Carlos II Has an Heir

In reading up on the unfortunate life of that bewitched king, I’ve come across some things concerning the oft-asked question of whether he had had an heir.


Firstly, in the 10 years of their marriage, I can’t seem to find a single cited contemporary source mentioning that Marie Louise d’Orléans was at any point pregnant, or rumoured to be with child. In fact, just the opposite seems to be true, she herself was convinced of the fact that she would never fall pregnant (whether because she knew of Carlos’ failings, or perhaps something else). I seem to recall her mentioning to the one ambassador that ‘she was really not a virgin anymore’ but knew that she would have no child.


On the other hand, Carlos II’s Neuburg wife, is mentioned to be rumoured to be pregnant on at least three occasions, by her physician, Dr. van Gelen, on two of these occasions. True, these were most likely hysterical pregnancies, or that she simply suffered from irregular periods or something else that mimicked the symptoms of pregnancy – but unlike her French predecessor, some historians suspect that she may have at least been pregnant for a few months shortly after her marriage (and later miscarried).
The three occasions I’ve put together are as follows:



  • In 1690/1691, shortly after the death of the queen’s father, the Elector Palatine, she was ill, started recovering, and then relapsed, and there were fears for her due to the fact that she was believed to be with child.

  • The second is in 1696/1697, shortly after the death of the Queen Mother, Maria Anna of Austria. Here there is mention of her possibly being with child after following the same treatment as prescribed for the Condessa de Oropesa’s infertility (mineral water leeches placed in her womb (ugh!)), especially since the Countess fell pregnant shortly thereafter.

  • The final mention is that she’s believed to be with child either shortly before/shortly after the fall of the Conde de Oropesa as valido in 1697/1698. There are no mentions given as to why it is believed that she is pregnant here, except that it is mentioned: perhaps to counteract the ditty being sung in the streets of Madrid that ‘we have three virgins in Madrid, Our Lady of Atocha, Our Lady of Almudena and Our Lady, the Queen’.


Either way, if any of these presumed pregnancies were in fact real, the child would require a regency from Carlos II’s death in 1700. How might Spain fare with a new lease of life being breathe into their house of Habsburg? And would Louis XIV try and swipe more Spanish European territory during the regency (under who? Mariana was hated in Spain IIRC) for the young [insert name of king here]?
 
Charles II of Spain (b.1661: d.1700) m. Marie Louise of Orléans (b.1662: d.1689) (a), Maria Anna of Neuburg (b.1667: d.1740) (b)

1b) Charles III of Spain (b.1697: d.1750) m. Louise Adélaïde d'Orléans (b.1698: d.1743) (a), Maria Fortunata d'Este (b.1731: d.1803) (b)

1a) Philip, Prince of Asturias (b.1719: d.1721)

2a) Maria Theresa of Spain (b.1723)

3a) Charles Francis, Prince of Asturias (b.1726)

4a) Miscarriage (c.1728)

5a) Margaret Christina of Spain (b.1730: d.1730)

6a) Miscarriage (c.1733)

7b) Anna Eugenia of Spain (b.1748)​
 
I think it's unlikely, from what I saw of his portraits he likely suffered from Fraglie X Syndrome and most males with that suffer from reduced fertility doesn't mean it's impossible but it's quite unlikely. There are some research papers out there that postulate the same

The Spanish Angle: Urological Problems of Charles II
https://uroweb.org/eau15-the-spanish-angle-urological-problems-of-charles-ii-1661-1700/

[Charles II: From spell to genitourinary pathology].
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19542589
http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?pid=S0004-06142009000300002&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en


A good chance of perpetuating the Spanish Habsburg line is the other Infante Charles, younger brother of Philip IV. Have him sent to Austria as an ambassador of sorts and Ferdinand III arrange for him a bride and you've got a potential cadet Spanish branch right there.
 
@kasumigenx: Perhaps I wasn't clear in the OP, this king is the son of Carlos II and Mariana of Neuburg. IDK why or if there were possible pregnancies of Marie Louise (as said, I can't find anybody who mentioned that ML might be pregnant, I mean one has to simply look at her full-sister's ob-gyn history to see that even with a fertile (albeit elsewhere engaged husband) Anne Marie had Adelaide, Maria Anna (who died in 1690), Luisa, another stillborn daughter in 1691 and then a gap of a few years before a stillborn son in 1697) to think that she could've had a combo of the dry spell with the apparent inability of her husband to reproduce "four testicles and not one of them working"). So while a Jacobite-claimant king of Spain would always be fun, I'm going with Mariana as being the mother of the future king.

@Kynan: A nitpick, as far as your Orléans girl is concerned, she professed a rather early desire to be a nun IIRC (one of the main reasons a possible match with James III foundered). Maybe substitute the duchesse de Berri or the Portuguese infanta (a first cousin, though) who was originally considered for Karl VI instead?
 
A good chance of perpetuating the Spanish Habsburg line is the other Infante Charles, younger brother of Philip IV. Have him sent to Austria as an ambassador of sorts and Ferdinand III arrange for him a bride and you've got a potential cadet Spanish branch right there.

Carlos Snr isn't going anywhere as long Olivares is in control of Felipe IV. Olivares is also the reason that Carlos never married and Cardinal-Infante Fernando was as hamstrung as he was in the Netherlands: Olivares sowed doubt in Felipe's mind about the loyalties of his brothers, and basically urged Felipe's sole dependence on him, rather than either of the younger infantes.

As to Carlos II having an heir, I realize it's highly unlikely, but the mere fact that it is mentioned that not only the king, but several courtiers, sincerely believed Mariana was pregnant (esp. in 1690/1691), plus the fact that she reportedly controlled the king at a later point by faking pregnancies, seems to indicate to me that 1: Carlos sincerely wanted an heir and would believe anything, no matter how unlikely; 2: there must've been reason why Mariana could fake pregnancies to get her way (when Marie Louise had never tried the same stunt).
 
Carlos II was at 99% sterile. Marie Louise was a woman with a personality almost opposite to Mariana of Neuberg and a princess of higher rank than her so she will have never tried that kind of stunt.
Mariana was the wife of a King who needed heirs and was willing to trust her so she put her stunts but she was still unable to have heirs because her husband was sterile...
Mariana came from a very large family well know for her fertility and still was the only of her married sibling unable to have any children or confirmed stillbirth or miscarriage.
If Carlos had married a princess of lesser blood (are more important not a French princess) as his first wife is not unlikely he will be able to have heirs (put a princess like Mariana of Neuberg in his bed while his illegitimate half-brother Don Juan Jose is still alive and see if she has heirs or not) or alternatively marry Carlos to his niece Maria Antonia of Austria (who being herself an Habsburg from both sides of the family and the next heiress of Spain other than the daughter of the Emperor can get away with well anything) and you will likely see heirs...
 
reduced fertility doesn't mean it's impossible but it's quite unlikely

Carlos II was at 99% sterile

Neither rule out the 1% chance of Mariana falling pregnant at least once. Although it would probably be earlier rather than later, considering she was already 'old' by the standards of the day when she made the marriage (23yo I think). So, let's suggest that the rumors of her pregnancy in 1690/1691 are actually true. She pops out a little prince(ss) of the Asturias a few months on.

I'd like to know how LXIV reacts, for one, since the only reason he allowed Carlos to marry Mariana is because he had intel from Madrid that said it was "unlikely" that Carlos would be able to have an heir. Do we see a Beltraneja rumor coming from France's side (on the grounds that ML didn't have one pregnancy in a decade of marriage, now this Neuburger princess gets pregnant on her wedding night (for all intents and purposes)?
 
Something I've been wondering is the possibility of France or Austria supporting the candidature of a proxy princess instead (i.e. a Savoyard/Bavarian/Modenese/Stuart) of one of their own daughters/granddaughters
 
Any child by either of Carlos II's Queens wouldn't be fathered by the King. Carlos was sterile, of ifs ands or buts. The only way for "Carlo II" to father an heir would be if there's a different Carlos.
 
Carlos II? Carlos the Second of Spain?
The chances of Carlos II being able to get his wife pregnant, let alone for the baby to survive to birth are, frankly, vanishingly small. He was a physical wreck whilst still in the womb. The Spanish Hapsburgs literally bred themselves extinct.
The Durant's were absolutely correct about Carlos II when they said that: "short, lame, epileptic, senile, and completely bald before 35, he was always on the verge of death, but repeatedly baffled Christendom by continuing to live."
 
Any child by either of Carlos II's Queens wouldn't be fathered by the King. Carlos was sterile, of ifs ands or buts. The only way for "Carlo II" to father an heir would be if there's a different Carlos.

Carlos II? Carlos the Second of Spain?
The chances of Carlos II being able to get his wife pregnant, let alone for the baby to survive to birth are, frankly, vanishingly small. He was a physical wreck whilst still in the womb. The Spanish Hapsburgs literally bred themselves extinct.
The Durant's were absolutely correct about Carlos II when they said that: "short, lame, epileptic, senile, and completely bald before 35, he was always on the verge of death, but repeatedly baffled Christendom by continuing to live."

Well, there's nothing preventing his wife from having a child, as long someone else fathers it.

While rumours would spread that said child wasn't his, I could still see such a thing happening - even with his consent (to secure succession and preserve the nation).
 
In Carlos II's case it was for the best that he didn't have any children, imagine how screwed up they'd be! :eek::eek::eek:
 
Well, there's nothing preventing his wife from having a child, as long someone else fathers it.

While rumours would spread that said child wasn't his, I could still see such a thing happening - even with his consent (to secure succession and preserve the nation).

As I already said this solution is acceptable only in the case in which the child is still an Habsburg by blood and not in name only...
so either Carlos marry a lower princess as his first wife while his bastard half-brother is still alive or he marry his cousin/niece Maria Antonia of Austria (who being an Habsburg from both sides and Carlos' heiress presuntive can get away with anything)
 
Top