Infanta María Amalia of Spain

María Amalia, Infanta of Spain (9 January 1779 in Madrid – 22 July 1798 in Madrid), was a Spanish princess, daughter of King Charles IV of Spain. In 1795, she married her uncle Infante Antonio Pascual of Spain.

Early life

Born at the Royal Palace of El Pardo, Maria Amalia was the second surviving daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain (1748–1819) and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma (1751–1819), a granddaughter of Louis XV of France.

Maria Amalia's mother, Queen Maria Luisa, arranged her marriage to her maternal first cousin Louis, hereditary Prince of Parma. The Prince arrived at the Spanish court, in 1794, to finish his education. He was blond, good looking, of amiable character and he had a great interest in science. Five years younger than her cousin, Infanta Maria Amalia was fifteen years old at the time. She was short, not particularly attractive and sullen, reserved and shy in character. Louis, who was equally shy, preferred her younger sister, Infanta Maria Luisa, who although only twelve, was of a more cheerful disposition and somewhat better looking. Maria Amalia's parents accepted the unexpected change of brides, but it became a matter of urgency for them to find a husband for the saddened and scorned Maria Amalia. As she was the elder of the two sisters, it would be humiliating for Maria Amalia that her younger sister not only would marry her previous fiance, but that Maria Luisa would marry first. He had remained unmarried without responsibilities of any kind.

Maria Amalia married her uncle on 25 August 1795 at the Royal Palace of La Granja. It was a double wedding; at the same time, her sister, 13-year-old Maria Luisa, married Luis, Prince of Parma, Maria Amalia's original intended groom. The two couples continued living at the Spanish royal court. The delivery was complicated. The baby got stuck by the shoulders in the birth canal and the doctors were unable to extract him. boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; 1= 1. Infanta María Amalia of Spain 2= 2. Charles IV of Spain 3= 3. Maria Luisa of Parma 4= 4. Charles III of Spain 5= 5. Maria Amalia of Saxony 6= 6. Philip, Duke of Parma 7= 7. Louise-Élisabeth of France 8= 8. Philip V of Spain 9= 9. Elisabeth Farnese 10= 10. Augustus III of Poland 11= 11. Maria Josepha of Austria 12= 12. Philip V of Spain (= 8) 13= 13. Elisabeth Farnese (= 9) 14= 14. Louis XV of France 15= 15. Marie Leszczyńska