The Tragic Life of History’s Most Inbred King | Charles II of Spain

Charles II was the final monarch of Spain from the House of Hasburg, often viewed as a tragic symbol of the nation's decline and as a striking example of the harmful effects of dynastic inbreeding. King Charles II of Spain endured a life marked by profound physical and mental disabilities, the result of generations of intermarriage within his royal lineage. Today, we reflect on the sorrowful existence of a man whose life was a far cry from the traditional image of a king, one who is strong, a leader of men and an inspiring figure. Instead, Charles was burdened with a range of debilitating health issues, including disfigurement and epilepsy, the cause of his suffering, at least 16 generations of inbreeding, all in a misguided attempt to preserve the purity of the royal bloodline. Though he ascended to the throne, it is doubtful that anyone would have wished for such a painful existence. This is his story. Charles II was born in the year 1661 as the only surviving son of Philip IV of Spain and his second wife Marianna of Austria, who was also his niece. This created a web of familial relationships, where Charles's own mother, Marianna, was simultaneously his cousin, and his grandmother was also his aunt. When one examines the broader family tree, the extent of inbreeding within the royal lineage becomes increasingly apparent and also complex. Although marriages within extended families were not uncommon during this period, the Spanish and Austrian Hasburgs were particularly notorious for their adherence to this practice. Between the years of 1450 to 1661, of the eleven marriages contracted by the Spanish monarchs, the vast majority were tainted by some form of inbreeding. This tendency may have been influenced by the limpieza de sangre, or blood purity laws, established in the early 16th century and enforced until the 1860s. The Hasburgs were one of Europe's most powerful royal houses, reigning over Austria, Germany, Italy, Sicilian Naples, Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Islands, Portugal, and of course Spain. They were also known for their fervent desire to preserve the purity of their bloodline. Marriages between first cousins or uncle-niece unions were common, and after generations of such unions, we encounter the abomination that was Charles. As the sole male heir, Charles' survival was imperative, but from the start, his health was frail and tragic. He suffered from numerous illnesses, such as measles, chicken pox, and smallpox, any of which could have been fatal in those days. Additionally, he was afflicted with rickets, which left him unable to walk without support until the age of four. His childhood was marked by numerous physical challenges. The bones of his skull had not yet fused, and he could not stand. He didn't learn to walk until he was six, and even at nine he struggled with the task. Until he was four, Charles was solely nourished on breast milk, provided by fourteen different wet nurses, who had to be regularly replaced due to the painful nipple bites inflicted by the infant. Given the awkwardness of the situation, especially after Charles was declared king at such a tender age, his mother decreed that breastfeeding should be discontinued. Intermarriage within the Hasburg family intensified the so-called Hasburg jaw, a distinctive physical trait common to both the Spanish and Austrian branches of the In Charles, this condition was so pronounced that it hindered his ability to chew his food properly, causing frequent stomach issues. The young prince was a sight indeed, and his frail health led to his family's fear for his life. His tongue was so enlarged that few could understand him when he attempted to speak. It is also believed that he may have suffered from acromegaly, a condition that causes swelling and disfigurement, particularly of the face and hands. His physical weakness was compounded by a lack of intellectual development, and by the age of nine, Charles could not read or write, and his speech was halting and difficult. Despite having the finest tutors available, his education was severely limited, and his willpower, already fragile, was stifled further by his mother's domineering influence. He was often at the mercy of his family, though his temper could flare violently, with frequent rages driven by frustration over his disabilities. Charles' appearance was strikingly grotesque. The classic Hasburg features, an overdeveloped jaw, and an elongated skull were exaggerated to an almost cartoonish extent in him. In the superstitious climate of the time, his state and physical deformities were sometimes interpreted as signs of witchcraft. His physicians' attempts to cure him were accompanied by occult practices and exorcisms, and some even dubbed him Charles the Bewitched. Charles was disfigured, a man of striking ugliness, even in comparison to his family and commoners. He became senile at a young age, his large tongue making his speech incomprehensible, and he suffered from epileptic seizures. Though he married twice, his impotence prevented him from fathering children or securing an heir. His behaviour was often infantile. For instance, he derived comfort from counting objects, a simple activity that gave him reassurance. Charles' condition is difficult to assess through modern lenses. He required careful, attentive guidance, but those around him failed to provide it. The factions at court, each with their own agendas, had an interest in a weak and easily manipulated king. Throughout his life, Charles was subject to the shifting influence of rival factions, all of whom sought to use him for their own gain. As a result, he often experienced bouts of depression. Accounts of the time describe Charles as shy, self-conscious, and frequently melancholic. Yet foreign diplomats noted that he was generally kind. Charles was indeed highly impressionable, always yielding to the advice of those around him, upon whom he was utterly dependent. Initially, it was his mother who was his trusted advisor. The Austrian Jesuit and confessor Johann Eberhard also held a great sway over the fragile monarch. Later, the first minister Fernando Valenzuela became a dominant figure in his life. Eventually, Charles' half-brother Don Juan José, the product of an illicit affair between his father and the actress Maria Calderón, emerged as an important figure in his life. Yet, even Don Juan José exploited Charles for his own ambitions. When the time came for Charles to marry, the future bride's anxiety was immense, only deepening when the French ambassador wrote to the court, the Catholic king is so unattractive that he causes fear, and he appears to be in poor health. In the year 1679, when the king was 18 years old, Charles would be wed. Maria Luisa of Orleans was not well received by the people, not only because she was French, but also because she failed to give the king an heir. This became the court's greatest preoccupation, and rumours would circulate that Charles was indeed bewitched. On one occasion, the queen confided in a lady-in-waiting that the king suffered from premature ejaculation, a condition that prevented the consummation of their marriage. When the French ambassador caught wind of this, he bribed a palace laundress to provide him with the king's underwear and the queen's bed linens. At the time, the Royal Society of London had discovered the existence of spermatoza, and they sought to employ every possible method, both divine and mundane, in hopes of achieving the longed-for pregnancy. This ordeal caused the queen frequent digestive distress, and in her final years, she became increasingly paranoid that she was being poisoned. Tragically, she died in the year 1689 from appendicitis. The king was reportedly devastated by her death. Ten days later, the members of the Privy Council suggested a new marriage for the king, and the wife they chose was Marianne of Nibiru, whose greatest merit was that her parents had borne 23 children together. However, the king still fathered no children, despite the new queen's extremely fertile parents. In the final years of his life, Charles' physical condition deteriorated, his body showing signs of advanced ageing and decline. However, the court's greatest concern remained his inability to produce heirs, and even Queen Marianne, hailing from such a large and prolific family, had not been the solution they had hoped for. Unable to find a medical explanation for his condition, many attributed his plight to the dark influence of witchcraft. The king was so deeply affected by this belief, that in the year 1698, through his confessor, Father Froylan Diaz, he petitioned the general inquisitor to begin a process known as disenchantment. Father Diaz knew of a convent that housed several possessed nuns, and that Father Frey Antonio Alvarez possessed exorcist powers. They sought out the exorcist, and before the sacred sacrament, they would ask the devil if the king had been bewitched. The answer, shockingly, was yes. Satan revealed that the spell had been cast on April 3rd in the year 1675, using a cup of chocolate containing the dissolved brain of an executed criminal to take away the king's reason, and to corrupt his semen, preventing him from fathering children. The purpose of the curse, according to the devil, was to ensure that the widow Queen Marianne could remain in power. To counter this, the exorcist suggested that the king drink half a litre of oil while fasting, accompanied by an exorcism. Unfortunately, the king's condition only worsened, exacerbated by the potions that he was given. By March of the year 1698, when he was nearing the end of his life, he suffered from edema, constant fatigue, epileptic seizures, chronic diarrhoea, and reoccurring fevers. Finally, on the 1st of November in the year 1700, at the age of 39, Charles passed away. Though post-mortem examinations were not typically conducted for kings, Charles' death, surrounded by rumours of witchcraft, prompted an autopsy. According to this autopsy, the findings were horrific. He had a very small heart, the size of a peppercorn. His lungs corroded, his intestines putrid and gangrenous. In the kidneys, there were three large stones. He had a single testicle as black as coal, and his head was filled with water. The results seemed to confirm the long-held belief that the king's physical and mental afflictions were the result of far more than a medical misfortune. The life of Charles was indeed a tragic one, and he never lived an ordinary life. His wives were repulsed by him, and the king lived in a constant state of pain and depression, which no doubt affected his mental health. Charles was a result of generations of inbreeding, and his life is indeed a sad tale. I'll see you all next week for another history profile