Firstly, he goes to marry his cousin Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, with whom he was already betrothed (in OTL she married her death fiance's father Philip IV), probably in 1648. Due to the consanguinity, they probably had the same problems that his father and Maria Anna had in OTL: several miscarriages, stillbirths and children who died very early; however, being both young and healthy they probably had more chances to produce at least one heir.
Hmm interesting, the policy of marrying within the family, it kind shows to me why most royals became bat shit insane. Idiots
Even before the Reformation available marriage partners of a sufficient Royal or High Noble/Princely rank were limited. Then as a time went on, dynasties went extinct and were inherited, which limited the the pool of available candidates. The effect of the Reformation was that this pool became dangerously small.
Nor was it only marrying within the family, they often married with the (same) related families too, for instance Bourbon and Habsburg.
Royals took it to an extreme level, but nobles, patricians occasionally did the same for the sake of keeping it in the family.
To be fair, they did generally have to get a dispensation from the Pope (Protestants didn't have that loophole, but Protestant monarchs tended to be less particular in their marriage partners; consider the number of British consorts from various minor German principalities).Indeed which could have led to a lot of their instability as well. It certainly did in the Habsburgs. Besides, wasn't such a thing considered a sin in their bible? Oh wait, they're supposedly only answerable to God, lol, logic fail
To be fair, they did generally have to get a dispensation from the Pope (Protestants didn't have that loophole, but Protestant monarchs tended to be less particular in their marriage partners; consider the number of British consorts from various minor German principalities).
To be fair, they did generally have to get a dispensation from the Pope (Protestants didn't have that loophole, but Protestant monarchs tended to be less particular in their marriage partners; consider the number of British consorts from various minor German principalities).
Likely if Balthasar and Mariana heir will be female an Habsburg husband will be quickly found for her (likely a spanish half-uncle for a daughter, an austrian or spanish cousin for a granddaughter) ...One benefit of having Balthasar Charles (would he be King Balthasar I or Charles II?) and Maria Anna having just ONE single child, girl or boy, who survives to adulthood and produces any heir, girl or boy, (which is very possible since even Maria Anna and her uncle Margaret Theresa, wife of her uncle Leopold, who also managed to produce a single daughter who survived to adulthood) is that it would butterfly the entire War of Spanish Succession (and the outcomes of that) as we know it, since there would be no Philip of Anjou vs Charles of Austria for the Spanish throne.
Likely if Balthasar and Mariana heir will be female an Habsburg husband will be quickly found for her (likely a spanish half-uncle for a daughter, an austrian or spanish cousin for a granddaughter) ...
Interesting, so would he reign as Balthasar I, then?
Okay why not Balthasar?
Given the regnal names used by the Spanish Habsburg (which mostly is derived from their Burgundian heritage), Philip and Charles seem much more likely than Balthasar.
Kings of France or England usually had a limited number of regnal names too.
Given the regnal names used by the Spanish Habsburg (which mostly is derived from their Burgundian heritage), Philip and Charles seem much more likely than Balthasar.
Kings of France or England usually had a limited number of regnal names too.
Why was he given the name Balthasar Carlos then instead of the other way around? It's not like the Spanish kings had any problems with naming several sons with the same first name (with the subsequent names different).