Philipp Prosper von Spanien

Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias, was born on 28 November 1657 as the first son of Philip IV of Spain and his second wife, Mariana of Austria, to survive infancy. His birth was of great importance to the Spanish royal family and to Spain, whose power was in decline. Since the early death of Balthasar Charles, Philip IV’s son from his first marriage to Elisabeth of France, the king had no living male heir. His daughter Maria Theresa was initially regarded as his heir, but her possible succession could have led to dynastic conflicts between her future husbands after her marriage. The prince’s birth was therefore greeted with extraordinary joy. Astrologers had assured the king that he would have a son who would live. A devout Roman Catholic, Philip IV combined his hope for a male heir with religious observances and prayers. Mariana gave birth to the boy in the morning, but afterwards fell ill with puerperal fever. News of the birth prompted great celebrations in Madrid. The streets and palace were decorated, and dances, masquerades, bullfights, riding displays, and theatrical performances were planned. Members of the court, municipal representatives, and numerous subjects conveyed their congratulations to the king. The political writer Diego Fernández de Medrano y Zenizeros dedicated a treatise to the child, praising him as a future “perfect prince” and defender of the Catholic Church. According to Catholic custom, the infant was referred to simply as “the prince” until his baptism. On 13 December 1657, one week after the king had arrived in Madrid’s festively decorated streets, Philip Prospero was baptized by the Archbishop of Toledo. The holy water used for the ceremony had been brought from the Jordan by members of religious orders. Contemporary accounts relate that the infant cried loudly during the baptism, which the king interpreted as a good sign for the future of the dynasty. The celebrations cost Philip IV 600,000 ducats. In 1658, Philip Prospero was sworn in as his father’s heir and as Prince of Asturias. His birth also facilitated an important foreign-policy decision. France and Spain were negotiating an end to their long-standing hostility. Since Spain once again had a male heir, Philip IV could marry his eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, to the French king Louis XIV. The agreement resulted in the Treaty of the Pyrenees, which ended the war between the two powers and made France the leading power in Europe. Despite his political importance, Philip Prospero was extremely frail. He had to carry an amulet constantly, as can also be seen in a portrait by Diego Velázquez. Velázquez painted the prince in 1659, when he was about three years old. The portrait was made together with one of his sister Margarita Teresa and was intended for Emperor Leopold I, their mother’s brother and Margarita’s future husband. The boy stands before a dark background beside a small chair with a resting spaniel. His pale appearance, slightly hollow-looking eyes, and limp posture convey an impression of physical fragility. Several protective amulets and small metal bells hang over his clothing. The painting thus shows not only a child but also the uncertainty underlying Spain’s dynastic hopes: the fate of the realm depended on a sickly young heir. Philip Prospero continued to suffer frequent illnesses in the following years. He had epilepsy and probably possessed a particularly weak immune system because of repeated close-kin relationships within his family. Philip IV even had the relics of Saint Diego of Alcalá brought to the palace in the hope of obtaining his son’s recovery. On 1 November 1661, the prince suffered a severe epileptic seizure in the Royal Alcázar of Madrid and died at the age of nearly four. His death deeply affected the king. In a letter to the religious woman Sor María de Ágreda, Philip IV wrote that his son’s long illness and his constant care at the child’s bedside had burdened him as much as the grief caused by the loss. He called Philip Prospero a precious treasure and explained that his sorrow was intensified by his belief that the death was divine punishment for his own sins. Five days after the prince’s death, Philip’s youngest son and final child, Infante Charles, was born. He ascended the Spanish throne in 1665 as Charles II.