Wives & Other Women
(Philip II of Spain)
This is the story of Philip seeking
a suitable male heir in loveless marriages —
and his compulsive pursuit of other women
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Brief Synopsis
This is the story of the marriages and mistresses of Philip II — and his need to provide a suitable male heir.
His first brief marriage to his Portuguese cousin does provide a son, Prince Don Carlos, but he is severely damaged, mentally and physically; clearly not the heir that either he or Spain require.
After some time with his favourite mistress he leaves for England to marry his aunt, Mary Tudor. She dies childless and so the inadequate Prince Carlos remains Philip’s sole heir.
His next wife is the young French princess, Isabel de Valois. Her first pregnancy ends in a miscarriage following the shock that one of Philip’s mistresses is also pregnant.
With Prince Carlos threatening to kill him; his half-brother, Don Juan, a threat to his throne; his wife giving him daughters instead of a son, Philip knows he must act.
Prince Carlos is arrested and imprisoned in solitary confinement, dying within a few months: very convenient — but very suspicious.
Isabel’s four pregnancies in quick succession have undermined her health, this and the sudden death of Carlos cause a miscarriage and she dies.
Determined to fulfil his royal obligation Philip chooses his young niece Anne of Austria as his next wife; he is convinced that she will provide sons.
He and Spain will, at last, have an heir they so desperately crave.
Historical Background
Philip II of Spain was the grandson of Juana I of Spain and son of Charles V (HRE). He inherited the crown of Spain in 1558 and with it all its power and wealth, and the many political and religious problems his father had never been able to resolve.
He was also inhibited by his father’s firm directives which were to colour his thinking and decision making throughout his life causing historians to view him as cold and calculating or riddled by doubts and uncertainties. He found it impossible to place his trust in anyone, suspecting intrigue, if not treachery, all around - including within his own family; and all correspondence, however trivial, was vetted several times before being sealed and dispatched.
Having also been taught never to rely on any individual counsellor he surrounded himself with several, preferably with diametrically opposed opinions.
Overriding all his other problems and anxieties was an extremely important royal duty: to provide Spain with a healthy male heir. He carried this burden from the age of 16. It started with his first brief marriage and the birth of his ill-fated son, continued throughout his second marriage to his aunt, the old, sad, Queen Mary Tudor, and through his third to the enchanting young French Princess Isabel de Valois. Finally in his fourth marriage, to his cousin Anne of Austria, he achieved his aim - a proper son and heir.
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