diplomatic efforts to seek a bride for the prince: Archduchess Mariana of Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III and his paternal aunt, Maria Anna, and therefore his cousin, was chosen; they were betrothed in 1646.^[16] Another cousin, the daughter of his mother's sister, Henrietta Maria and her husband, King Charles I of England, Mary, Princess Royal, was also proposed as a potential bride,^[17] but nothing materialized due to religious differences.^[18]

After the Catalan revolt of 1640, Philip IV tried to win over Aragon to raise money and men for the new war front. One of the steps taken towards this end was to bring Balthasar Charles to be sworn as Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Aragón.^[19] The oath was held on 20 August 1645, when the Prince was fifteen years old, in the Cathedral of the Savior, Zaragoza,^[20] and he was titled as Prince of Gerona, Governor General of Aragon, Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera and Lord of the City of Balaguer. Shortly after, on 13 November 1645, Balthasar Charles was also sworn as heir to the Kingdom of Valencia.^[21]

In April 1646, Philip IV, wanting his son to be sworn in as heir apparent to the throne of Navarre, as he had been in Aragon the previous year, moved with him from Madrid to Pamplona,^[22] where, after recognizing the privileges of the kingdom of Navarre, the ceremony was solemnly celebrated on 3 May 1646.^[23]

Death

After the ceremony, the royal family moved to Zaragoza. On October 5, the eve of second anniversary of the death of Queen Elisabeth, Philip IV and Balthasar Charles attended Vespers in her memory.^[24] The prince fell ill that evening and stayed in bed on October 6 while the king attended the funeral.^[23] On October 7, the king wrote to his spiritual advisor, Sister Maria de Agreda, that the prince was suffering from severe fever and delirium, believed to be symptoms of smallpox.^[25] The disease spread rapidly, and two days later the Archbishop of Saragossa administered the Last Sacraments.^[26]

The Prince Balthasar Charles died on 9 October 1646, a few days before his seventeenth birthday.^[27] His remains were kept in Zaragoza until October 16, when they were transferred to the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.^[28]

Because Philip IV was left without a son or a wife and had only one legitimate daughter, Balthasar Charles's death was "a shattering blow to the monarchy".^[15] The king, facing mounting pressure to remarry for the sake of securing a male heir, consented to a second marriage with his son's former bride-to-be, Mariana of Austria.^[29]

Depictions in art

The enduring image of Prince Balthasar Charles in art primarily stems from renowned portraits created by artists like Velázquez^[30] and Mazo. Notable among Velázquez's portrayals are "Prince Balthasar Charles on horseback," "Prince Balthasar Charles as a hunter," and "Prince Balthasar Charles with a dwarf" (located in the Museo del Prado and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston).^[31]

Moreover, many authors dedicated their work to the young prince.^[32] Examples include Diego de Saavedra Fajardo's most famous work, Idea of a Christian Political Prince represented in a Hundred Enterprises (1640), Cristóbal de Benavente y Benavides's Warnings for kings, princes and ambassadors (1643), and Baltasar Gracián's The Discreet (1646).^[33]

Gallery

Balthasar Charles with a court dwarf, by Velázquez, 1631
Balthasar Charles, with a sword, Marshall's baton and armour gorget, by Velázquez, 1633
Balthasar Charles, in hunting attire, by Velázquez, 1635
Balthasar Charles, in riding pose, by Velázquez, c. 1635
Balthasar Charles, in hunting attire, by Martínez del Mazo, 1635
Prince Baltasar Carlos in the Riding School with the Count-Duke of Olivares outside Buen Retiro Palace, by Velázquez, c. 1636
Balthasar Charles, by Velázquez, c. 1640
Portrait of Prince Baltasar Carlos, by Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, c. 1645-46

Ancestry

Ancestors of Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias

8. Philip II of Spain

4. Philip III of Spain

9. Anna of Austria

2. Philip IV of Spain

10. Charles II, Archduke of Austria

5. Margaret of Austria

11. Maria Anna of Bavaria

1. Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias

12. Anthony of Navarre

6. Henry IV of France

13. Joan III of Navarre

3. Elisabeth of France

14. Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

7. Marie de' Medici

15. Johanna of Austria

Male-line family tree

House of Habsburg^{[n 1]}

Original line

Albert
Count of Habsburg
c. 1188–1239

Rudolf I
of Germany
c. 1218–1291

Albert I
of Germany
1255–1308

Hartmann
1263–1281

Rudolf II
Duke of Austria
1270–1290

Rudolf I
of Bohemia
1281–1307

Frederick
the Fair
c. 1289–1330

Leopold I
Duke of Austria
1290–1326

Albert II
Duke of Austria
1298–1358

Henry
the Friendly
1299–1327

Otto
Duke of Austria
1301–1339

John
Parricida
c. 1290–1312/1313

Albertinian line

Leopoldian line

Rudolf IV
Duke of Austria
1339–1365

Frederick III
1347–1362

Albert III
Duke of Austria
1349–1395

Leopold III
Duke of Austria
1351–1386

Frederick II
Duke of Austria
1327–1344

Leopold II
Duke of Austria
1328–1344

Albert IV
Duke of Austria
1377–1404

William
Duke of Austria
c. 1370–1406

Leopold IV
Duke of Austria
1371–1411

Ernest
Duke of Austria
1377–1424

Frederick IV
Duke of Austria
1382–1439

Albert II
of Germany
1397–1439

Frederick III
HRE
1415–1493

Albert VI
Archduke of Austria
1418–1463

Sigismund
Archduke of Austria
1427–1496

Ladislaus
the Posthumous
1440–1457

Maximilian I
HRE
1459–1519

Philip I
of Castile
1478–1506

Spanish / Iberian line

Austrian / HRE line

Charles V
HRE
1500–1558

Ferdinand I
HRE
1503–1564

Philip II
of Spain
1527–1598

Maximilian II
HRE
1527–1576

Ferdinand II
Archduke of Austria
1529–1595

Charles II
Archduke of Austria
1540–1590

Carlos
Prince of Asturias
1545–1568

Philip III
of Spain
1578–1621

Rudolf II
HRE
1552–1612

Ernest
of Austria
1553–1595

Matthias
HRE
1557–1619

Maximilian III
Archduke of Austria
1558–1618

Albert VII
Archduke of Austria
1559–1621

Wenceslaus
Archduke of Austria
1561–1578

Andrew
Margrave of Burgau
1558–1600

Charles
Margrave of Burgau
1560–1618

Ferdinand II
HRE
1578–1637

Maximilian Ernest
of Austria
1583–1616

Leopold V
Archduke of Austria
1586–1632

Charles
of Austria
1590–1624

Philip IV
of Spain
1605–1665

Charles
of Austria
1607–1632

Ferdinand
of Austria
1609–1641

John-Charles
of Austria
1605–1619

Ferdinand III
HRE
1608–1657

Leopold Wilhelm
of Austria
1614–1662

Ferdinand Charles
Archduke of Austria
1628–1662

Sigismund Francis
Archduke of Austria
1630–1665

Balthasar Charles
Prince of Asturias
1629–1646

Charles II
of Spain
1661–1700

Ferdinand IV
King of the Romans
1633–1654

Leopold I
HRE
1640–1705

Charles Joseph
of Austria
1649–1664

Joseph I
HRE
1678–1711

Charles VI
HRE
1685–1740

Notes:

^ "Habsburg family tree". Habsburg family website. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.

References

^ Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 586; Elliott 1986, p. 392; Brown 1980, p. 52; Franganillo 2014, p. 143
^ Orso 1986, p. 33; Franganillo 2014, p. 145
^ Franganillo 2014, p. 145; Hume 1907, p. 210
^ Elliott 1986, p. 392; Brown 1980, p. 253; Hume 1907, p. 241
^ Elliott 1986, p. 650; Franganillo 2014, p. 147; Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 587
^ Hume 1907, p. 238; Franganillo 2014, p. 154
^ ^a ^b Franganillo 2014, p. 144.
^ Franganillo 2014, p. 155.
^ Franganillo 2014, p. 145; Orso 1986, p. 5
^ Franganillo 2014, p. 159
^ Franganillo 2014, p. 145
^ Franganillo 2014, pp. 144, 160.
^ Hume 1907, p. 392.
^ Hume 1907, p. 393.
^ ^a ^b Orso 1989, p. 77.
^ Coxe 1847, p. 349; Hume 1907, p. 399
^ Hume 1907, p. 276
^ Green, Mary Anne Everett (1857). Lives of the Princesses of England. Vol. 6. London. p. 108. Retrieved 1 December 2023. ...the princess, in whom at an early age the love of Protestant principles was firmly implanted, expressed strong reluctance to be united to any but a Protestant prince.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 588.
^ Orso 1986, p. 139
^ Hume 1907, p. 397
^ Hume 1907, p. 398; Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 589
^ ^a ^b Monferrer 2013, p. 103.
^ Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 590.
^ Hume 1907, p. 400
^ Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 591; Monferrer 2013, p. 103
^ Brown 1980, p. 218; Orso 1989, p. 77
^ Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 590; Orso 1989, p. 15; Monferrer 2013, p. 103
^ Hume 1907, pp. 403–404; Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 596; Coxe 1847, p. 349
^ Diego Velázquez (3 January 2016). Complete Works of Diego Velázquez (Delphi Classics). Delphi Classics. p. 176.
^ "Don Baltasar Carlos and an Attendant". MFA Boston. ;"Prince Baltasar Carlos in Hunting Dress". Museo Del Prado.; "Prince Baltasar Carlos on Horseback". Museo Del Prado.
^ Franganillo 2014, p. 156
^ Ayan, Carmen Sanz. "Baltasar Carlos de Austria". Real Academia de la Historia (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2023.

Sources

Alonso de la Higuera, Gloria (2013). "El ceremonial de la muerte en la monarquía hispánica. El príncipe don Baltasar Carlos de Austria (1629-1646)". In Serrano, Eliseo (ed.). De la tierra al cielo. Líneas recientes de investigación en Historia Moderna ["From Earth to Heaven. Recent Lines of Research in Modern History] (PDF) (in Spanish). Zaragoza: Institución Fernando el Católico. pp. 585–599. ISBN 978-84-9911-234-3.
Brown, Jonathan (1980). A Palace for a King: The Buen Retiro and the Court of Philip IV. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Coxe, William (1847). History of the House of Austria ... 1218-1792. Vol. II (third ed.). London: Henry G. Bohn. p. 349.
John Dunlop (1834). Memoirs of Spain During the Reigns of Philip IV and Charles II, from 1621 to 1700. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: Thomas Clark.
Elliott, John Huxtable (1986). The Count-Duke of Olivares, The Statesman in an Age of Decline. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03390-7.
Franganillo, Alejandra (2014). "The Education of an Heir to the Throne: Isabel de Borbón and Her Influence on Prince Baltasar Carlos". In Coolidge, Grace (ed.). The Formation of the Child in Early Modern Spain. Ashgate. pp. 143–163.
Hume, Martin (1907). Court of Philip IV: Spain in Decline. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Monferrer, Serrano (2013). "Imagen e iconografía en las exequias del príncipe Baltasar Carlos en Zaragoza en 1646" [Image and Iconography in the Funeral Rites of Prince Baltasar Carlos in Zaragoza in 1646]. IMAGO Revista de Emblemática y Cultura Visual (in Spanish). pp. 101–109. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
Orso, Steven (1986). Philip IV and the Decoration of the Alcazar of Madrid. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-04036-3.
Orso, Steven (1989). Art and death at the Spanish Habsburg Court: The Royal Exequies for Philip IV. Columbia: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-0710-4.

External links

Media related to Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias at Wikimedia Commons

Spanish royalty
Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias House of Habsburg Born: 17 October 1629 Died: 9 October 1646
Preceded by Philip	Prince of Asturias 1629–1646	Succeeded by Philip Prospero
Preceded by Philip	Prince of Portugal 1629–1640	Succeeded by Theodosius

[Chart-34] "Habsburg family tree". Habsburg family website. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.

[1] Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 586; Elliott 1986, p. 392; Brown 1980, p. 52; Franganillo 2014, p. 143

[2] Orso 1986, p. 33; Franganillo 2014, p. 145

[3] Franganillo 2014, p. 145; Hume 1907, p. 210

[4] Elliott 1986, p. 392; Brown 1980, p. 253; Hume 1907, p. 241

[5] Elliott 1986, p. 650; Franganillo 2014, p. 147; Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 587

[6] Hume 1907, p. 238; Franganillo 2014, p. 154

[FOOTNOTEFranganillo2014144-7] Franganillo 2014, p. 144.

[FOOTNOTEFranganillo2014155-8] Franganillo 2014, p. 155.

[9] Franganillo 2014, p. 145; Orso 1986, p. 5

[10] Franganillo 2014, p. 159

[11] Franganillo 2014, p. 145

[FOOTNOTEFranganillo2014144,_160-12] Franganillo 2014, pp. 144, 160.

[FOOTNOTEHume1907392-13] Hume 1907, p. 392.

[FOOTNOTEHume1907393-14] Hume 1907, p. 393.

[FOOTNOTEOrso198977-15] Orso 1989, p. 77.

[16] Coxe 1847, p. 349; Hume 1907, p. 399

[17] Hume 1907, p. 276

[18] Green, Mary Anne Everett (1857). Lives of the Princesses of England. Vol. 6. London. p. 108. Retrieved 1 December 2023. ...the princess, in whom at an early age the love of Protestant principles was firmly implanted, expressed strong reluctance to be united to any but a Protestant prince.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[FOOTNOTEAlonso_de_la_Higuera2013588-19] Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 588.

[20] Orso 1986, p. 139

[21] Hume 1907, p. 397

[22] Hume 1907, p. 398; Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 589

[FOOTNOTEMonferrer2013103-23] Monferrer 2013, p. 103.

[FOOTNOTEAlonso_de_la_Higuera2013590-24] Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 590.

[25] Hume 1907, p. 400

[26] Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 591; Monferrer 2013, p. 103

[27] Brown 1980, p. 218; Orso 1989, p. 77

[28] Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 590; Orso 1989, p. 15; Monferrer 2013, p. 103

[29] Hume 1907, pp. 403–404; Alonso de la Higuera 2013, p. 596; Coxe 1847, p. 349

[30] Diego Velázquez (3 January 2016). Complete Works of Diego Velázquez (Delphi Classics). Delphi Classics. p. 176.

[31] "Don Baltasar Carlos and an Attendant". MFA Boston. ;"Prince Baltasar Carlos in Hunting Dress". Museo Del Prado.; "Prince Baltasar Carlos on Horseback". Museo Del Prado.

[32] Franganillo 2014, p. 156

[33] Ayan, Carmen Sanz. "Baltasar Carlos de Austria". Real Academia de la Historia (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2023.

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