In 1738, Charles III of Spain married Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony, daughter of Polish king Augustus III and an educated, cultured woman who gave birth to 13 children, eight of whom reached adulthood.
The marriage responded to political'needs', but the couple enjoyed a romantic and harmonious union. After the death of his stepbrother Ferdinand VI with no descendants, Charles was crowned king of Spain as Charles III in 1759. A year later his wife died and he never remarried. Charles III remained a widower for the rest of his life without ever having a mistress.
>In 22 years of marriage, this is the first serious upset I've had from Amalia. The pain that this irreparable loss causes me is equal to the tender love I professed for her.
This is the letter that Charles III wrote to his parents in July 1738, telling them about his wedding night:
> My very dear Father and my very dear Mother, I was happy to know that your Majesties are still doing fine, me and my wife are perfectly well, thank God. I received a letter from your Majesties on the 15th of last month, in which I saw how, thanks be to God, your Majesties had received two of my letters. > > You assumed that by the time I received this letter my heart would be glad and I would have consummated the marriage. You told me that sometimes young girls are not so easy and that, with this hot weather, I should try to save my energy, not doing it as much as I wanted because it could ruin my health, that I should be content with once or twice times between night and day, that otherwise I would end up exhausted and that is better to serve the ladies little and continuously than a lot once. > > > About what you asked regarding her height, I will tell your Majesties that according to the portrait I have of my sister, they are nothing alike. With all due respect to my sister, my wife is much prettier and much whiter. She shoots very well and takes a lot of pleasure from hunting. > > Your Majesties wrote me as parents and as married people, and asked me to tell you if everything went well and if I find her to my liking, both her body and her spirit, so I’ll tell you how it all went down. > > *The day I met her in Portella, we spoke lovingly, until we arrived at Fondi. There we had dinner and then continued our journey having the same conversation until we
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I have no idea where else suitable to post that thought, each subreddit had strong rules or whatever, and I honestly have no idea if it's been said elsewhere, searched online and found nothing.
I just thought it was a marvellous, uncanny thing and hopefully fellow Crown fans will think so too.
I've been reading up on the Jesuits and they seem to have been wildly popular and successful throughout the world and they were founded by Spanish priests for the most part... Why the sudden reversal of fortunes in the 1700s? Additionally, what were/are some criticisms of the Jesuit order over the centuries?
i was just wondering if theres anyone who can shed some real light on Charles the ii of Spain. as far as the authenticity of the results of the autopsy, the actual possibility of these findings being true, and the cause. obviously im not looking for a full, dedicated analysis. more-so an overview. the findings seem impossible and all i can find are answers contingent on rumors or a story that i find hard to believe. anyways, thanks for anyone who may know.
Can you imagine going up to Philip II and telling him that in about 100 years, his empire would have a Bourbon king in El Escorial? No more Netherlands, no more Portugal, no more dominance over the East Indies, etc... All of that would go north. London, Paris, and The Hague had the power and Spain would be cute in the 18th century, even have more territories snatched.
Why did this happen? Why did they fail to modernize? They had everything at their disposal, an empire which the sun never sets, something unforeseen in all of mankind at the time, and yet they failed to modernize.
Why not build observatories and fund scientists and inventors? Why not establish an illustrious Spanish East India Company? Why not build a city in the mouth of the Mississippi river? Invest in the Platine region? They had everything while England, France, and the Dutch Republic were weak.
It blows my mind how Spain under Philip IV and Charles was still thinking they were in the 16th century while in reality, they were not.
