DON CARLOS OF SPAIN, Prince of Asturias | Why inbreeding is bad. Mary I’s stepson. Spanish Habsburgs

WHAT HAPPENS when the heir to the Spanish throne is badly inbred and crazy and even physically deformed? That was the situation faced by Philip II of Spain with regards to his eldest son, Don Carlos of Spain, Prince of Asturias. Carlos was the child of Philip’s first wife, Maria Manuela of Portugal and he was a product of Spanish Habsburg family’s royal inbreeding policy, for his parents were double first cousins, making their marriage the equivalent of a marriage between half siblings. He was born in 1545 but as he grew up, he displayed signs of mental instability, cruelty and physical deformities, including unequal leg lengths. He was also emotionally neglected. His teenaged mother died days after his birth and his father was often absent, not least when he was married to Mary I of England and was away, staying in that country. A serious fall and head injury in 1562 led to a coma and almost killed him. When he recovered his behaviour was even worse to the point that he threatened his own father. In the end Philip had to take the dramatic step of having his son locked up in solitary confinement, essentially depriving himself of a male heir to his throne. Carlos starved himself and died just six months later at the age of 23. In this week’s royal history documentary from History Calling I take you through the life of Mary I’s crazy stepson, giving details of Carlos’s erratic behaviour and discussing the effects of inbreeding on the Habsburg royal family and basically, why inbreeding is bad!
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#DonCarlos #RoyalInbreeding #Habsburgs #HistoryCalling

[@HistoryCalling]

Do you think repeated inbreeding was to blame for Don Carlos’s health problems, or do you find an explanation for his problems elsewhere? Let me know below and remember you can also find me at: BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): www.historycallingofficial.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/historycalling Amazon storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling/

[@theconqueringram5295]

No, it was definitely in the inbreeding.

[@BigMamaDaveX]

Incest: an alternative theory of relativity... 😏

[@rjstar5805]

It's stuff like this that makes me think of the hasburg line. i forget which king it was, but im pretty sure his parents were siblings or first cousins. In terms of science and genetics, the entire point of a living organism is to increase and repopulate. If you have two individuals with the same dna it weakens the genetic potential. In this case the birth defects. I also believe that because his immune system was weaker due to his family being close cousins his concussion was worse and had flu like symptoms

[@Ohforgodssakethatsme]

@@theconqueringram5295 "The royal bloodline isn't what it used to be. Too much intermarrying I suppose. I always say: 'When you reduce a family tree to a family bush, you just can't hide as much beneath it.'" -- Minister to Londo in Babylon 5:"Epiphanies"

[@elasticharmony]

I find it in the charges something about not able to rule, meaning protect himself from the murderousness of power struggles in that kind of kingdom. He was naive and arrogant never expecting his own father to do that, but; alas killing was a tradition from Roman times at that level. More or less the cost of business in empire. The incest did I also believe cause him to have a short leg and fall, but this only weakened him enough so his murderous father could get him in jail with no struggle. Inbreeding only has moral effects if brother to sister or worse, cousins the problems are only physical. He was not mentally impaired from birth but arrogant and naive, never realizing his situation where your family is your own enemy. All the hard calls for killing people etc is a kind of imperiousness in all empires but the Christian overtones in Europe than made everyone manipulative and black hearted in a very grave power struggle. Thus how he was a poor sick one etc etc , just public cover up so their good Christian name was safe. This is how empires are.

[@valery5360]

He sounds like the inspiration for Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones, especially his arrogance and raging. Fantastic video as always, very interesting and sad case

[@HistoryCalling]

Absolutely. Now I wonder who'd win if you put those two in a room together and let them battle it out?

[@Rat_Queen86]

I thought that too!

[@SnowMonkeyCantSing]

And Robin... I think that's the name of the frightening boy from the Aerie. (Game of Thrones was packed with great actors and actresses, including the young 'uns!)

[@SpinMeaStory]

Well ironically, Game of Thrones filmed some scenes not just in Spain but in the Alcazar in Seville, which his grandfather turned from an Arab palace and expanded it.

[@connorbosley4431]

Another major inspiration was Edward of Westminster son of henry vi of England. When you combine Edward and Carlos it's pretty much joffrey to a tee

[@lauraritag5188]

Severe brain injuries even without skull fractures can cause fever and definitely a coma. The brain struggles to regulate itself due to the swelling and changes in osmotic pressure can cause a multitude of problems (including massivly increasing urine output). Sometimes with brain injuries secondary brain infections can set in although if that had happened he would have probably died. Otherwise he could have had a superficial wound somewhere from the fall that caused a milder infection leading to a fever. Interestingly treponation was an extremely effective technique to relieve pressure on the brain in the event of a bleed in the space between the brain and the skull. We do it today but call it a craineotomy. The huge risk is infection which we can now mitigate. This is also true if you have a large bruise on the surface of the brain. The brain has no where to go otherwise and it collapses on the internal spaces (ventricles) which can be fatal with no intervention or herniates (bulges out) into the base of the brain and spinal cord which is fatal.

[@maggieb4736]

Thank you for your explanation/information.

[@TheBreechie]

Man - you are the ChatGPT champ, aren’t ya? Aren’t ya, champ!

[@HistoryCalling]

Thanks Laura :-) That was very interesting.

[@annmoore6678]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@Ann963]

@@TheBreechie except they were accurate, and it sounded like a human talking?

[@Near_the_Bear]

My respect for Philip in how he handled his son is pretty high; it sounds like he handled it as kindly and responsibly as he could have given the times. He sounds like a father caught between his love and care for his son and not wanting to allow his son to continue harming people.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, he was surprisingly good about it all things considered, which I didn't expect from him either having only ever really looked at his time as husband to Mary I (and he certainly doesn't come off as loving with regards to her).

[@AmynAL]

I think it was the close in-breeding plus his aunt’s mental illness didn’t help. I’m not sure Philip was altruistic about Don Carlos, I think he may have feared for his life (he did wear armor) and he realized he could not inherit with his many disabilities. I did wonder if the court feared for their lives as well? I know this was a hard story to tell, but you did a great job, as always. 🙂

[@ambermchugh9381]

Absolutely. Shocking at the time. With no male heir, unheard of.

[@andreww4541]

And he had just used it successfully on Juana The Mad so even though it was the only solution he tried, it worked. Philip is certain his son's conduct truly needs to be locked away. Juana never knew she was queen because no one was allowed to tell her, and they felt that because her family knew that she was far too crazy to rule and it would just be hurtful for her to know that she was a queen who couldn't rule. Don Carlos was going to be King or so he thought. Philip saw him for the true danger Don Carlos presented him with, and he recognized the true depravity of his son's mind and that it should not see the light of day.

[@ambermchugh9381]

@andreww4541 locking away a woman probably happened quite a bit but locking away the heir and admitting he's an unfit psyco

[@patriciahorne1522]

What a very sad story. I expect that inbreeding had a good deal to do with his behaviour, but agree that there may be multiple reasons for it. The cruelty to animals can be an early indicator of psychopathy. King Philip was quite brave to confine him & it must have been an extremely difficult decision. Excellent video.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. Yes, I was surprised Philip went to those lengths. It shows how bad Carlos must have been I think.

[@victoriar4637]

I can't remember which one, but one of the Hapsburgs had a brain deformity as a result of the formation of the skull as a result of the jaw thing, so I was thinking maybe Don Carlos here had something similar.

[@andreww4541]

King Philip knew what to do because he had also inherited he same mutated PPOX gene. that his son did. King Philip was well aware of the madness it could entail. To his credit Philip knew how to deal with the family taint. He did not succumb to the madness that ran in his family, but Philip was adept at recognizing and dealing with it when it reared its ugly head. With Don Carlos he could see that there was no way anyone who saw him ever consider him sane. Philip was brave because he knew the folly of Variegate Porphyria and felt he had mastered it well enough to know that the best place for Juana The Mad and Don Carlos was someplace they couldn't be seen. Out of sight out of mind.

[@fairlind]

@@victoriar4637. Having looked at pictures before, it seems a lot of the Hapsburgs had it.

[@fairlind]

Maybe. But having shoved him aside due to his disabilities, Phillip most likely created the mental conditions. And since he wasn’t close to his son at all, it could be that all he suffered from it was a bruised ego.

[@SurferJoe1]

What a horror story- wow. I'll bet the servant girl down whose stairs he had been attempting to creep spent the rest of her life giving talks about the power of prayer.

[@HistoryCalling]

Haha! I'm sure she was glad to be rid of him, yes.

[@keepitforreally4501]

🤣

[@ambermchugh9381]

Seriously. Can you imagine working for him? Tantrums and orders to burn homes and murder people

[@lisathomas4581]

Best comment ever!

[@hilarygarrison6139]

That was a good one 😂

[@Sierrahtl]

This channel is like a box of chocolates. Never sure what you’ll get but all are good! Cheers on a Monday!

[@HistoryCalling]

Aww, thank you. That's a very nice way of putting it and it's also a deliberate strategy. While I know I do a lot of Tudor videos, I like there to be a good mix overall. It stops me getting bored if nothing else! :-)

[@Sierrahtl]

@@HistoryCallingit’s working for me. I’ve been subscribed for several weeks now and catching up on all your excellent past efforts.

[@NadiraJamal]

Spoken like someone who likes chocolate cherries… 😊 ETA: I also like the video variety!

[@bethbartlett5692]

🏆!

[@kaybrown4010]

Don Carlos was the unfortunate combination of the worst of nature and the worst of nurture. Poor boy never stood a chance.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, I think that's a good way of summing it up.

[@Rat_Queen86]

You know what? Good on Philip. He saw that his son was not suitable or well and he took the right steps which, as you said, must have been incredibly hard for him to admit at that point in time. It’s sad that Don Carlos had to be essentially put on 2 to 1 in seclusion for the rest of his life but when you mentioned his cruelty to animals and people, I got that this was likely the best move. Great video as always 😊

[@warpedweft9004]

but then he goes and marries Mary I of England, who's mother was his two grandmothers' full sister.

[@Rat_Queen86]

@@warpedweft9004hey, I didn’t say he did everything right! 😂 but yes, you would think they would have figured out that this level of inbreeding was a bad idea

[@LisafromNOLA]

My goodness, such inbreeding MUST have played a major role in his problems/behavior. It’s absolutely terrifying. Thank you for another great vid! ♥️♥️♥️

[@HistoryCalling]

You're welcome :-)

[@spiritcreek9813]

Happened all over the world with the ruling dynasties. You married from a small pool of available royal class individuals. Queen Victoria was the grandmother of European ruling dynasties before the smash up of WWl.

[@ridge7524]

​@@spiritcreek9813True

[@European-Okie1986]

There is allot of inbreeding going on in the middle east too.

[@d.eliza.art22]

Oh my goodness. There are so many tragedies across royal histories and while this one may not have been as world-altering as others, it's still incredibly sad (and also a bit disturbing). At the end of the day Philip II was just a father and Don Carlos was just a son - a very unwell one - and options for the kind of care he needed are still difficult to navigate. Thank you for all the work you've put into sharing this story.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, it must have been horrible for Philip to have to do this and I feel sorry for Carlos that there was no modern medicine available that might have been able to help him. It was a tragic mess all round really.

[@ericcarlson3746]

plenty of tragedies in all our lineages but nobody was around to write them down

[@catherinenewman6516]

Mmanybpeycopathsbegin their criminal career by being cruel to small snimals

[@andreww4541]

I admire Philip for his ability to understand how and to deal with either gifted or crazy family members. They shared the same genetic mutation. Philip's strength was not entirely from the perspective of it takes one to know one. He saw what it did to his family. It could shine like a beacon of hope for many but with his son he realized that he couldn't light all of his darkness so he had to let him fade to black. It's not an easy thing to do, but it reminds us that your family members deserve your respect,. Sometimes that simply means not showing them when they are at their worst. Hats off. Really.

[@Katzenjammerz67]

The Hapsburg tree is more like a wreath, I think. How they got the Pope to sanction such extreme degrees of consanguinity probably couldn’t bear much scrutiny. Those poor nieces having to marry their uncles!

[@arsangelica6858]

Being on the Pope’s side during the reformation helped. Having the pope prisoner at one point also helped.

[@jasperhorace7147]

@@arsangelica6858 I’ve always believed that if Pope Clement VII hadn’t been so beholden to the Hapsburgs, he might have granted Henry VIII THE divorce from Catherine of Aragon that Henry asked for, in the hope of begetting a son and heir. It’s a kind of poetic justice in a way that denying the divorce lost England to the Catholic Church.

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. The Popes really dropped the ball there. Such marriages should never have been allowed, especially over and over again.

[@VeracityLH]

While my family doesn't have uncles marrying nieces, there are a lot of repeated names and 3rd cousins marrying. So much so that my husband called it my family weave. You go back far enough and nearly all families have this to some degree. But the Habsburgs raised inbreeding to an art form!

[@Riftrender]

Well Philip II threatened the pope over his fourth marriage because the pope was alarmed by it.

[@Lionstar16]

Given Don Carlos' cruelty towards animals and general unpleasant behaviour, I would say he was a psychopath which was exaggerated by the heavy inbreeding of his family

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, it certainly seems that way. I couldn't even say some of the things he did because it would have been too disturbing for the KZbin guidelines, but he was a VERY nasty piece of work.

[@Zardox2]

Factoring in early (and continuing) parental neglect, and having the power/ability to indulge himself without consequences... This results in additional behavioral and health issues that compound the already severe problems from inbreeding and brain trauma. Egads!

[@sisternobody6658]

Definitely a psychopath.

[@neenaj365]

Lack of or a small amygdala can cause this. But there are better ways now than to just dismiss and let them do as they will. I’m medical science we now know that those with inability to feel compassion can’t be cured but they can be distracted and diverted. A poor upbringing of overt indulgence, neglect, abuse or even simply not having clear and constant communication can lead to the child being deeply disturbed.

[@neenaj365]

@@HistoryCallinghe was disabled and should have had a very different lifestyle which involved constant supervision and no access to anything that could damage others.

[@blossomceriwen]

I'm a doctor, so my theory about his symptoms could have been cerebral edema (swelling of the brain) from the blow or perhaps a subdural hematoma (bleeding from one of the layers or spaces that covers the brain). In any case, he was very lucky, because these types of injuries don't usually heal on their own.

[@embreis2257]

sounds like the treponation was actually helpful in his case

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. Yes, I can see why they thought it was a miracle that he lived through that. It sounded very nasty indeed.

[@bigguy7353]

You don't need to be a doctor to guess those things. They are commonly known.

[@Tigs2]

@@bigguy7353 hey big guy, straight from your sofa. Why are you being rude to someone giving input that was asked for in the video? Nothing better to do? I thought so.

[@eeeee190]

Spina bifida?

[@leticiagarcia9025]

I believe it’s a combination of both. There’s documentation that he lost consciousness for days and was near death. That kind of brain trauma can change a person. Thank you. I enjoyed your video.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, it might well have been a combination of factors.

[@spiritcreek9813]

Some historians point to Henry Vlll’s fall while jousting being the reason for his changing wives like his linen.

[@leticiagarcia9025]

@@spiritcreek9813 Henry VIII was a tyrant before the jousting accident. There was no documentation of loss of consciousness. He was suffering from pain on his leg ulcers that could make him unstable. So many historians have different interpretations of his jousting accident and his mood afterwards.

[@DreamseedVR]

That kind, Always changes a person. My nurse aunt told me so.

[@karenc4544]

This is true, and many serial murderers have serious brain injuries in their past. However, both this Prince and Henry VIII showed evidence of behavioral disturbance before their injuries. The accidents may have exacerbated their behavior, but it seems to me that simply having an upbringing in any Royal Court of the time would lead to people of certain temperaments becoming sociopathic, especially when they are in line to essentially become a being of unlimited power and next to only God in authority.

[@kendracrispin5327]

To think that the family tree there barely scratches the surface: 1. Joanna and Maria, the grandmothers, were sisters. 2. Their parents, Isabel of Castille and Fernado of Aragon, were second cousins 3. Manuel of Portugal was his wife's first cousin once removed because... 4. Manuel's mother, Beatriz of Portugal, was the full sister of Isabel of Castile's mother And who knows how many other connections were also there? Yikes!

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. You can see why I didn't attempt to put all that on screen :-)

[@andreww4541]

And they all inherited Variegate Porphyria. It was a rather rare disease when it started and the only place to find it was Scandinavia, and the Norsemen who inherited it often became part of the Special Forces known in the day as Berserkers. The real strength of a Berserker is his ability to focus himself under the influence seriously dangerous porphyrinogenic triggers. By the time of the Catholics, Ferdinand and Isabella, Berserkers were a thing of the past and the genetic mutation had inadvertently made it's way from Viking warriors to European royalty. John of Gaunt's daughters may have been the ones who brought it to Aragon and Castille.

[@edithengel2284]

@@andreww4541 What is the evidence that the Habsburg suffered from this disease? Modern examination of the deceased? I know Charles V's body was examined at some point.

[@warpedweft9004]

@@HistoryCalling England really dodged a bullet there. Mary I was the daughter of Catherine Aragon, full sister of Mad Juana and Maria, meaning that Mary I married her sisters' grandson. Perhaps that's why Mary never conceived, and it's a good thing she didn't.

[@hanukatquimcampoix4329]

Ok, it was Joanna in the kitchen with the pipe.... wait, what?

[@caramia4143]

Definitely the inbreeding. When you went over his pedigree, I was shocked! Good on Phillip II to see the disaster brewing and "remove" Don Carlos from the line of succession. One thing we can't doubt about Phillip II is how much he loved Spain. Since you are branching out from Tudor-related figures, Queen Christina of Sweden would be a good choice if you are looking for subjects. Like Elizabeth I, she also refused to marry but unlike Elizabeth I, she eventually ended up abdicating in order to live her life on her own terms.

[@danielbatkin889]

Yes! I would greatly appreciate a video on Queen Christina.

[@arsangelica6858]

Christina was a screwball. A screwball in Rome, with a cardinal, in her basement, on what has been described as ‘some Harry Potter business.’ A grade C queen, but a grade A character.

[@s4bombshell]

I’d love to see Queen Christina receive the HC treatment as well! Great suggestion! I always would think of her when watching Gentleman Jack

[@HistoryCalling]

I haven't even really heard of Christina, but I've made a little note in my 'KZbin video ideas' notebook to look at her. Thank you :-)

[@ricebeansrockroll882]

​@@HistoryCalling can't remember which Pope said it, but she was called "a woman without shame, a christian without faith and a queen without a ralm" quite the badass description.

[@chrisbanks6659]

Ah - The Hapsburg Jaw. This will be interesting, but as usual at this time of year, I'll have to watch later. Oh BTW, HC, your book arrived at the weekend. Thanks so much. Looks cram packed with loads of usefiul info and where to find it. Wishing you a less tiring but Happy New Year.

[@HistoryCalling]

I hope you like it and I'm glad the book looks good. My hard copy hasn't arrived yet actually, so I haven't seen it yet. Happy New Year to you too. :-)

[@abbyvanrossum5628]

I live in San Diego. It’s interesting to see the connection between my city and Don Carlos.

[@HistoryCalling]

Something saintly :-)

[@cathy-k]

Me too. I’m a San Diego girl. This is the first explanation I’ve heard of our town’s name. Go Fra Diego!

[@dlxmarks]

The bay and surrounding area was named "San Diego de Alcalá" in 1602, just 14 years after his canonization in 1588. He was probably Spain's most recent saint at the time plus he had been a Franciscan which already had a growing presence in the exploration and later colonization of that region.

[@shannonforpresident2282]

I had a horse that was rather inbred, one stallion showed up in her pedigree 7 times. She was physically beautiful but mentally very unstable. Anxious, high strung and prone to violent physical outbursts when she got overwhelmed.

[@chrishowell5533]

If you were to put all of this in a drama series, everybody would say it's ridiculously far fetched. Great video.

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. Truth really is stranger than fiction sometimes.

[@VeracityLH]

Which makes one wonder why writers constantly change it!

[@kansasterri5977]

I used to work with a woman who's husband had a head injury. After the injury he went from a man with a hot temper to one with a dangerous temper. She said that this was not unusual with that kind of injury. Then again, the Prince was ALSO inbred and a close relative to JOANNA the MAD. I would say both injury and genetics were a factor

[@str.77]

Joanna the Mad was not somehow genetically mad. The early death of her husband drove her to unusual actions, causing her father to lock her up. Nothing much is known about her "madness" after that.

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh that's scary for the woman you knew. I wouldn't be surprised if she had to leave him in the end.

[@leahnichol6665]

I have read that Joanna was not mad at all. She was labelled as mad for a take over of the throne.

[@str.77]

@leahnichol6665 That's nonsense. Her father already was king. But she wasn't mad in the common sense. Just mentally unstable.

[@kyarden7971]

@@str.77Actually she was - her grandmother, Isabella of Portugal, had possible mental illnesses, and I read in and Antonia Fraser’s biography of Catherine of Aragon that Isabella I of Castile, daughter of Isabella of Portugal and mother of both Catherine and Joanna, actually worried over her children inheriting their grandmother’s mental instability.

[@oonaghmarguerite6752]

I noticed you said his skin would turn yellow. That indicates to me some form of hepatitis or liver disease. No way to treat that during this period. So I can see fevers resulting from the infection in his system. The physical deformities most likely as a result of a negative gene pool. However, the young age at which he began burning animals alive indicates a psycopathy. It generally does show itself quite early, between 3 to 5 years of age. It only gets worse with time & to my knowledge, it has nothing to do with in- breeding & can't be fixed now by medical science. Just drugged into oblivion & kept behind locked doors in a mental health facility. His uneven legs probably caused the fall, resulting in the coma. A resulting brain bleed could have caused brain damage, resulting in impatience, & increased agitation & temper. That would irritate the psycopathy he already displayed. That he was only able to kill animals & had not been able to turn his attention successfully to humans before his death is the only miracle I see here.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, the animal torture was really disturbing. He was obviously extremely unwell. Interestingly, there is a series of interviews online I watched once that are all with people who have psychopathy but they weren't criminals. They made the point that in many cases it doesn't lead to deviant behaviour, they are just not as emotionally involved in the world around them as other people and don't really feel fear. Perhaps Carlos' issues were more extreme though.

[@oonaghmarguerite6752]

@HistoryCalling Yes, most people who are diagnosed with psycopathy never kill animals or people. Often, they are very high achievers in their field of interest. To my knowledge, medical science has not determined why malignant behaviors occur without extreme physical & and mental abuse being present at an early age. If the information is available, I would appreciate knowing where to read the research.

[@DreamseedVR]

Plenty of inbred folks display inordinant violence.

[@Renata-s4f]

@@oonaghmarguerite6752 Animal abuse by children however is often a sign of psychopathy.

[@CyberBeez]

@@oonaghmarguerite6752if you’d like some extra context from a first hand point of view here, I myself am what most would consider a “psychopath” based on my diagnosis and treatments…but I would never harm an animal or a person. I even get upset if someone kills a bug in front of me because it feels like unnecessary violence. I’d say I feel completely indifferent to most events and people 99% of the time, but I never have any thoughts of HURTING any people or animals. I’d just rather be by myself 😅 I get that I’m not everyone else with these mental issues, and we probably won’t all be the same- but for the most part I think it’s safe to assume that antisocial people do not feel the need to hurt anyone and this dude was just twisted in some pretty awful ways. (That plus the brain swelling/bleeding was surly a “fun” cocktail for those around him though😅)

[@areiaaphrodite]

This might sound terrible, but I personally think that Phillip did the right thing when it came to imprisoning his son. Carlos clearly was a danger to himself, everyone around him, innocent citizens, and the nation of Spain in general, had he become King. No parent would want to do that to their child, and it obviously gave Phillip a lot of distress to do so, but he really did do the right thing for the safety of the public.

[@Manliadon]

I agree , I read somewhere that Philitp asking Mary to take Elizabeth out of Woodstock, and being horrified when Tudors beheaded queens(Henry beheading his wives, then Elizabeth beheading MaryQoS). It could be wrong but it was likely Philip's sentiment esp when MaryQos was beheaded. I wonder if Philip felt some guilt and fear of the same thing happening to Don Carlos, or a situation leading up to it

[@areiaaphrodite]

@Manliadon I think he definitely felt a type of way when Mary Queen of Scots was executed. She was an anointed Catholic queen and very pious like him. It upset him enough to make that part of the reason he sent the Armada to England.

[@serity12682]

You are my comfort channel right now. Thank you for all you do.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you so much for the very kind donation and I'm happy to help :-)

[@FandersonUfo]

within minutes the standard family tree diagram is inadequate - must be the Hapsburgs

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. It was a nightmare trying to figure out how to display this. That's why I didn't bother taking it any further back.

[@FandersonUfo]

@@HistoryCalling - I'm sure someone plotted it all out at some point - egads

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh yeah, definitely. Trying to put that into PowerPoint or Canva though to create my own version would have been a horrible headache though :-0

[@FandersonUfo]

@@HistoryCalling - spare yourself the ordeal - it is so subliminally disgusting it can't be good for anyone

[@Andrea-Marie]

Greeting from Austria. Oh yes, the Spanish Habsburgs and the Austrian Habsburgs (Casa d`Austria) have intermarried for two centuries. And they have done it with the French Bourbons and the Bavarians as well. Hence, the War of the Spanish Succession has taken place (when the last infertile incestuous Habsburg died on the Spanish throne), as each family could make legitimate claims.

[@gillsinclair6927]

Seems like the Hapsburg traits were dominant in Carlos. Thankfully the Hapsburg traits seem to have been eliminated. Sounds like Carlos possibly had a pituitary aneurism.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you so much for the donation. Yes, it's interesting to speculate about what exactly the issues with him were and how far his inbreeding was to blame for them. Personally, I really don't think it can have helped his situation.

[@gillsinclair6927]

@HistoryCalling it could have only been a contributing factor. Look at the likes of Emperor Rudolf of Austria

[@HistoryCalling]

Very true.

[@kimberleyannedemong5621]

I'm a nurse and can't discount that inbreeding has to account for his physical deformities although the lump on his back may have been a form of spinal bifida which would have caused his weak legs. I don't know that spina bifida can be blamed on inbreeding. I don't believe inbreeding accounts for the fevers. I don't think a concussion would cause a fever but given the state of medical knowledge then whatever they did to treat him may have caused the fever. His horrible personality defects for me come down to nature vs. nurture. Probably a combination of both. I love your channel & always eagerly look forward to the next video. ❤

[@janeyrevanescence12]

Isn't spina bifida is caused by a lack of folic acid? Is it possible that his mother didn't have enough nutrition (makes sense because nutrition wasn't better understood until maybe the early 20th century)?

[@catshepherd3102]

They said his father was distant. Lack of a strong father figure can contribute to Lord of the Flies syndrome.

[@janeyrevanescence12]

@@catshepherd3102 Oh Phillip was distant all right. Charles V learned that Phillip was cold and distant to Maria Manuela (Wife No 1) and had to tell him "Hey, treat your wife better".

[@thisperson5294]

As a nurse you need to stop using ableist language.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thanks Kimberley. I appreciate your insights. Yes, probably their 'treatments' were nearly as bad as the injury itself! Like you, I think nature and nurture probably both played roles.

[@brazendesigns]

I love your accent! 😍 (Ulster?) Just a tip for your Spanish pronunciation, Juana (Joanna of Aragon was Juana la Loca) is pronounced „HWA-na“ not „Jew-ana“ 👍 Spanish is great because its letters are always the same. I hope you do more of these, gracias!

[@margaretcunningham1274]

omg, she was saying "Juana"?! I was imagining some antiquated name I had never seen

[@brazendesigns]

@@margaretcunningham1274 sometimes spelled Joanna in English, it is indeed Juana I of Castile, "la Loca" (the crazy one)

[@iriandia]

As a resident of San Diego, I had never found out why my city was named so specifically. Many Spanish mission towns are named for saints. This connection is so cool to know!

[@HistoryCalling]

I'm glad to have been able to share that with you then. I didn't know it either, but I found it quite interesting.

[@irisdutra5033]

As a san diego native that is also why I'm here, lol

[@sharonfields3624]

Thanks! Very interesting. I am going to read your book

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you so much for the donation Sharon and I hope the book helps you trace your Irish ancestry :-)

[@kellytrimble7019]

The inbreeding was awful back then but hasn’t altogether disappeared. Practically every Royal in Europe is related to Queen Victoria. I think they have been marrying into the same handful of families since they stopped seizing thrones on the battlefield hundreds of years ago.

[@Tugela60]

Everyone was inbred back then. People rarely traveled far from the village where they were born (a consequence of feudalism, where you were bound to the land) and their families lived there for centuries.

[@HistoryCalling]

@Tugela60 Thank you. That's what I'm always saying. I think we're all a little bit inbred from our ancestors not moving around much.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, most of them are descended from V., that's true. Thankfully they've kept their gene pools a lot more varied since then though than the Spanish Habsburgs did and it's very common now to marry total outsiders like Princesses Catherine and Charlene for example and Queen Mary of Denmark. :-)

[@Tugela60]

@@HistoryCalling It changed when people moved to cities, but when Europe was primarily an agrarian society just about everyone was inbred. The funny thing is that few people seem to realize that even today about 20% of the worlds population is married to a cousin. It would have been far higher in substantially pre-urban societies when moving around was uncommon.

[@loisen]

@@Tugela60The children of commoners had a higher rate to survive than the children of royals.

[@adrianseguras.9659]

Love it that you've taken up Spanish royals. There you have endless, new infatigable sources for great content.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, I'd like to be able to branch out more often to the non-English royals, it's just tricky sometimes finding a topic that people will click on if it's about someone they aren't familiar with.

[@ummmm....-sd9eb]

​​@@HistoryCallingThat's the exact reason I clicked on this presentation! So interesting ⟵⁠(⁠๑⁠¯⁠◡⁠¯⁠๑⁠) love your work! Edit: Greetings from Tiffin OH USA...

[@theresalaux5655]

Thanks!

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh wow Theresa, thank you so much for such a generous donation! Please don't ever feel that you have to donate though. You've been incredibly generous with the Superthanks, but I wouldn't ever want you to stretch yourself financially on my account. I just wanted to make sure that you know that I would totally understand if you didn't want to donate any more or as much. Please don't ever feel any pressure to do so.

[@theresalaux5655]

@@HistoryCalling my pleasure!

[@Collins_With_No_N]

OK, so Carlos sends a letter to an uncle stating he was being held prisoner by a cousin who happened to be the brother of his grandfather but the letter is delivered to Carlos since all of the above were actually himself. It was the inbreeding for sure.

[@HistoryCalling]

Haha!!

[@waverider8549]

Brilliant 😂

[@dyvette29]

😂

[@brittany1049]

10:55 I’m no medical doctor, but that does sound like brain swelling. Ironically, the trepanning could’ve helped if he had swelling/fluid build up in his brain

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, if infection could be avoided I think that might be a valid treatment option for that sort of injury.

[@jillkearns525]

Very interesting episode! Love that you are featuring other Royal families. Looking forward to more content in 2025.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you :-)

[@Diana-mu7pc]

I knew very little about Spanish royal history when I first read Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller, which is one of my favorite plays ever. Having read Shakespeare's histories and then learned a little more about the true history of English royals, I didn't expect the real Don Carlos to be so faithful-and Schiller took liberties with the narrative for the art's sake in Mary Stuart, as well. But WOW. Everything he left out is just as interesting as everything he put in. Equally tragic, but even more pointless than the play.

[@rebeccablackburn9487]

Poor kid, but what do you expect? His father Philip had only 8 great-grandparents! Most of us have 16. A family shrub instead of a family tree!!

[@kaycosette]

This was absolutely fascinating. I don’t know too much about Don Carlos but the fact that Philip had to suit up to take him to somewhere where he couldn’t hurt anybody is just…. Wild

[@HistoryCalling]

It really was. I think there was a collective jaw drop all around Europe when people heard what Philip had done with his son.

[@hildahilpert5018]

Charles VI, King of France had mental issues .His son Charles VII .was put on the throne of France by St.Joan of Arc.There is information on Charles and his mental issues. Another good one is Gilles de Rais, who served with Joan of Arc and was a serial killer of mainly children.

[@douglassun8456]

Wait... You mean, Verdi lied to us and Don Carlos didn't advocate for the freedom of the Spanish Netherlands, and that Philip didn't banish him as part of a love triangle with Elizabeth of Valois? Seriously, I wonder how many opera fans only know about the ill-fated prince through Verdi's Don Carlo, which, as this video ably demonstrates, is complete fiction.

[@embreis2257]

Verdi was even later than Schiller. his _Don Carlos_ may have been the blueprint for Verdi.

[@str.77]

@embreis2257 It definitely was the blueprint.

[@ericcarlson3746]

the Spanish Netherlands was given independence when handed to Philip's daughter and son in law. unfortunately they died ca. 1620 and rule from Madrid resumed

[@embreis2257]

@@ericcarlson3746 one wonders if history would have played out very different for the Dutch if the Netherlands weren't given to the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs but the Austrians.

[@albiepalbie5040]

Just read every day in the Daily Press the rose tinted crap about the present Billionaire incumbents of Buckingham Palace to see how things get distorted about those beautiful self sacrificing saints position in society - a complete anachronism - today in the 21st century !!!

[@alexrafe2590]

HC your analysis would strongly suggest that inbreeding had to be at least part of the problem. As you mention Philip II's marriage to this young prince's mother wasn't even his only marriage within the family. His next wife Mary Tudor was his first cousin once removed. Then after he married the French princess Elisabeth, who produced two relatively healthy princesses, he married one of his NIECES from the Austrian side of the family. She gave him the son that would produce the heir to succeed him. But if you go to the Prado you'll see the result of constant marriages within the Habsburg family from the 16th and 17th centuries. All the Spanish Habsburg princes basically looked the same from this era, generation after generation. Finally the last Habsburg King of Spain, Carlos II suffered from so many illnesses throughout his life that he was unable to impregnate either of his wives. He ultimately designated his half sister's grandson Philip the crown. Philip was also a grandson of Louis XIV, Carlos II's brother-in-law, being married to the aforementioned half sister. Though this young Bourbon prince would hold onto the Spanish Crown, it led to the War of the Spanish succession. But considering all the deleterious effects this constant interbreeding had on the Habsburgs, it's amazing how misguided the family were in continuing to pursue it. Never mind how idiotic pope after pope were granting papal dispensations for this insane policy of approved incest over and over again.

[@Tugela60]

Just about everyone in Europe at the time was inbred though, especially in rural areas (cities not so much).

[@HistoryCalling]

I'd like to do a video on Charles II at some point actually. I'll need to buy a good book on him first though.

[@alexrafe2590]

@HistoryCalling well if you do I have no doubt it will be thoroughly researched and fascinating to read🧑‍🎓Even from what little I know of him, it's clear that he was at the fulcrum of a momentous time in European history. It could be argued that the war around the issue of who would replace him was what really became the first true world war.

[@alexrafe2590]

@@HistoryCalling actually I should have replied 'looking forward to listening to', as you indicated that you were interested in producing a VIDEO on Carlos II. My apologies, and of course I will look forward to hearing that should you decide to go ahead with it🙏

[@yusufabdillahi-e1l]

I would suggest a Subdural haematoma, it usually occurs with trauma and can occur slowly over time as blood builds up. The blood can collect between the skull and brain so there is no fracture, the pressure could cause coma and paralysis, as the paralysis would be on the opposite side of body to the brain injury, if they trephine the wrong side they might not have found much blood

[@thevolunteer]

Stumbled across this channel and this episode. Loved it. Loved the satire. Great voice.

[@chalupasupreme5672]

I’m late but my cousins and I are double first cousins. My mom’s brother married my dad’s sister. We took a DNA test and my cousins and I shared enough dna to be considered half siblings. Crazy how genetics work!

[@free_gold4467]

Just don't have kids with your cousin! 😂

[@williamrobinson7435]

I think the inbreeding can't've helped! Most interesting, and beautifully crafted and presented as ever. Thank you and have a very Happy New Year! ✨🌟👍

[@paillette2010]

11:49 While I can't address the medical (I think he just conked himself, you can mess up your brain with zero cracks to the skull), I want to address the horse situation. These horses were well cared for and pretty fit, so coupled with the spurs and bits they used he might have done an irreversible injury to the jaw, rode the horse so hard it colicked, or caused a catastrophic lameness. Very sad. Horses had it tough. Even up to the making of the silent version of Ben Hur, the director harshly had any injured horses euthanized instead of adding the cost of care for the animals. We romanticize the past wrt horses, but they paid such a high price (WW1 and post war industrialization spelled the end of millions of horses)

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, he was a total brute to the poor animal and you're right that animal cruelty was rife until well into the 20th century. I'm glad that (in some parts of the world at least), we're generally doing much better now.

[@HotWheelsBurban]

Yes, this is not something most people know about. There is an episode of "All Creatures Great And Small" from a season or two ago, that deals with what happened to the British war horses after the Armistice.

[@paillette2010]

@@HotWheelsBurban I saw that episode. I hated it so much. It wasn't part of the books at all, just something they did. It seems kind of an odd thing to do since 1) agriculture was still equine powered, and 2) equine cadavers are a mess (you have to bulldoze a hole). I think if it's based on a true story, it's pretty sad as heck.

[@paigemadison822]

as someone who lives in san diego, this is extremely interesting to hear about how my city got its name! thank you for another lovely video this week, you truly are amazing!

[@HistoryCalling]

You're welcome and I'm glad you found the little link to your home city interesting. :-)

[@kmcg959]

Your videos are absolutely brilliant, every time. Informative, entertaining, and with a lovely relaxing voice to boot! Probably the most reliably high quality channel I subscribe to on KZbin ❤

[@HistoryCalling]

Aww, thank you so much. That's very kind of you to say :-)

[@Adessotech2019]

Agreed x

[@jasonmaccoul]

Inbreeding gets a bad rap when it comes to physical and mental development. It has been shown, I believe, that between a brother and sister, there is only a 1% increase in possible deformities over normal births. Perhaps over generations, continued inbreeding may result in much higher problems. Queen Victoria’s children all married into Europe’s royal families where now most royal households are related to one another in some fashion. I love the humour that is injected, subtly, into your videos. That was missing from the onset of your channel and adds much more for the listener. A thumbs up from me with or without a long dead saint lying next to me. 😊

[@christinapalafox]

When you combine inbreeding with the kind of spoiling a royal person receives, it's definitely a bad mix. Any cruel tendencies are exacerbated by the attitude that royalty are divinely ordained and can do no wrong- and you end up with stuff like this. Sadly, modern celebrity culture causes much of the same.

[@paddypaddy2834]

I consistently get excited whenever a new HC video shows up!

[@lilibetp]

Two of my ancestors were first cousins. The whole family immigrated from Cornwall to the US in the 1840s and the young couple were married by the ship's captain. Their first child was born a couple of months later.

[@HistoryCalling]

The occasional first cousin marriage is unlikely to cause any problems though, so I wouldn't sweat it. It's really only when it happens over and over again that issues arise.

[@warpedweft9004]

@@HistoryCalling I know of a couple who were first cousins and married. Unfortunately, they came from a very small village where everyone was related to everyone. While their daughter was okay, she also married someone from the same village and their two children were affected. Both were intellectually impaired, one mildly, the other significantly, and that one also suffered seizures.

[@solomoon3083]

Ngl. This explains a lot about a buncha folks living today. Those dna lines are JACKED UP😂

[@darkviolet]

Yay, a new video! 😃

[@HistoryCalling]

Hope you like it :-)

[@Adessotech2019]

Thanks

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you so much for the donation. Glad you enjoyed the video :-)

[@nancyl6985]

Sounds like he had Scoliosis. Many of us have one leg shorter than the other, and a bump on the back.

[@missyme2673]

What a story! Thank you for bringing us some Spanish history, not only is it so vast and complex in itself but it's also entwined with our own. I hate to day it and I'm no medical professional but I do think all that inbreeding could well have been responsible for his life. The way he was treated by his own father must also have had a huge psychological impact on him. Brilliant video, HC! Thank you for sharing! X 😊

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. Yes, it was nice to get out of English royal history for a bit :-)

[@edithengel2284]

Philip's marital career: Philip was married four times, and was closely related to each of the four wives with the exception of his third wife Elizabeth of Valois (to whom he was very distantly related). Maria Manuela of Portugal, as we know, was Philip's double first cousin, married age 16, died age 17, shortly after giving birth to Don Carlos. His second bride was his 1st cousin 1x removed, Queen Mary I of England, no issue. His third wife, and I think the one he loved the best, was Elizabeth of Valois, princess of France, to whom he was very very distantly related through the Valois house of Burgundy. Elizabeth was age 14 at marriage, and gave birth to two daughters, both of whom survived childhood, and at least 4 others who were stillborn. She died at age 22 following a miscarriage. (Showing that a sad reproductive history is not always the product of inbreeding, even in Spain.) Philip's last marriage, as mentioned, was to his niece Anne of Austria. The ick factor is obviously very high already, but what I didn't realize was that Anne herself was the child of first cousins, Philip's sister Maria and Maximillian II of Austria. This marriage was apparently protested, even by the pope, but somehow it happened anyway. Anna was married at the advanced age of 21 and lived to age 30, dying of influenza. She bore 5 children, of whom only the future Philip III survived childhood. Not to be outdone by his father, Philip III married his first cousin, 1x removed, Margaret of Austria. They were also third cousins, and probably related in other ways, but it's hurting my head to think about this. Their son Philip IV also married a niece, and the result was the very unfortunate Carlos II, last Habsburg ruler of Spain, when the pedigree collapse became complete..

[@AbigailT1311]

Hi, I really enjoy watching you videos and I have a request for a video (If you dont take them thats fine). I would really like to see a video on the full life of Mary Tudor, Queen of France. I cant find any good videos I like about her. So I was wondering if you could make a video about her cause I love your video style and I dont believe you have done a video on her full life (I love your video about her funeral btw). I love your videos so much ❤️

[@HistoryCalling]

She's on my list, promise (and her sister too). :-) Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@AbigailT1311]

@HistoryCalling I really love the two original tudor sisters (In my personal unpopular opinion they are better than Mary and Elizabeth)

[@chidagamer6497]

The fact he was sick so often makes me wonder if his immune system was weak or in some other way not working quite right, especially with the recurring fevers. There are a lot of things that can cause a compromised immune system, and I wouldn’t be surprised if inbreeding is one of them.

[@andreww4541]

Variegate Porphyria was a difficult disease for Don Carlos and he hadn't a clue how to deal with it. He took the "I feel like crap so you should too" path. The biggest problem was that Don Carlos tried to act the way he thought he should act and was horribly wrong and needed to be stopped.

[@kimberlywalker_]

Speaking of royal diseases....remember all those Plantagenents who died of weird gastro ailments? I have a theory they were dying of untreated gastro auto immune diseases. I have Celiac, and both of my uncles had it. One died of not treating it. It's an xlinked genetic trait, majority of those affected are Northern European Caucasian. My family originally came from Northern France and were Plantagenet adjacent through marriage to a female Plantagenet, who was one of my great great etc grandmother's. I think my family got the xlinked Celiac from them.

[@chidagamer6497]

@@kimberlywalker_ I was thinking something along those lines - some kind of autoimmune disease, maybe. Many of them have a genetic link. I actually have Crohn’s Disease, which is why I thought of it.

[@kimberlywalker_]

@chidagamer6497 Yep could be Chrohns too. I was thinking Celiac bc Medieval diet could be bread heavy. When I eat bread, all I'm gonna say is blood....lots of blood and pain. I've almost collapsed on the toilet many many times before diagnosis. You have my deepest empathy.

[@Rahel]

Thank you for a great video! It's enlightening to find out just how extensive the connections among royal families were, and sad to learn of their devastating effects. Would you consider doing a video about Dona Gracia Nasi?

[@HistoryCalling]

I'm not familiar with her, but I just did a quick Google. She looks very interesting, but I'd be worried that people wouldn't click the video as she's not very famous. I know it's a real pain to say that, but sadly it's true that people generally only gravitate towards stories they're already familiar with. I've tried covering some unknown stories before (like the woman who gave birth to rabbits), but the videos did pretty poorly. I'm sorry :-(

[@Rahel]

@@HistoryCalling Ah, but she was one of the most important people of her day! Her story involves Henry VIII, Duke Ercole of Ferrara, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and -- of course -- the Inquisition, and her retaliation against it by placing an embargo on the port of Ancona for the better part of a year. I highly recommend Andrée Aelion Brooks's book about her, The Woman Who Defied Kings. Truly, I think she is far more deserving of having an opera written about her than Don Carlos ever was. If an opera can be written about a cruel and dangerous man who never even came to the throne, but ended his days under house arrest, why shouldn't there be an opera about a wise and courageous woman who was not only his contemporary but also his total opposite, who took enormous risks and used her life and her fortune for good?

[@anweshabiswas1483]

Marie Antoinette was lucky that she didnt inherit the infamous habsburg jaw

[@HistoryCalling]

Yeah, she had other problems though :-0

[@anweshabiswas1483]

@HistoryCalling Very unlucky was Charles ii of Spain . His doctors were waiting for his death , from the time he was born. But our boy totally flabbergasted the whole christendom by making it to adulthood . 👍

[@kenzieuchiha1191]

She actually had a mild case of the Habsburg jaw. It's why her lips were constantly pouty.

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. It's wild how long he survived.

[@HistoryCalling]

For a woman though, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if it was subtle.

[@terri6743]

Lord have mercy, Don Carlos was a nasty little brute, wasn’t he?!😳 He almost makes Henry VIII look saintly, in comparison. At least Henry was relatively decent and stable, as a young man, for his time. I would agree that, undoubtedly, Carlos’ problematic character and behavior was greatly due to the intense inbreeding in his family. Couple that with being spoilt beyond all hope, and it was for the best that his father locked him away. I can’t begin to imagine the harm he would have done to his kingdom, had he made it to the throne!

[@str.77]

Any statement putting Henry VIII in a good light is misguided. Given that Henry actually was king makes him way worse than the never-king Don Carlos.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, I think he would have done a lot of damage on the throne too.

[@Renata-s4f]

@@HistoryCalling He tried to kill his father and was exceedingly cruel to animals all of which indicate had he been given the power of a King would have been disastrous.

[@HuskyMuskyr168]

thanks for portuguese audio !!!! I am brazilian and i like your videos !!!

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh did it translate it for you? That's a new feature on KZbin. I'm glad it's helping more people watch my videos.

[@DarthDread-oh2ne]

Fun fact: Did you know, Isabella of Castile was interested in reopening ties with England after Richard iii became king. She was still angry over being rejected by Edward.

[@HistoryCalling]

That actually does ring a vague bell.

[@DarthDread-oh2ne]

Imagine how history would have been, if Edward had married her.

[@HistoryCalling]

Wildly different. No Princes in the Tower and probably no Richard III, Henry VII etc.

[@warpedweft9004]

Her daughter, Catherine of Aragon, first married Arthur of England and then when he died, his brother, Henry VIII. Given that her great grandson Philip married Catherine's daughter, Mary I of England, I'd say she managed not only to reopen ties with England but also to extract her pound of flesh. Good thing Mary I and Philip never had any children.

[@2007VolkswagenJetta]

Inbreeding is definitely to blame. Those poor Hapsburgs had no chance. But also being a spoiled rich kid didn’t help

[@josephfarkas5657]

This is interesting! I was just learning about Queen Elizabeth recently. I did not know about this weird guy!

[@eldelflowerwater]

Thank you, HC, and Happy New Year! I am not a scientist or a medical professional, but through we hear and know from professionals in those fields, inbreeding must have played a considerable part in his health, both physical and mental. We know these days that some serious illnesses can be inherited through inbreeding. In fact, and I am.not sure if this still the case, there was a register in New York, to find out if the person one wanted to marry was related to one. If I recall correctly, the disease in question (cysticfibrosis) dropped sharply after the establishment of this register. Also remember that in more recent history, commoners ( largely females) were welcome in royal.families to refresh the gene pool. The concerning diseases seem to have vanished, albeit some of these commoners introduced other problems😊

[@HistoryCalling]

That's so interesting about the NY register and the drop in illnesses. I'm gonna Google that!

[@raymondwolken7975]

Thank you for the presentation, excellent study of the young man.😊

[@Elizabeth-hc3mi]

Thank you for the video!!! You make my Mondays worth it. Just curious, what are your thoughts on Juanna la Loca? Do you think she was actually mentally ill, or her father just wanted power?

[@HistoryCalling]

She's on my list for a video actually. I was gonna do a video on her ages ago and then another KZbinr did one and I didn't want to look like a copycat, so I set her to one side for a while. I don't know if she was crazy actually. As of yet I haven't studied her in much detail.

[@lorrainecasey749]

Wow this was INTERESTING 🫣had me hooked. I’d listen to more like this I really don’t care what country the royals are from if it’s an interesting story 😃💯

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it and I enjoyed the trip outside of English history this week too (though it did lead to lots of Googling for how to pronounce Spanish place-names)!

[@Will-cu6vi]

I am generally sceptical of the extent to which inbreeding is said to have played a role in Carlos' health outcomes. King Dom Sebastião of Portugal was just as inbred as Carlos was (being the son of Philip II's sister Juana and Maria Manuela's brother João Manuel) and yet Sebastião could not have been more diametrically opposed to Carlos. I do think it must have been a factor, but it was clearly exacerbated by misfortune and happenstance. As an aside, if Carlos had lived another decade or so he would have technically inherited the Portuguese throne from Sebastião after the latter died in battle in Morocco... would have been interesting to see what fireworks that would have set off! Likely an analogous situation to Juana la Loca and her father but with Philip and Carlos.

[@lauraritag5188]

The issues with inbreeding though is it increases the risk of an anomaly. So a child of incest or inbreeding could be genetically fine as long as not too many recessive genes met each other but the risk of illness and deformities increases the closer the genetic make up as the same recessive and potentially lethal genes come together to form issues. His behavioural issues could have come from this or at least made more likely to be the cause. In addition, brain trauma can happen during brain development and birth. If you have more genetic conditions you are more likely to be premature or have a difficult birthing process...I think the head injury likely made things even worse. Of course he may have just been a violent, nasty person by chance.

[@Will-cu6vi]

@lauraritag5188 It of course did predispose him to such difficulties due to the increased risk of inheriting defective recessive genes- my point is simply that I don't think that such a predisposition was *definitive* for Carlos' health outcomes as opposed to environmental factors.

[@lauraritag5188]

@Will-cu6vi yeah we will never know unless someone does genetic testing on his DNA. Looking at the descriptions though he does seem to have elements of physical genetic abnormalities. And issues continued to plague his family in generations to come.

[@Will-cu6vi]

@lauraritag5188 We quite clearly can know, as Dom Sebastião had an identical inbreeding coefficient and pool of ancestry to Don Carlos, and yet had none of the latter's issues. That rules out genetic predisposition alone and necessitates either misfortune through independent assortment at birth or environmental/physiological stressors later in life.

[@warpedweft9004]

being inbred doesn't always mean you will be affected adversely. It's a lottery as to which genes you inherit, but it does significantly raise the risks. Carlos lost, Sebastião got lucky and won.

[@cassandrade-wolfe6926]

What an absolute horror story. The serving girl dodged a bullet when he fell down those stairs for sure. His cruelty and behaviour sounds sociopathic. Very well narrated and interesting. Found this channel by accident, and glad i did.

[@sweptashore]

"Double first cousins" and "Only six great-great grandparents" is never a good thing. 😳 Mary I really saw a lot of crazy family stuff on all sides, didn't she?

[@HistoryCalling]

She sure did!

[@MichelleBruce-lo4oc]

Hi, awesome live history video I enjoyed it. How are you doing? I'm doing well. It's very cold here in Ontario Canada. How is the weather where you are? In the next video in the future could you do margaret theresa of Spain. She died young in childbirth. Have a great day see you next video 😊

[@HistoryCalling]

For once, I can say that the weather is somewhat similar because we had snow here today in Northern Ireland (though you would laugh at our paltry little smattering of the white stuff)! I just saw that Justin Trudeau has resigned as well, so it's a busy day across the pond in your neck of the woods.

[@MichelleBruce-lo4oc]

@HistoryCalling I heard he reigned

[@jasonharrison601]

Running down stairs with uneven legs is never a good idea

[@Dalaruan]

Very happy that you've covered his story, Don Carlos isn't a very popular topic in current documentaries. There's a TV series "Queens: The Virgin and the Martyr“ (2017) where actor Landher Iturbe gives an interesting interpretation of the prince.

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh, I haven't heard of that show. Thank you for sharing :-)

[@Dalaruan]

@Historycalling User @lonelyqueenofhearts7030 uploaded the scenes with Don Carlos on YT

[@maryloumawson6006]

It's interesting to me that the Church forbade marriage between individuals that were too closely related, and yet was prepared to waive that rule in the case of royals. If they knew the dangers, why then would they make an exception for the most important families, especially for those whose offspring would be their heirs? It's possible they didn't make that rule because of these consequences, but I can't think of any other reason why the practice should be banned. I wonder if there is any evidence that the fate of Carlos made future dispensations for close degrees of sanguinity more rare? Clearly Phillip learned nothing, nor the Church by the time of his third marriage. But one would hope that some Pope at some point would make the connection and refuse a dispensation. After all, these marriages resulted in a governing sovereign in the future! Very interesting video! Thank you!

[@sassanada]

I don't know what level of understanding they had at the time of how dangerous inbreeding was, but if I recall correctly the motovation behind the Habsburgs intermarrying closely with one another was to build and consolidate their family's power and influence. History is full of examples of the church vying against nobility for power, so the desire to prevent one family from becoming too powerful could also give the church motivation to ban close relatives from marrying.

[@maryloumawson6006]

@@sassanada I agree that makes sense, but doesn't explain why they so often agreed to a dispensation. I suppose the pope could be bought off by a powerful monarch, but that would defeat the purpose. And it doesn't explain why it was banned for common people.

[@sassanada]

@maryloumawson6006 I could see dispensation being granted as trying to gain the favor (or soldiers, or other benefits) from a particular monarch, or orchestrate alliances beneficial to the church's interests...but in the end that really is just another form of being bought off, and you're right that it doesn't explain it for commoners. Maybe this could make an interesting topic for a video as well! I suspect it would be more difficult to research than biographical though, and might not draw as many views.

[@maryloumawson6006]

@@sassanada I agree it would be very interesting to discover how far back this Church edict goes, and what were the exact reasons at the time. For all we know, it may date back to classical times during the reigns of the Caesars etc. Actually, I think I do recall that some Roman Emperors married sisters or nieces, and we know it was common in Egypt. I think HC is up to the challenge! But I can't speak to how popular a video like that would be. I've long since accepted that most people don't wonder about things in the way that I do. But I've enjoyed our correspondence - Thanks!

[@dlxmarks]

The Spanish royals were fond of otherwise forbidden pairings, especially avunculate marriage which happened often enough to have its own name. Ferdinand VII (1784 - 1833) married two of his nieces, one from each of his sisters. And he was a Bourbon long after the time of the Habsburgs in Spain.

[@karenr716]

I did not know much about Don Carlos before this video. Thank you! Fascinated by the Hapsburg inbreeding

[@HistoryCalling]

Me neither and you're welcome :-)

[@HelenMcCallister]

To out it bluntly, Carlos was doomed from the start. The inbreeding was bad enough to begin with, his "health" was a joke at best. Hurting animals as a child is a clear sign of mental disturbance, look at plenty on serial killers doing exactly that for evidence. Honestly, him dying was probably the kindest fate for everyone that could have happened at that point. Probably the only reason he wasn't quietly disposed of much earlier was a combination of him the only male heir at that point and the fact his father did seem to care enough to want him alive at least. I honestly feel bad for his dad, that is a mess I wouldn't wish on anyone, but he really should have done something sooner. Wouldn't have saved the kid (sadly some people just can't be helped), but confining him sooner may have saved people some grief.

[@Tugela60]

Back then most people would have done the same thing. Animals were considered unimportant beyond their purely commercial value. Judging behaviour in the past using modern standards is unwise since their sense of morality was quite different from ours.

[@HelenMcCallister]

@Tugela60 I didn't mention the morality of that time or now. Just that it is the same thing a lot of serial killers are mentioned as having done as children. Please read the comment more throughly.

[@Tugela60]

@HelenMcCallister You read your comment. There was no SPCA in those days, their ideas about how to treat animals was very different from modern ideas. You are drawing conclusions from modern society and extrapolating those to older cultures with very different morality, you can't do that.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, I think Philip did the best he could with his limited options, but you're correct that some people might not have suffered had he acted earlier. I suppose he was hoping that Carlos would improve.

[@jldrake3424]

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

[@TwiggyKeely]

The Irish ancestry book sounds cool. My Dad is from Ard West in Connemara (you can see Saint MacDara's Island from our land) and my family has lived on the same land in Connemara since the 1400s, my Dad is buried on Mweenish Island with the rest of my O'Conghaile family. We are descendants of Pirate Queen Grania O'Malley, We are direct descendants through her son from her first marriage to the O'Flaherty king of Connacht! I love that my family is from the Gaeltacht because we know our family history all the way back to the beginning, my Uncle is a Seanchaí so I was lucky to always know our rich family history in Ireland, But I will def check your book out because I definitely could always learn more about my family since my Dad is gone now and I can't ask him and my family is in a different time zone over in Ireland.

[@maggieb4736]

So cool! I've read about the Pirate Queen, fascinating woman! Wonderful for you to be able to trace your ancestry back so far. I might buy HC's book, all I know is my maternal great-grandfather was born in Adare in Limerick County, came over to the US in 1918. It would be great to learn more. (I tried the main ancestry website, found it difficult to navigate.)

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. I hope the book is helpful and Gráinne O'Malley has a great story. I wish my ancestors were that interesting!

[@HistoryCalling]

@maggieb4736 By the sound of it your g-grandfather was born well within the timeframe of state registration (which started in earnest in 1864) , so you should definitely be able to trace him with the websites listed in the book.

[@Lassisvulgaris]

Thanks, waited for this. More on the Habsburgs, please.....

[@BMW7series251]

Again, thank you very much for a most interesting video. Best regards, John.

[@HistoryCalling]

Glad you enjoyed it :-)

[@bonmarche7312]

Fascinating video. Can you imagine the reign of inept terror if this poor loon was permitted to take the throne.

[@frannielocks]

Sounds like he suffered a traumatic brain injury-likely some bleeding such as a subdural hematoma. That would fit with the symptoms and if the bleed is not too large it is possible to recover. Ironically, trepanation would’ve improved his symptoms as long as he didn’t develop an infection.

[@alexeiromanov2250]

Thank you, fascinating piece of history. The Spanish Royals have very interesting facts. They could make a film about Don Carlos' life.

[@ellenbryn]

Inbreeding was probably most of it, but a head injury can be serious even without a skull fracture. Someone in my high school nearly died in a car crash when the side of her head smacked the inside of a car window; not only was the inside of the brain concussed on that side, but cat scans showed the brain had rebounded and smacked the inside of her skull on the opposide side - so she had a double concussion, with bruising, swelling and some bleeding on the inside of her skull against her brain, putting her into a cona for months. She had been a very gifted and intelligent student with a gift for languages, but minor motor coordination and speech issues, memory lapses, headaches, mood swings, and most of all lack of confidence in her own mental abilities (she went to a difficult college which is stressful for anyone, but was never sure if her brain was failing her) forces her to take a medical leave, and I'm afraid I lost track of her. All of which is to say: Carlos' other problems may have been enough to explain all his health issues, but he may have suffered adfitional brain injury from the fall.

[@ellenbryn]

apologies once again for my typos… I have a choice between bad dictation or typing with arthritis and poor vision, and I'm afraid I often choose the latter because it's still easier for me to think as a writer than by speaking

[@HistoryCalling]

Gosh that's absolutely awful for that poor girl. I can only hope that her symptoms subsided with time. Don't worry about the typos. I appreciate the effort you made to type up such a detailed comment despite the challenges you mention.

[@lorijohnson1478]

That's a very good point. And who really knows how many times he whacked his melon? With all the stuff he got up to, who can really tell? Just wondering why it took his father so long to admit defeat?

[@jamesadams7528]

Was her name Barbara?from Houston?

[@vernon2542]

Great video. That was quite interesting. I do agree with you that it probably was some of each, and the inbreeding probably was the major catalyst of the other things that came along. As most things usually have to have a start. Look forward to hearing next weeks.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thanks Vernon. Back to English/British royals next week, but I shan't say more than that. :-)

[@lyndanickerson1373]

Thank you

[@HistoryCalling]

You're welcome (and you're also the first commenter)!

[@lyndanickerson1373]

I try to be first when I can, To help KZbin's algorithms​@@HistoryCalling

[@robinhumphrey2692]

I learned all new stuff today. Good info! 😊❤

[@faytsampouri6197]

Have a HAPPY & BLESSED 2025 HC.....YOUR video was once again thorough and interesting..AS ALWAYS.. wonderfully distracting from my mama issues...take care

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. You too and I'm happy to be able to offer a little distraction from anything that's bothering you. :-)

[@calamitysangfroid2407]

When you said Carlos didn't like studying or exercise I thought you'd finish with "he preferred playing gambling at cards" or something mundane like that. Laughed out loud. What a nightmare of a kid.

[@Whookieee]

I once read an historical fiction novel that included him as a character. I had to skip past his early scenes because his torture of animals was vividly described 😪

[@HistoryCalling]

Yeah, I couldn't include some of the stories about what he did here. The KZbin algorithm would have had a fit.

[@amylin5062]

This is so interesting - I’ve heard of Don Carlos, including hearing his name probably in your other videos - but hadn’t known of his whole life trajectory, including his imprisonment. As others have said, it was likely for the best reasons. Now that you’ve mentioned the historic Spanish royal family’s appalling incest, please do a video on Charles II! :)

[@pablovivant9089]

Great video for setting the record straight, especially as Don Carlos has been so romanticized in Schiller's play and Verdi's opera. Now I'm hoping to see what you can make of King Sebastian of Portugal!

[@HistoryCalling]

Ahh, I'd never heard of him before but you're the second commenter to bring him up. I'll make a note of his name and Google him later.

[@pablovivant9089]

@@HistoryCalling Great. An essay by Harold B. Johnson presents a fascinating case that key facts about him were long overlooked by Portuguese scholars...

[@florazul-1191]

Sebastian was much luckier than Carlos in terms of "inbreeding effects", but he had a hell of a hard sad life, specially if one gives value to Harold's essay. However, I don't know, some portuguese historians dismiss this essay, others suggest something quite bad happened during his childhood, altering the course of Sebastian 's life and actions. Sebastian was able to rule by himself and to actually make some good decisions, the wrong thing he did was the Battle of the Three Kings.

[@chrisbanks6659]

Thanks😊 An admin fee.🤓

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you so much Chris. That's much appreciated :-)

[@alinarodgers]

I wasn’t familiar with this kid until watching the vid but I knew immediately that he had to be related to the Hapsburg judging by that painting 😬

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, that jaw is a dead giveaway.

[@charis6311]

This was very interesting, especially as, in German literature, Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller is a very well known name. The funny thing is that Schiller kept quite a lot of historical facts (the strained relationship between Carlos and his father, his infatuation with his original bride-to-be and later step-mother, his rage at not being sent to the Lower Countries) and twisted it into a completely different story. In his drama, Carlos has no deficiencies, but is shown as an idealistic young man who abhors his father's repressive regime and wants to bring freedom to his people.