Women and Children First: Court Ceremonial during Carlos II’s Minority, 1665–1675

Abstract

The Spanish Habsburg court underwent a substantial restructuring when Carlos II (b. 1661, r. 1665–1700) became king of Spain just before his fourth birthday (17 September 1665). In his testament, Philip IV (r. 1621–1665) required that the child-king remain under the jurisdiction of his mother, Queen Mariana of Austria (1634–1696), during his minority. This well-established tradition in Habsburg child-rearing practices had never been applied to a child who was already king; it meant that for nearly a decade, there was no king’s household in the court. This article investigates the impact of Philip IV’s testamentary mandate on court ceremonial and the strategies that Mariana, queen regent and king’s mother, implemented. The unprecedented situation marks an important moment in the history of the queen’s household; it is crucial to understand how Carlos II exercised the office of king during his minority, and critical to reinterpret the early years of his rule as an emancipated king.