#philip prospero

[marianadecarlos]

The Birth of Philip Prospero Fanart

Philip Prospero was born on November 28, 1657, in the Royal Alcazar of Madrid. He was the first son of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria. His birth brought joy to the kingdom, but his delivery caused his mother to have childbed fever, which most did not notice because of their joy. Queen Mariana was bedridden for days after the birth and she survived.

On the day of the birth, not a bench nor a table was left unbroken in the palace, nor a single pastry-cook’s nor tavern that was not sacked. Tomorrow [December 6] they say that his Majesty will go on horseback to the Atocha to give thanks to the Mother of God… They say the prince is a pretty little chap, and that the King wishes him to be baptized at once, before the extreme cold comes on… There are to be masquerades, bull-fights and cane-tourneys as soon as the Queen stands up to see them, as well as plays with machinery invented by an engineer, a servant of the Nuncio, to be represented at the theatre of Retiro, and the saloon of the palace… The municipality, following the lead of the Councils, have gone to congratulate the King… and no gentleman, great or small, has failed to do the like.

His baptism was described to have some mishaps, starting with the Ceremonial Napkin carried by Condestable de Castilla, an unpopular military officer, He made a scene at Prospero's baptism in the following matter:

It seems that the crush of the people was so great that a staircase gave way; this disarranged the procession as it left the chapel, and in particular prevented the Duque de Bejar from taking his place and bearing away the "mazapan". The "mazapan" was not a sweet meat, but a lump of breadcrumb on which the officiating ecclesiastic wiped his fingers after anointing the child with holy oil. The bread was enclosed in a highly decorated reptacle made of marzipan and carried on a richly worked piece of needlework. It seems to be a object which evoked singular curiosity through little relevance. As the Duque de Bejar was unable to be its barrier, Philip was asked what should be done, he was told master of ceremonies to ask the Condestable De Castilla to substitute, This gentleman replied that he was sorry but he had an injured arm. Philip IV, furious, repeated his order, whereupon he replied, "The Condestable De Castilla are too exalted to fill the gaps and voids left by others. The Duque de Alburquerque carried the ewer, the Duque of Terranova, the salt sellar. Last came the Duque of Pastrana carrying on this occasion the famous mazapan. It was made in the shape of a castle with gold and silver ornamentation. The chrism is a mixture of oil and balm used to anoint the infant. Owing to its Sacrosanct Character, It was those days covered much coveted by ill-intentioned persons; hence the drops of chrism deposited on the bread crumb with the Mazapan might be stolen. The infant was naked at this baptism, At the baptism, the infant was unclothed, prompting the Infanta Maria Theresa to ask why she had to present her brother in this manner. It was explained that this tradition was a way to demonstrate his gender.

Source:

Carlos, A king who would not die by John Langdon Davis

[its-yesterdays-story]

Philip was sinking deeper into the morbid devotional misery that afflicted in their decline, so many of his race. His only son, Philip Prospero, after a life of four years of almost constant sickness, was snatched from him early in November 1661, as a younger boy had been a year previously. The bereaved father, who had watched over his son's bed until the last, nearly lost heart at this heavy blow; and was so much overcome, as he confesses, as to be unable even to write for a time to his one refuge, the nun of Agreda. When he did so, the usual self-accusing cry of agony went up – 'I assure you,' he wrote, 'what troubles me most, much more even than my loss, is to see clearly that I have offended God, and that He sends all these sorrows as punishment for my sins. I only wish I knew how to amend myself and comply entirely with His will. I am doing, and will do, all I can; for I would rather lose my life than to fail to do it. Help me as a good friend, with your prayers, to placate the righteous anger of God, and to implore our Lord, who has seen good to take away my son, to bless the delivery of the Queen, which is expected every day, and to keep her in perfect health and the child that is to be born, if it is to be for his good service, for otherwise I desire it not The Queen has borne this last blow with much sorrow but Christian resignation. I am not surprised at this for she is an angel, Oh! Sor Maria: I had only carried out your doctrines, perhaps I should not find myself in this state.'

A few days after this was written, Mariana once more bore a son, a weak, pulling infant, that seemed threatened with an early death; but whose birth threw Spain into a whirlwind of rejoicing as extravagant as any that had gone before. But Philip was sunk too deep now into despondency, by witchcraft, the people said, to be aroused much even by the birth of a son; and, as the shadows fell around him the power of Mariana grew. Philip in declining health and bitter disappointment, could look nowhere now for help and solace. His illegitimate son, Don Juan, bitterly opposed to the new German interest in Spain, retired to his town of Consuegra in disgust and disgrace. His minister Haro was dead, and the saintly nun of Agreda, his refuge for so many years, also went to her rest in the spring of 1665. There was now no one at Philip's side but Mariana, already intriguing for uncontrolled power when her husband should die and her German confessor Nithard, whose one aim was to use what was left of Spanish resources for the ends of Austria. All Europe regarded the King as a dying man whose work in the world was done.

As Philip sank lower in despondency, the importance of Mariana rose. In 1664 Mariana was already regarded almost as the reigning sovereign. The total and final defeat of the Spaniards on the Portuguese frontier, in June 1665, made the recovery of the lost kingdom hopeless, and broke Philip's heart. He had written in spring to the dying nun, saying that he desire no more health or life than was meet for God's service, and was ready to go when he was called. The call came in September 1665. His chronic malady had been aggravated to such an extent by anxiety and worry, that by the middle of the month his physicians confessed themselves powerless. Philip bade a tearful farewell to Mariana, and blessed his two children. He then took an affectionate of the Duke of Medina de las Torres and other nobles beseeching them with irrepressible tears to work harmoniously together, and help the widow and the poor child to whom this heavy heritage was passing.

Philip struggled through the night in agony and the next day the image of the Virgin of Atocha was carried past the windows of the palace to be deposited in the royal Convent of Barefoots hard by, whilst the dead bodies of St. Diego and St. Isidro were brought to the royal chapel for veneration. Around the bed of the dying monarch evil passions were already rampant, for the Court was divided thus early into two factions; one in favor of Mariana and the other looking to Don Juan. The Duke of Medina de las Torres, the principal minister, retired from the palace as soon as he had taken leave; and an unseemly wrangle almost a fight, took over the deathbed between rival friars, as to whether the viaticum might be administered or not, until they had to be bundled out of the room by the Marquis of Aytona.

No sooner was this scene over than Count Castrillo entered the chamber and announced that Don Juan had come and was waiting to see his father. Philip knew, and bitter the knowledge was, that his wife and son would be in open strife from the day the breath left his body; but that Don Juan should return from exile unbidden, and dared to disobey his King whilst he yet lived, aroused one more spark of sovereign indignation in the moribund man. 'Tell him,' he said, 'to return whence he came until he be bidden. I will see him not; for this no time for me to do other than die.' At early dawn on Friday 17, September, poor Philip the Great breathed his last. 'And curious it is,' said a contemporary courtier, 'that in the chamber of his Majesty when he died, there was no one but the Marquis of Aytona and two servants to weep for the death of their King and master. In all the rest of the court not one soul shed a tear for him. A terrible lesson is this for all humankind; that a monarch who had granted such great favors, and raised so much honor, had no sigh breathed for him when he died.'

[catgondoliere]

Diego Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660)

Portrait of Prince Philip Prospero (1659)

[anamariamauricia]

Oh no, thank you very much for explaining everything! I had been looking at philip prospero's wikiepdia page and, indeed, the comically superstitious statement caught my attention.

Eating fish on a feast day makes much more sense, as does them not having enough money for fish at that time.

Needed louis doing this in the musketeers

[venicepearl]

Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias (28 November 1657 – 1 November 1661) was the first son of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria to survive infancy. Philip IV had no male heir since the death of Balthasar Charles, his son by his first wife, Elisabeth of France, eleven years before, and as Spain's strength continued to ebb the issue of succession had become a matter of fervent and anxious prayer.

[tiny-librarian]

A portrait of  Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias. He was the eldest son of Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria, and was born on November 28th, 1657.

Philip IV had 8 children with his first wife, Elisabeth of France, but five daughters and one son had died in infancy. The other two surviving children were a daughter, Maria Theresa, who married Louis XIV, and a son, Balthasar Charles, who’d died of smallpox in 1646, at the age of 16. This meant he had no male heir, so he married his niece Mariana, in hopes of having one.

Their first two children were daughters, one of whom died in infancy, so the birth of Philip Prospero was greeted with great rejoicing and relief across the country:

On the day of the birth, not a bench nor a table was left unbroken in the palace, nor a single pastry-cook’s nor tavern that was not sacked. Tomorrow [December 6] they say that his Majesty will go on horseback to the Atocha to give thanks to the Mother of God… They say the prince is a pretty little chap, and that the King wishes him to be baptized at once, before the extreme cold comes on… There are to be masquerades, bull-fights and cane-tourneys as soon as the Queen stands up to see them, as well as plays with machinery invented by an engineer, a servant of the Nuncio, to be represented at the theatre of Retiro, and the saloon of the palace… The municipality, following the lead of the Councils, have gone to congratulate the King… and no gentleman, great or small, has failed to do the like.

The little prince, sadly, was never a very robust child, suffering from epilepsy and frequently becoming ill, which can likely be attributed to genetic problems caused by generations of inbreeding among the Habsburg family. He died on November 1st, 1661, after suffering a severe epileptic attack. Another brother,  Ferdinand Thomas Charles, had been born the year after him but had died the following year. Mariana was pregnant when Philip Prospero died, and gave birth to a third son, the future Charles II, five days after his death.

[talesofpassingtime]

Books Read 2022

The Kitchen God’s Wife, Amy Tan

The Antiquarian, Sir Walter Scott

Loving, Henry Green

The Cossacks, Leo Tolstoy

Acte, Alexandre Dumas

Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf

The Old Devils, Kingsley Amis

Fear, Gabriel Chevallier

Flappers and Philosophers, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Encantadas, Herman Melville

The Eternal Husband, Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Marriage Contract, Honore de Balzac

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick

Therese Raquin, Emile Zola

Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy

The House of the Dead, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Clear Light of Day, Anita Desai

Benito Cereno, Herman Melville

The Assistant, Bernard Malamud

The Charterhouse of Parma, Stendhal

The Voyage Out, Virginia Woolf

Commission in Lunacy, Honore de Balzac

Family Happiness, Leo Tolstoy

Youth, Leo Tolstoy

Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

Taras Bulba, Nicolai Gogol

Sons, Pearl S. Buck

The Atheist’s Mass, Honore de Balzac

Boyhood, Leo Tolstoy

Colonel Chabert, Honore de Balzac

The Insulted and Humiliated, Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Grass is Singing, Doris Lessing

The Purse, Honore de Balzac

The Counterlife, Philip Roth

The Emperor’s Candlesticks, Baroness Orczy

A Rogue’s Life, Wilkie Collins

A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Mosquitoes, William Faulkner

Childhood, Leo Tolstoy

The Mysteries of Marseille, Emile Zola

The Lost Girl, DH Lawrence

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey

Prospero’s Cell, Lawrence Durrell

Fathers and Sons, Ivan Turgenev

As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner

Waiting for the Barbarians, JM Coetzee

The Grass Harp, Truman Capote

Father Goriot, Honore de Balzac

This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

The Corsican Brothers, Alexandre Dumas

[brokehorrorfan]

Scream Factory has revealed the specs for The Vincent Price Collection, which is being reissued on September 22. Joel Robinson designed the cover art for the four-disc Blu-ray box set.

It includes six classic horror films starring Vincent Price: The Fall of the House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Haunted Palace (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Witchfinder General (1968), and The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971).

The Masque of the Red Death will be presented in both its original theatrical cut and an extended version with additional footage. It will also be available separate from the set on September 22.

Price’s vintage introductions, which were on 2013’s out-of-print original version of the set, had to be removed, but new extras take their place. A 24-page booklet featuring an essay by film historian David Del Valle and rare photos is also included.

A full list of special features can be found below.

Disc One: The Pit and the Pendulum special features:

Audio commentary by film historians Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr (new)

Audio commentary by director/producer Roger Corman

Rare prologue

Theatrical trailer

Still gallery

Disc One: The Abominable Dr. Phibes special features:

Audio commentary with film historian Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr (new)

Audio commentary by director Robert Fuest, moderated by film historian Marcus Hearn

Audio commentary by author Justin Humphreys

Theatrical trailer

Still gallery

Disc Two: The Masque of the Red Death special features:

Theatrical & extended cuts of the film

Extended cut audio commentary by film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw (new)

Theatrical cut audio commentary by film historian Steve Haberman

Introduction by Stephen Jones (new)

Interview with director/producer Roger Corman

Theatrical trailer

Still gallery

Disc Three: The Haunted Palace special features:

Audio commentary by author Lucy Chase Williams

Audio commentary by film historian Tom Weaver

Introduction by film historian Kim Newman (new)

Interview with director/producer Roger Corman

Theatrical trailer

Still gallery

Disc Three: The Fall of the House of Usher special features:

Audio commentary with film historian Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr (new)

Audio commentary by director/producer Roger Corman

Vincent Price retrospective commentary by author Lucy Chase Williams featuring actor Piotr Michael

Audio interview with Vincent Price by film historian David Del Valle

Theatrical trailer

Still gallery

Disc Four: Witchfinder General special features:

Audio commentary by producer Philip Waddilove and actor Ian Ogilvy

Witchfinder General: Michael Reeves’ Horror Classic

The Conqueror Worm alternate opening and closing credits

Interview with Vincent Price by film historian David Del Valle

Interview with Victoria Price, daughter of Vincent Price

Theatrical trailer

Additional Vincent Price trailers

Still gallery

Death and debauchery reign in the castle of Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), and when it reigns, it pours! Prospero has only one excuse for his diabolical deeds – the devil made him do it! But when a mysterious, uninvited guest crashes his pad during a masquerade ball, there'll be hell to pay as the party atmosphere turns into a danse macabre!

[artfoli]

7 Successful Female Artists of the 16th Century

It is known that much of the art world was male-dominated in the past, especially so during the Renaissance in Western society. Women were forbidden to be taught any formal art training, primarily as it was considered immodest for them to study the nude form - a fundamental basis in artistic learning. Regardless of this, women throughout history found ways to gain recognition for their paintings. Here I have compiled a short list of women that worked as artists during the 1500′s. These women were often privately taught, or even self-taught, and gained recognition during their careers.

St. Catherine's Vision of Christ, by Plautilla Nelli (1524-1588)

Plautilla Nelli

Plautilla Nelli was an impressive woman and a fitting one to begin the list with. Born into a wealthy family, she became a nun in her teenage years, and was a self-taught painter. She collaborated with many well-known artists of her day, and ran a studio within her convent.

Because of Nelli’s obvious religious connections, her paintings depict devout scenes of the bible. She used her devotion to painting religious settings as a way to promote to other devout women against committing the capital sin of sloth. As seen above, she frequently represented Saint Catherine in her works - the patron of her convent.

Self Portrait, by Catharina van Hemessen (1528-c. 1565)

Catharina van Hemessen

Catharina van Hemessen was trained by her father, Jan Sanders van Hemessen (c. 1500-c. 1566), a successful Flemish artist. For many female artists during the Renaissance, they too had existing ties to the arts through their fathers or close family members.

Catharina van Hemessen is mostly identified for her portraiture, and is considered to be the first artist to have created a self-portrait with the artist seated at an easel. It is this work by her that is her most known. She was very accomplished in her career, gaining important wealthy patrons such as Mary of Hungary (1505-1558).

The Chess Game, by Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1535-1625)

Sofonisba Anguissola

Born into a large noble family, Anguissola received a very well-rounded education, to be the most important was arguably in the fine arts. She was even included into an apprenticeship, almost unheard of for women at that time. There was also a friendship that sparked between her and Michelangelo (1475-1564) while in Rome. Michelangelo was not blind to her talent and would often send her his own drawings, with her sending him critique in return.

Anguissola became so popular that she was eventually employed by royalty, earning the title of lady-in-waiting as she tutored Queen Consort Elisabeth of Valois (1545-1568) in the ways of art, and became the official court painter to the Spanish King, Philip II of Spain (1527-1598).

Travelling to many places in her lifetime, Anguissola’s style of painting often changed with her environment - such as becoming more formal whilst in the care of royalty. At the old age of 93, Sofonisba Anguissola passed away a wealthy and famous artist.

Self-Portrait, by Lucia Anguissola (c. 1536-c. 1565)

Lucia Anguissola

Lucia Anguissola was one of the younger sisters to the aforementioned Sofonisba. It was her artistic older sister that taught her in the ways of fine art, and their styles were similar. Although she was mentioned to have been considered the most talented of the two, she never had the opportunity to experience the same level of recognition as her sister, as she died young.

Unfortunately there is little information in reference to Lucia Anguissola, all we can really do is admire the talent and hard work put into her known created work.

Madonna and Child, by Barbara Longhi (1552-1638)

Barbara Longhi

Similar to that of Catharina van Hemessen, Barbara Longhi was also introduced to art through her father. She collaborated with her father, Luca Longhi (1507-1580), a Mannerist painter, as well as her older brother.

Barbara Longhi was recognized for her talent and received frequent commissions. Many of her works, however, are lost or unknown today. Due to the influence from her father, many of artworks attributed to him could in fact belong to Barbara.

Primarily known for her talent in portraiture, Longhi did also paint religious works during her lifetime. These often focused on the subjects of those involved, emphasizing their importance by nullifying the backgrounds.

Portrait of a Lady with a Lap Dog, by Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614)

Lavinia Fontana

Lavinia Fontana was a woman that flipped gender expectations in a time when deviating from the traditional was unheard of. She was born to a family with a painter, her father Prospero Fontana (1512-1597). Lavinia Fontana’s talent was recognized early on. She became sought-after for the portraits she created of nobles, yet developed her skills in other areas of painting - even to being commissioned by the Vatican due to her religious works.

She later married, and had many children, yet this did not prevent her from obtaining a fruitful career. Her husband was supportive of her work, and they created a strong partnership where Fontana took the role as breadwinner.

It is surprising that Fontana was so well accepted by the Church due to the controversy surrounding her. She often painted the nude female form, suggesting that she used live models to do so. This would have caused a scandal and blackened her reputation. This repeatedly caused problems for female artists.

Judith with the Head of Holophernes, by Fede Galizia (c. 1578-c. 1630)

Fede Galizia

Fede Galizia was born into an artistic family, her father, Nunzio Galizia, was a miniaturist. More than likely thanks to training from her father, Fede Galizia had an exceptional eye for detail and became an accomplished artist early in her life. She was already well within the business of commissions by the age of eighteen.

While she was an adept artist in portraiture and had created alter pieces, it is her still life works which hold most of the attention. The make up the majority of her surviving artworks. She has been regarded as a pioneer of this genre, which was becoming incredibly popular in Italy during this time.

[marianadecarlos]

The Birth of Charles II of Spain Fanart

Warning: This story contains some artistic license

The Queen's pregnancy was approaching its end and had become a matter of utmost importance. The future of the Monarchy depended on this event. On Sunday, November 6, everything seemed to be ready. The doctors and physicians were on alert; the Queen's confessor was near her, and the Chief Steward of her Household was carefully reviewing the arrangement of the items in the birth chamber. To guarantee the success of the event, all the holy relics that were in the Palace and others brought from El Escorial and other places had been arranged in order. There was the staff of Saint Dominic of Silos that the Order of Saint Dominic had brought, the ribbon of Saint John Ortega, from the Order of the Hieronymites; the incorrupt bodies of Saint Isidore and Saint Diego de Alcalá; the image of the Virgin of Solitude and the one so venerated by the royal family, Our Lady of Atocha. It is not easy to find a space so holy and sacred. Everything, then, was ready, the things of the earth arranged to implore God's pleasure. At noon, after a frugal lunch, Philip IV retired to his chambers. At the same time, While eating, Queen Mariana suddenly felt intense pain in her abdomen, realizing that she was about to give birth. She quickly left the table and hurried to the Tower Chamber.

King Philip went straight to his study while looking at Prospero’s portraits. He entered his study, sat down, and began to write to answer the last letter of Sor Maria de Agreda. He wrote with a deep sigh and tears in his eyes.

“ With the long illness of my son, and the continuous help I was giving in his room, I have not answered your letter of the last month...I assure you that what has most exhausted me, more than this loss, is to see clearly that I have vexed God and he sent this punishment to castigate my sins...

(The king reminisces his cherished memories with Felipe Prospero while writing this letter)

Help me as a friend with your prayers to placate God’s just anger and beg Our Lord that, as he took my son from me, He may make his light shine on the Queen, whose confinement we await hourly, and give her good health and guard what is to be born, if his will, for otherwise I do not wish it...

Back in the Tower Chamber, Queen Mariana cries in agony as she is delivering her baby. The royal midwife Ines Ayala told Queen Mariana to push harder. Five other doctors were present at this event in case of emergency. One of those doctors was Dr Bravo. While the Queen was giving birth, the courtiers and Infanta Margarita looked on. 

Ah, Sor Maria, If I had succeeded in following your teachings, perhaps I would not have found myself thus. Pray to our Lord that he may open his eyes, that I may perform his holy will in all things... There is nothing new in the English situation. I, thank God am in good health...

At this point, King Philip was interrupted by a courtier who delivered the news and told the events occurring in the Tower Chamber. King Philip was anxious about the future that lay within a few hours. He prayed heavily to God, asking him to deliver him a son. All could imagine the impatience of the Royal Court of Madrid and Europe, waiting for an outcome of this event. As hours passed, Queen Mariana was still in labor, and the doctors argued over natural forms of treatment. They were anxious as the Queen and the child’s life was at stake. 

Dr. Bravo proposed a theory: In the past, Queen Mariana had difficult experiences giving birth to her children. At the birth of Maria Ambrosia, Felipe Prospero, and Fernando Tomas, The Queen had terrible epileptic seizures, and the infants died or lived for a short time. On the other hand, at the birth of Infanta Margarita, the only child to survive, The Queen had been perfectly well. Now why was this? The reason is simple: Just before Infanta Margarita was born, Queen Mariana had suffered several violent nosebleeds. Therefore, what she requires now is to be bled. 

Some doctors disagreed, warning that the proposed action could endanger the Queen and her child. Concerned, Queen Mariana asked the doctors if there were any alternative procedures. The doctors offered different opinions, while Dr. Bravo defended his proposal. As the debate continued, Mariana went into labor with the assistance of Ines Ayala. The infant cries and is alive. The birth of the infant brought joy to all. King Philip became a father once again. When the courtier informed King Philip of the birth, he was overjoyed and immediately visited the tower chamber to see his newborn son. King Philip joyfully held his son and proudly showed him to the Queen and his daughter. When the courtier informed King Philip of the birth, he was delighted and immediately visited the tower chamber to see his newborn son. King Philip joyfully held his newborn son and showed him to the Queen and his daughter. 

Sources:

Carlos, A king who would not die by John Langdon Davis

Happy Birthday, Charles II of Spain!

[its-yesterdays-story]

Again, in August, 1656, a girl child was born to Mariana only to die the same day, and then depression utter and profound fell upon Philip and his wife for no ray of light came from any direction. There was no money for the most ordinary needs. The Indian treasures were regularly captured by the English, who closely invested Cadiz itself, whilst the French on the Flanders frontier and in Catalonia worked their way almost without impeachment, and the Portuguese defied their old sovereign. Philip was ready to make peace almost at any sacrifice, at least with the French, but the demands of Mazarin were as yet to humiliating for a power which had claimed for so long the predominance of Europe. At length, in the midst of the distress, hope dawned once more and again the wiseacres predicted that this time the Queen would give birth to a son. Mariana's every fancy was gratified. Water parties on the lake at the Retiro, endless farces, as usual, capricious bull feasts, and diversions of all sorts, kept up her spirits; and Don Juan sent another sumptuous bed and furniture more splendid than the previous gift. Whilst this waste was going on in one direction, taxes were being piled up in a way that made them unproductive, and such was the penury in the King's palace that Philip himself, on the vigil of the Presentation of the Virgin (20 November 1657) had nothing to eat but eggs without fish, as his stewards had not a real of ready money to pay for anything. Exactly a week after the King was reduced to such straits the child of his prayers arrived. An heir was born at last to the weary man of fifty-two whose crown was crushing him.

[yungcrybby-anonymousbosch666]

prince-luffy replied to your post “we all like to laugh at Charles II of Spain and inbreeding in european...”

It likely had some to do with inbreeding, but being inbred isn't the only way that someone gets primarily recessive genes. I would be interested in how his mother was when he was in utero. They weren't exactly prenatal geniuses back then.

I did a deep dive on Charles II and found 4 academic papers on the subject. A letter from the court in Vienna indicates that Charles II was born intersex. The consensus on why he was the way he was seems to be focused on his Y chromosome which was abnormal rather than a straight up recessive genes.This condition is what was causing the worst parts of his condition; even his slight mental disability. From a Spanish Urology Journal 

When Charles II was born, Philip IV was already 56 years old, extremely aged for the period, prince Philip Prospero had died, and both were concerned about the Spanish succession. For this reason they established their connections in the old palace in Madrid and the Austrian court released the news that “they say clearly, among other things, that they do not think Spain has a prince, because the child is not male, but female”. This leads us to believe that the new-born child had ambiguous genitals and therefore an intersexual state.

His health problems and his mental disability all seem to point to fragile X syndrome.

The fragile X syndrome or Martin and Bell syndrome was described in 1943 (7) and is the most common cause of hereditary mental retardation. Its effects are more severe in males (women can compensate for it with the other X chromosome pair) (8).

[...]

the bewitchment those close to him claimed he suffered, accepted by him and which prevented him from producing an heir, was due to an intersexual state, most probably true or male XX hermaphroditism

The journal entry also seems to imply Charles II also had gynecomastia.

Charles II would not have been able to produce sperm, he only had on testicle and it never seems to have developed; he also may have had ovarian tissue in his stomach. His urethra was also not located on the head of his penis but either part way down his penis or near his testicles (a condition called posterior hypospadias).

Hypospadia (the urethra being in the wrong place) is sometimes seen when the person has agenesis of the testicle(s).  The back position probably explains his urethral infections but another culprit is probably the fact that he had one kidney and since there was something wrong with his urethra it’s fair to assume there was something wrong with his ureter leading to the kidney.

Kidney failure is what likely killed him, his erratic behavior can also be explained by fluid in his brain as well as the incredible stress and torture he and his wives were under. I’m sure they killed both of his wives and ultimately him with all the remedies intended to cause pregnancy. The remedies intended to cure him did more harm than good to someone already in very poor health. He was tortured and I’m surprised he made it to 39.

One possible condition for him to have had a pituitary disorder includes a physical painful reaction to stress that matches up with some of his ailments.

There are other things like his progeria that just have no explanation.

http://scielo.isciii.es/pdf/urol/v62n3/en_02.pdf

But he did have an INSANE inbreeding factor, more than you would see if someone’s parents were a father and his daughter! and that is because of distant ancestors that were also related. So that one writer was correct he. Charles II was doomed by marriages 200 years prior to his birth.

From :https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0005174  

Although we recognize that it is highly speculative, some of the health problems suffered by Charles II could have been caused by the action of detrimental recessive genes given his high inbreeding coefficient (F = 0.254) with 25.4% of his autosomal genome expected to be homozygous. In this sense, the simultaneous occurrence in Charles II of two genetic disorders determined by recessive alleles, combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD, OMIM 26260) and distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA, OMIM 602722), could explain an important part of his complex clinical profile. The most frequent genetic cause of hereditary CPHD is mutations in PROP1 (5q) that cause a multiple endocrine deficit of pituitary hormones [22]–[24].

[suits-of-woe]

Hi! 3,4,12, and 15 for the Shakespeare ask? Thank you so much!

Thank you!! And thanks so much for all the fun King Lear discourse as always, it’s so great to have someone to bounce ideas off.

3. A production you’d fantasize about directing

Oh my god, so many. I don’t think there’s a Shakespeare play I’d turn down the chance to direct, but here’s a couple more specific concepts I’ve got floating around in my head.

- For like as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to do a Hamlet that really focuses on Horatio as the narrator and observer, and this would be crazy hard for an actor, but I’d love to do something where the play starts at the end and then goes back to the beginning with the Horatio actor onstage watching the entire time. I’d really want to play with what extent Hamlet is aware of the audience and the trajectory of his story and just dive straight into that aspect of the play and one of my favorite characters.

- The Rose Tetralogy set during the American civil war. I actually have no idea how well this would work, or if it would work at all, but as an American I think the histories are the plays that have the hardest time transitioning to mainstream audiences over here and I’d love to see if I could re-contextualize those plays and all the carnage and horror of a nation at war with itself in a setting that seems more immediate. For some reason I also just have a strong vision of Henry watching the fathers and sons at Towton with the Battle Hymn of the Republic playing in the background and it upsets me.

- I’m currently learning ASL and I’ve seen a few brilliant productions with Deaf actors, but my #1 fave idea for Deaf Shakespeare is doing The Tempest with a Deaf Prospero and Ariel as his (somewhat supernatural) interpreter. I just love the idea of Prospero’s magic being such a tangible part of the way he perceives the world and communicates with everyone around him, as well as some of Shakespeare’s greatest and most meta-theatrically gorgeous monologues being presented in sign language.

4. A character you’d fantasize about playing

Again, god, a million, especially since I can’t act for shit and I doubt I’d actually get to play any of these people. But off the top of my head: Rosalind, Lady Percy, Hamlet (who hasn’t fantasized about that tbh), Goneril or Regan, Isabella, Philip the Bastard…the list goes on, man.

12. A dreamcast for stage or screen

Okay this is actually a terrible question for me because I’m honestly so bad at keeping up with actors, let alone Shakespearean actors, so there’s barely anyone I follow enough to have a good dreamcast for them SORRY. That said though, I have no idea if he’s ever done Shakespeare, but after watching Black Panther and talking to my friend about certain sympathetic villain types I have concluded that I have a deep need to see Michael B Jordan as Edmund. For………reasons.

15. A minor character whose story you want to know more about

There’s a bunch, but for some reason the one who’s coming to mind right now is Bianca from Othello. I think it’s easy to paint Cassio as a completely innocent victim alongside Desdamona, but I’m so intrigued by his relationship with her, to what extent he really is wronging her and how much she genuinely cares about him. It’s also very interesting that even Emilia, definitely the most feminist character in the play, still calls her a strumpet – she’s looked down on by pretty much everyone, and plays a big role in Othello’s downfall, although it’s unclear if she even ever finds out. I’d really love to hear more about her backstory with Cassio and what became of her after everything went down.

[goodqueenaly]

Hello, I am a S.T.E.M student so I am not that knowledgeable of history, but when creating marriage pacts can the bride's family write in the contract that the bride's descendants have no claim to the bride's family holdings? That seems to be what happened with Daeron II's marriage. Would that happen in other situations too? Thanks.

Oh yes. One interesting example of this was the marriage of Maria Theresa, Infanta of Spain, and King Louis XIV of France.

Maria Theresa was the daughter of King Philip IV. Unfortunately for Spanish dynastic hopes, of the eight children born to King Philip and his first wife, Elisabeth of France, two survived infancy: Balthasar Charles and Maria Theresa. Worse for the Spanish Hapsburgs, Balthasar Charles died when he was 16, leaving Maria Theresa the sole male-line heiress. This vast Spanish inheritance made the Infanta a very valuable marriage prize (even after a half-brother, Philip Prospero, was born to Philip IV and his second wife - and 30-years-younger niece - Marianna of Austria).

The French crown was eager to secure Maria Theresa as a bride for Louis XIV (who was her double first cousin: his father, Louis XIII, was the brother of her mother, Elisabeth, while her father, Philip IV, was the brother of Louis’ mother, Anne of Austria). Not only was her dynastic position very enviable, but her marriage would help bring to an end the Franco-Spanish war which had been draining the resources of both countries for over two decades; in the words of Cardinal Mazarin, who negotiated the peace for France, to the Dowager Queen Anne, “I bring Your Majesty peace and the Infanta”. Still, with the huge territorial inheritances at stake (and the uncertainty of the Spanish male succession - little Philip Prospero was not quite two, and Philip IV had not had outstanding luck with the survival of his heirs), it was perhaps unsurprising that the Spanish diplomats would want to avoid the possibility of Spain becoming a mere territory of France.

Accordingly, under the terms of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, Philip IV was to pay a dowry of 500,000 gold crowns, and that as a condition of this payment, Maria Theresa was to renounce all claims to the private fortune she might have otherwise inherited as a Spanish princess. Articles 5 and 6 of of the treaty (distinct from Article 4, which discussed the inheritance of private fortune) also obliged Maria Theresa to renounce all claims to the dominions ruled by Spain, for both herself and any descendants; the only way in which she might retain her public, royal inheritance was to return to Spain as a childless widow. The infanta duly renounced her rights, public and private (though only in Spain, not also in France), the marriage was duly celebrated - but the dowry was never paid. 

Louis XIV was ambitious, and not one to ignore opportunity - even opportunity based on a rather thin premise - for increasing the power and glory of France on the continental European stage. At the death of Philip IV in 1665, Louis XIV claimed the Spanish Netherlands in the name of his bride. His legal justification was at best tenuous. Louis invoked the medieval Law of Brabant, which indicated the children of a first marriage (that is, Maria Theresa) should precede the children of a second marriage (Philip Prospero had died in 1661, but Philip IV had fathered two other children, Margarita Theresa and his successor, Charles II). He also argued that since the dowry had never been paid, Maria Theresa’s renunciation was invalid; accordingly, Philip IV’s rights to the Spanish Netherlands had devolved upon his eldest surviving child at his death. Unfortunately for France, he subsequent War of Devolution did not end as Louis XIV had hoped - France kept some territory it had gained in Flanders, but little else.

Still, the War of Devolution would not be the last time France would seek Spanish inheritance through Maria Theresa. Philip IV’s only surviving legitimate son, Charles, was severely inbred, and had not managed to father any children by either of his two wives. Immediately before his death, Charles had acknowledged Philip, duc d’Anjou - the second son of Louis XIV’s son by Maria Theresa, Louis le Grand Dauphin - as heir to the Spanish empire. His chief rival was Archduke Charles of Austria, the second son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I; his Spanish claim was more distant that Philip’s - his paternal grandmother was Maria Anna of Austria, the daughter of King Philip III and sister of King Philip IV - but the Austrian faction argued that Maria Theresa’s renunciation nullified Philip’s claim to the Spanish throne. After over a decade of fighting, the Spanish throne was settled on Philip, with other Spanish territories in Europe going to Austria; Philip’s descendants rule Spain today, though in an amusing twist Philip himself was forced to renounce any claim to the French throne (which then became its own issue when the senior legitimate male line from Louis XIV died out in the nineteenth century).

[marianadecarlos]

The Birth of Charles II of Spain

Supposed portrait of Charles II as a newborn. Stirling Maxwell Collection (Pollock House, Glasgow), attributed to Martínez del Mazo.

Carlos José, Charles II of Spain, was born on Sunday, November 6, 1661. The news spread quickly throughout the Royal Palace in Madrid, releasing enormous tension barely contained until then. Joy filled all the rooms, as Queen Mariana's pregnancy had come to a happy conclusion. Given the challenges of the previous days and months, this was a significant relief. Just five days earlier, on November 1, 1661, the Feast of All Saints, the crown prince of the monarchy, the beloved and cherished Philip Próspero, had tragically died. His death was a profound loss for Philip IV and his wife, who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy at the time. With the passing of the young prince, the Catholic Monarchy once again faced a lack of direct male heirs, instilling a sense of pessimism and fatalism throughout the Palace and across the cities and kingdoms of the realm. The death of Don Felipe Próspero, who was only four years old, struck the heart of the aged King like a dagger, leading him to believe, with certainty, that God had abandoned him.

Queen Mariana was deeply distressed. She understood her royal husband's feelings well. From her earliest childhood, she had been educated about the reasons for the state and was aware of what dynastic inheritance meant, so she empathized with her husband's dual pain—both providential and political. Additionally, as a mother who had already lost several children, she felt overwhelmed by the painful fate that the Almighty had in store for her, a fate that undoubtedly shaped her harsh and rigid character. The death of Philip Prospero, who was taken from life too soon, was just the latest tragedy in a long series of losses. Indeed, Mariana had endured a profoundly tragic maternal experience.

For all the above reasons, in the days following the death of Philip Prospero, the Queen's pregnancy, which was nearing its end, became a matter of first importance. The future of the Monarchy depended on this event. On Sunday, November 6, everything seemed to be ready. The doctors and physicians were on alert; the Queen's confessor was near her, and the Chief Steward of her Household was carefully reviewing the arrangement of the items in the birth chamber. To guarantee the success of the event, all the holy relics that were in the Palace and others brought from El Escorial and other places had been arranged in order.

There was the staff of Saint Dominic of Silos that the Order of Saint Dominic had brought, the ribbon of Saint John Ortega, from the Order of the Hieronymites; the incorrupt bodies of Saint Isidore and Saint Diego de Alcalá; the image of the Virgin of Solitude and the one so venerated by the royal family, Our Lady of Atocha. It is difficult to find a space so holy and sacred. Everything, then, was ready, the things of the earth arranged in order to implore God's pleasure.

At noon, after a frugal lunch, Philip IV retired to his chambers. At the same time, the Queen felt discomfort and went to her room. The midwife, Doña Inés de Ayala, and the chief physician of the Royal Chamber, Don Andrés Ordóñez, both witnesses of the birth of Doña Mariana in Vienna in 1634, were now assisting her in her sixth birth, the most anticipated of all. Mariana of Austria was then 27 years old. The chronicles say that there was no setback. It was one o'clock in the afternoon on that Sunday, the day of San Leonardo, when, according to the Gazette, “ 

a very handsome prince with large features, a large head, black hair, and somewhat swollen flesh saw the light of this world .” It was, of course, a very favorable comment, but soon rumors to the contrary spread through the gossip columns of the Villa and Court. That birth was received with joy. At three in the afternoon, when the news had already spread to all corners of the Monarchy and Europe, a sober and elegantly dressed Philip IV in black velvet, left his chamber and, “ 

accompanied by the Nuncio, the Grand Masters and the Ambassadors ”, headed towards the Palace Chapel in full courtly etiquette. There, the royal procession, presided over by the monarch, sang a solemn Te Deum, thus beginning the festivities that, in honor of the future Charles II, occupied the entire month of November 1661.

[phgq]

POC election taking shape

#PHnews: POC election taking shape

MANILA – The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) election picture has now become clearer as the two groups looking to sweep all the electoral seats are now unveiling themselves.

Incumbent president Bambol Tolentino of Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines was the first to announce his partial slate during Tuesday's Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum, naming Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio as his first vice president and Philippine Fencing Association and Philippine Modern Pentathlon Association president Richard Gomez as his second vice president.

The concurrent congressman of the 7th District of Cavite then completed his ticket on Saturday, naming Triathlon Association of the Philippines president Tom Carrasco as his candidate for chairman, Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carreon-Norton as his treasurer, and Philippine Basketball Association legend Chito Loyzaga, representing the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association, as the auditor.

The board members in Tolentino's ticket are Muaythai Association of the Philippines secretary general Pearl Managuelod, Philippine Judo Federation president Dave Carter, renowned sports doctor George Canlas, the head of the United Philippine Surfing Association, and fellow congressman Prospero Pichay of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, World Archery Philippines president Clint Aranas, Tolentino's opponent for POC top post, recently unveiled his own partial ticket for the election as well.

Aranas will have Philippine Handball Federation president Steve Hontiveros as his chairman, Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Juico as first vice president, and Philippine Rugby Football Union secretary general Ada Milby as second vice president.

Aranas will reveal the rest of his slate at a later date.

Both Tolentino and Hontiveros are seeking fresh four-year terms as president and chairman, respectively.

On the other hand, Milby initially expressed her desire to challenge Gomez for second vice president as an independent candidate, but on why Aranas adopted her to his ticket, he explained, "Pareho kami ng punto (We have the same points): accountability and transparency."

Aranas also revealed that he is also adopting Managuelod as one of his board members despite being officially part of Tolentino's team, making her among the favorites to secure a seat in the POC board.

Ahead of the Nov. 27 election, aspirants can now begin filing their certificates of candidacy on Oct. 1. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "POC election taking shape." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116727 (accessed September 27, 2020 at 07:22PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "POC election taking shape." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116727 (archived).