Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain

Anna of Austria
Anna of Austria by Sofonisba Anguissola
Queen consort of Spain
Tenure	4 May 1570 – 26 October 1580
Born	2 November 1549 Cigales, Spain
Died	26 October 1580 (aged 30) Badajoz, Spain
Burial	El Escorial
Spouse	Philip II of Spain
Issue Detail	Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias Diego, Prince of Asturias Philip III of Spain
House	Habsburg
Father	Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother	Maria of Austria
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Anna of Austria (2 November 1549 – 26 October 1580) was Queen of Spain by virtue of her marriage to her uncle, King Philip II of Spain.

She was the eldest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, and Maria of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was emperor when she was born, and Isabella of Portugal. Her paternal grandparents were Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. (Charles V and Ferdinand I were brothers.) Anna was born in Spain, but lived in Vienna from the age of four. She had many siblings, two of whom became emperors (Rudolf II and Matthias). Among her sisters was Queen Elisabeth of France, wife of King Charles IX of France.

Anna was considered her father's favorite child. The story goes that he enjoyed playing and gambling with her and once a meeting of the Estates of Hungary was postponed because Anna was sick. She received a Catholic education even though her father was sympathetic to Lutheranism.

As the eldest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Anna was a desirable candidate for marriage at the European courts. Her parents thought of a Spanish marriage to strengthen links between the Austrian and Spanish Habsburg families. Initially she had her cousin Don Carlos of Spain in mind, the only son of her maternal uncle Philip II of Spain. These plans were shattered in 1568 when Don Carlos died. Plans for a Spanish marriage were revived when Philip's third wife, Elisabeth, died in childbirth, also in 1568. As a result, Philip was left a widower with two young daughters. Philip had been married three times before: first to his double first cousin Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal, secondly to his first cousin, once removed Mary I of England, and thirdly to the aforementioned Elisabeth of Valois. Philip was now looking for his fourth wife, since he had no male heir since Don Carlos died. In February 1569, Anna's engagement to her uncle Philip II was announced and in May 1570 they married by proxy.