Women and Children First: Rituals and Ceremonies of Kingship during Carlos II’s Minority, 1665–75

• In Event: Dynastic Regeneration: Celebrating Male Heirs in the Late Habsburg and Early Bourbon Spanish World

Abstract

The Spanish Habsburgs court underwent a substantial restructuring when Carlos II became king a little short of his fourth birthday on September 17, 1665. He continued to live under the jurisdiction of his mother, Queen Mariana of Austria, whose household took over the role previously occupied by the king and his household in court rituals and ceremonies. A distinct style of celebrating kingship developed. First, the women of Mariana’s household gained a preeminent position in the rituals. Second, the number of meninos (boys under fifteen years of age) appointed as the little king’s entourage increased exponentially, providing a male-gendered and age-appropriate staff for Carlos II. While their presence added an unmistakable element of charm to court rituals, it emphasize the new reality of the court. The office of king, traditionally embodied by an adult king and his adult-male companions, had been replaced, even if temporarily, by the queen, her female attendants, and children.

Author

• Silvia Z. Mitchell, Purdue University