Mariana

Queen, mother, governor and patron of arts. The faces of Mariana of Austria, 1649-1696

Mariana of Austria was one of the most prominent queens of the 17th century. In a political world dominated by men, she exercised power as regent for Charles II. During her son’s reign, she maintained a high degree of political influence to prolong her regency and her support for the enormous task of governing the Spanish Monarchy. The study of her life and her role as queen consort, regent and queen mother traces her own personal and political evolution. Starting with her Viennese origins, this book explores her upbringing, her role as a mother, her palace and court environment, her public image, patronage and support for the arts, and how she projected her image as a Catholic queen through her protection of the Jesuits and the Society’s evangelising efforts in Asia. Pietas austriaca was one of the key legitimising pillars of the regency, through the exaltation of devotion to the Immaculate Conception and the cult of Saint Ferdinand III, which cloaked the faltering crown in an aura of sacredness in the face of movements by the discontented aristocracy. Responsible for directing the affairs of the Spanish Monarchy following the death of Philip IV, Mariana of Austria sought to continue her husband’s political legacy. Thus, the Regent chose to sideline the high aristocracy from the running of the government and devised a complex system that combined the rise of the Secretariat of the Universal Council and the power of the Councils with the prominent role of some of her own creatures who made their mark on the political scene, such as her confessor Johann Eberhard Nithard and the upstart Fernando de Valenzuela. She sought to strengthen royal authority through new political means, but was unable to prevent John Joseph of Austria and the Grandees from removing her from the helm of government from 1676 onwards. Following her exile in Toledo, the Queen Mother shifted from her active role at the forefront of government in Madrid to exercising a discreet influence over the promotion of royal ministers and the plans for the succession to the Spanish throne.