Spain appeared on the world map only at the end of the 15th century, after the Union of Castile and Aragon in 1479. Until then, there were several separate states on the Iberian Peninsula. Although they were quite closely related, they each had their own kings and queens. Spain as such did not yet exist.
Princess Isabella of Castile
In fact, it is she who is the first and still extremely revered Queen of Spain. Isabella was born in 1451 and was the daughter of Juan II and sister of Enrique IV. She grew up far from the palace, in the wilderness of Arevalo, where she was brought up in piety.
In her youth, Isabella never thought about royal power, as the lands were ruled by her older brother Enrique, who legally took the throne when his sister was only three years old. In addition, there was another child in the royal family, whose name was Alphonse. Only when she became a teenager, the girl was able to appear in the palace. Gossip, squabbles and intrigues that reigned there were alien to her - she preferred to pray to God, rather than give orders to subordinates.
Struggle for power
It must be said that the royal brother of Isabella, Enrique IV,was nicknamed "El Impotente". And, as they say, not without reason. In 1462, his wife, Joana of Portugal, gave birth to a daughter, and almost everyone was sure that the father of the child was her lover Beltrán de la Cueva, Duke of Albuquerque.
It was this circumstance that largely influenced the further political events that took place in 1468. The fact is that at this time, the brother of Isabella and Enrique, Alphonse, who was barely 14 years old, suddenly dies. The question immediately arose: who would be the next heir to the Castilian throne?
According to the law, the crown was to be inherited by Enrique IV's daughter Juan Beltraneja. But the opposition, consisting of the highest nobility, headed by the Archbishop of Toledo, did not want to hear about the illegitimate royal offspring, thereby preferring Princess Isabella.
Princess Marriage
After the sudden death of Alphonse, under pressure from the nobility, Enrique was forced to conclude an agreement with his sister Isabella, according to which she was to become his heir. But the king put forward one condition for the princess - she could not marry without his consent. With this treaty, he actually confirmed the betrayal of his wife, thereby removing his only daughter, Juana, from succession to the throne. However, the wife of the king was not going to give up so easily and passionately wanted to be rehabilitated both before her husband and the courtiers, and before the people. Conflict was brewing.
It broke out in 1469, before Isabella decided to secretly marry Ferdinand II of Aragon. Then Enrique IV again proclaimed his own daughter Juanahis heiress, accusing his sister of violating the agreements. Such dissatisfaction with the king was caused by Isabella's refusal to marry the Portuguese king Afonso V, the brother of his wife Juana.
The First Queen of Spain
After the death of Enrique IV, a real civil war broke out in the country - supporters of Juana Beltraneja and Isabella of Castile fought to the death. The culmination of this confrontation is the Battle of Toro, which took place in 1479. After it, the Union of Castile and Aragon was signed, which elevated Isabella I to the Spanish throne.
During her reign, literally in some 20-30 years, she, together with her husband Ferdinand II, managed to unite almost all Spanish lands. In 1492, the conquest of Granada took place, as well as the conquest of the Canary Islands, which were once called Happy. It was with the support of Queen Isabella I that Columbus went in search of new lands and discovered America. Contemporaries, and in particular Hernando del Pulgar, noted her calm nature, gentleness and cheerfulness, but at the same time she could give tough orders and make unexpected and correct decisions.
The indomitability of her spirit was clearly manifested when she accompanied her husband during the invasion of the Spanish troops in Granada in 1491. She experienced all the vicissitudes of the war and entered the conquered capital with her husband. By the way, it was in Granada, in the Royal Chapel, that this married couple was buried.
Queen of Spain Isabella I gave birth to seven children. Most of them she survived for several years. The last and most powerful blow for her in 1497 was the death of her son and heir to the throne, Don Juan of Asturias. Isabella died in 1504 at the age of 53. Her successor was the daughter of Juan, later nicknamed the Mad, who, even during the life of the queen, showed a very unbalanced character. Given this fact, several special conditions were made in the will.
Isabella of Portugal
Her husband Charles V of Habsburg rallied all the Spanish lands even more firmly, and after he was declared the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, Isabella also becomes the Queen of Italy, Germany, Sicily and Naples, as well as the Duchess of Burgundy. She remained the regent of Spain for many years, as her husband was often absent, attending to important state affairs away from home.
Isabella - Queen of Spain, was born on October 24, 1503. She was the eldest daughter in the family of the Portuguese King Manuel I and his second wife, Infanta Maria of Castile and Aragon. Her future husband, Charles V, was her cousin. Their union was concluded in November 1525 for political reasons, but, despite this, it later turned into a love marriage. As noted by her contemporaries, Isabella was extremely intelligent and beautiful.
She died while in Toledo at the beginning of May 1539, suffering either from influenza or pneumonia. At that time, Isabella was pregnant for the sixth time. The emperor was not around, but her sudden death struck him to the core. After this tragedy, he nevernever remarried and wore only black clothes for the rest of his life.
Elizabeth of France (Valois)
She was born on April 2, 1545. Elizabeth was a representative of the famous Valois dynasty. Her father is King Henry II of France, and her mother is Catherine de Medici. Despite the fact that the princess was originally engaged to another Spaniard, Infante Don Carlos, she was married to another.
It so happened that the peace treaty signed in Cato-Cambresi in 1559 on the occasion of the end of the war between Spain and France had one clause where the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and King Philip II was an indispensable condition for its conclusion. She was then only a teenager, when she had to get used to a new life away from home. Contemporaries noted that Elizabeth, the Queen of Spain, could not but admire her beauty, fashionable clothes and elegant manners. With this, she conquered not only her husband and courtiers, but the whole people.
The fact that her husband loved and cherished her very much is evidenced by the following fact: when the young queen fell ill with smallpox, Philip II almost did not leave his wife and selflessly looked after her. And this despite the danger of getting infected yourself! As you know, the king was very unfriendly, cold-blooded and prudent, but after his marriage he turned into a loving husband and a cheerful person.
This Queen of Spain was pregnant five times, but she was never able to give her husband the heir to the throne. For the first time, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, but he died just a few hours later. The next birth was premature, as her he alth was very poor. But still, in 1566, she gave birth to a daughter, Isabella Clara Eugenia, and a year later, Catalina Michaela. In 1568, during another pregnancy and an unsuccessful birth, she died at the age of 23. Soon the monarch married for the fourth time. The choice of the king was his own niece, Anna of Austria, who gave him a son, the long-awaited heir to the throne.
The history of Spain knows many queens, which should be told in more detail, but it is impossible to do it in one article. Therefore, let's talk about the living ones.
Sophia Greek and Danish
She was born in Athens on November 2, 1938. Sophia is a representative of the Glucksburg dynasty. Her mother is Princess Frederica of Hanover and her father is King Paul I. In addition, she is related to the Russian imperial Romanov family and is the great-granddaughter of Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna, who became Queen of Greece by marrying George I.
Sofia was the eldest child in the family. In addition to her, there was also a brother who, after the death of his father, became King of Greece Constantine II, who was deposed from the throne in 1967, and a younger sister, Irene. After the country adopted a new constitution, royal titles have completely lost their meaning.
In the middle of May 1962 Sophia of Greece and Denmark married the Spanish prince Juan Carlos. She had to renounce Orthodoxy and accept the faith of her husband - Catholicism. At the end of November 1975, immediately after the death of Franco's dictator, Juan Carlosproclaimed king. So the Greek princess became the queen of Spain. To date, the royal couple have three children and eight grandchildren.
Community activities
Besides the fact that Sophia travels everywhere with her husband both within the country and abroad, she is also involved in charity work. She is the president of her own foundation, which in 1993 provided a lot of funds that contributed to the liberation and subsequent economic support of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, the now former Queen of Spain is involved in education and support for the disabled. But she pays special attention to the Foundation, which was specially created to fight drug addiction.
Now it's safe to say that Sophia is a queen not only by blood, but also by profession, since on her fragile shoulders lies the whole burden of family problems that appear in her house from time to time. It is she who masterfully smooths out all the conflicts that arise in connection with the rather quick-tempered temper of her husband.
Letizia Ortiz: girl of the people
She was born on September 15, 1972 in a small town located in the north-west of Spain in the family of journalist Jesús Ortiz Alvarez and nurse Maria Rocasolano. Letizia had two more sisters: the eldest - Thelma and the youngest - Erica, who suffered from depression for a long time and in 2007 died from an overdose of drugs. After graduating from school, the girl entered a college organized at the University of Madrid, where she received her higher education, becoming a journalist.
Before meeting the heirSpanish crown Prince Philip Letizia Ortiz managed to make an excellent career. She first married when she was 26 years old. Her chosen one was Alfonso Perez, a teacher of literature. This marriage did not last long and broke up a year later, while the former spouses broke up peacefully and still maintain friendly relations.
Spanish Cinderella
Crown Prince Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos I and his wife Sophia of Greece, first met Letizia Ortiz in 2003, when she was investigating an oil tanker wreck off the coast of Spain. Arriving at the scene, the girl hurried to take comments regarding this incident from officials. It was from them that she learned that Prince Philip had also arrived here.
It is worth noting that interviewing the royal offspring was not some great journalistic achievement - everyone knows that the Spaniards have not had particularly reverent feelings for the monarchy for a long time. In addition, it is no secret that Prince Philip is a very open person, quite willing to communicate with ordinary people. He gave an interview to Letizia, in which he commented on the whole situation, and then asked her for a phone number. After that, the lovers began to meet, but at first their dates were secret, as Philip was afraid of condemnation from his parents. A few months later, Letizia quit her job, and a few days later they announced their engagement.
Attacks on the Princess of Asturias
Should I say that for the groom's relatives, yesand throughout Spain, such a statement came as a real surprise. The future Queen Leticia and Philip got married on May 22, 2004. This event was broadcast by all the major TV channels, thanks to which more than one and a half million people around the world could see this ceremony. After the wedding, the princess underwent rhinoplasty. According to the official version, Letizia was found to have a congenital deviated septum of the nose. However, in journalistic circles it was rumored that the operation was allegedly done because she did not look good enough in the photo with the prince.
I must say that the attacks did not end there. On October 31, 2005, the first daughter Leonora was born to the married couple, and two years later, on April 29, the second daughter, Sofia, was born. After giving birth, the future Queen Letizia began to lose her former shape, so she decided to go on a strict diet. As a result, she lost a lot of weight in a few weeks. For this, she was openly accused of almost promoting anorexia, while recalling that young Spaniards take an example from her. This wave of criticism provoked street protests. To avoid further accusations against her, the prince was forced to leave with his wife on vacation, where he literally forced her to eat normally.
Queen Letizia of Spain
In June 2014, 76-year-old King Juan Carlos I abdicated. The monarch himself announced his decision in a special address to the people. His son Philip, Prince of Asturias, succeeded him. So the former TV journalist became the Queen of Spain. After Letitia married the prince, sheshe had to abandon the pantsuits she loved so much and put on more feminine clothes. Elegant dresses and skirt sets have appeared in her wardrobe.
Over time, journalists stopped paying public attention to scandalous episodes from the past, since, by the way, the current 43-year-old Queen of Spain is not so perfect, and more and more often they began to talk about her as a worthy heiress of his wife former monarch, Sophia. For several years in a row, the wife of Philip VI has been spoken of as the most elegant and beautiful woman in Europe. At the same time, they note that the country received not only a monarch perfectly prepared for the throne, but also a woman worthy of being next to him, who is the former journalist, and now the Queen of Spain - Letizia Ortiz.
