Spain's 'foreign' Bourbons: genealogy debunks the myth
Philip V was the great-grandson of Philip IV, while the Austrian candidate had less Spanish blood. Genealogy dismantles the myth of the foreign Bourbon.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spain's 'foreign' Bourbons: what the family trees actually show
Where does the idea that the Bourbons are foreign come from? The answer is not a simple yes. Philip V, the first Bourbon on the Spanish throne, was the great-grandson of Philip IV in the direct line and a grandnephew of Charles II. As for Austrian blood, he had plenty of it.
The treaty that nearly put a Bavarian on the throne
With Charles II childless, the powers divided up the inheritance in advance. The First Partition Treaty, signed in The Hague in 1698, awarded Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria all the peninsular kingdoms —except Guipúzcoa—, Sardinia, the Spanish Netherlands and the American territories. France would take Guipúzcoa, Naples and Sicily; Austria, the Duchy of Milan.
The 'Austrian' candidate was the least Spanish of all
The story is usually told as France versus Austria. The genealogical analysis turns it around: Philip of Anjou descended from Philip IV through Maria Theresa, while the 'Austrian' claimant had a far more diluted Spanish connection. The myth of the foreign king rests more on labels than on blood.
French at court, and Bayonne
It is a different matter that the family kept up French habits: they spoke French among themselves until recent times, and Bayonne, with Napoleon in the middle of it, became engrained in the popular imagination.
That Philip V was the great-grandson of Philip IV does not erase his Frenchness. But reducing the question to 'they are foreigners' is settling for the headline. The family trees of Europe's royal houses are a hornet's nest from which no king emerged entirely 'national'.
Where does the idea that the Bourbons are foreign come from? The answer is not a simple yes. Philip V, the first Bourbon on the Spanish throne, was the great-grandson of Philip IV in the direct line and a grandnephew of Charles II. As for Austrian blood, he had plenty of it.
The treaty that nearly put a Bavarian on the throne
With Charles II childless, the powers divided up the inheritance in advance. The First Partition Treaty, signed in The Hague in 1698, awarded Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria all the peninsular kingdoms —except Guipúzcoa—, Sardinia, the Spanish Netherlands and the American territories. France would take Guipúzcoa, Naples and Sicily; Austria, the Duchy of Milan.
The 'Austrian' candidate was the least Spanish of all
The story is usually told as France versus Austria. The genealogical analysis turns it around: Philip of Anjou descended from Philip IV through Maria Theresa, while the 'Austrian' claimant had a far more diluted Spanish connection. The myth of the foreign king rests more on labels than on blood.
French at court, and Bayonne
It is a different matter that the family kept up French habits: they spoke French among themselves until recent times, and Bayonne, with Napoleon in the middle of it, became engrained in the popular imagination.
That Philip V was the great-grandson of Philip IV does not erase his Frenchness. But reducing the question to 'they are foreigners' is settling for the headline. The family trees of Europe's royal houses are a hornet's nest from which no king emerged entirely 'national'.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (10 replies).
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