Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias

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.

Balthasar Charles
Prince of Asturias Prince of Portugal
Portrait c. 1645-46
Born	(1629-10-17)17 October 1629 Royal Alcázar, Madrid, Spain
Died	9 October 1646(1646-10-09) (aged 16) Zaragoza, Spain
Names Baltasar Carlos de Austria y Borbón
House	Habsburgs of Spain
Father	Philip IV of Spain
Mother	Elisabeth of France

Life

Prince Balthazar Carlos, after Diego Velázquez c. 1633

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]

Portrait by Alonso Cano, 1633-1634

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

v t e 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

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
7. Franganillo 2014, p. 144.
8. Franganillo 2014, p. 155.
9. Franganillo 2014, p. 145; Orso 1986, p. 5
10. Franganillo 2014, p. 159
11. Franganillo 2014, p. 145
12. Franganillo 2014, pp. 144, 160.
13. Hume 1907, p. 392.
14. Hume 1907, p. 393.
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)
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
23. Monferrer 2013, p. 103.
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.

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

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