Marital excesses: María Manuela de Portugal
I Procreation
In 1543, the then prince of Asturias Philip, eldest son and heir of emperor Charles V, got married to his double first cousin Maria Manuela of Portugal, that appears depicted in this portrait. Both were born in 1527 and they were already sixteen years old, or close, when the wedding took place. Catalina of Austria, mother of the bride, and emperor Charles V, father of the groom, monitored closely the intimate life of this marriage. Given the important position of both in the line of succession to the Spanish Monarchy and Portugal, it was extremely important for them not only that the young couple secured their succession as soon as possible, but also to protect them, as much as possible, of the risks and dangers connected to an excessive number of sexual relations, and of a complicated pregnancy and delivery. On one hand, Charles V was constantly worried that his only son could suffer the same destiny as his uncle, prince Juan, the only male child of the Catholic Kings. It was told that prince Juan had died of exhaustion after «enjoying excessively» his new status as a married man with his young wife, Margarita of Austria.
Thus, he recommended his son continuously that, given his youth, it was necessary that he took care of his health and refrained himself from visiting the princess at night too much. To such an extent was the emperor worried about this that he ordered Juan de Zúñiga, the prince’s ayo and senior officer of his household at that time, to separate the couple during the night to assure that they would rest separately, instructions that he followed in several instances, including the wedding night itself. On the other, Catalina of Austria maintained an active correspondence with her daughter, several of the ladies of her household and the Portuguese ambassador in prince Philip’s court, where she gave advice regarding her reproductive health. For example, she discussed the diet followed by her daughter with her senior lady-in-waiting Margarita de Mendoza, indicating that an excessive weight and too much food intake could have a negative effect on women’s fertility. At the same time, it was the Portuguese ambassador Sarmiento who informed the queen that the princess had regular monthly periods, something she considered a great sign of fertility.
The queen also gave her numerous advice regarding her health, at the same time she expressed her opposition to some methods that the Spanish court wanted to put into practice to increase the young couple’s fertility to secure the succession in both kingdoms. But, at the end, Maria Manuela died in 1545, after the birth of her only son, prince Charles. She was just 18 years old. [Rocío Martínez]