βWe know about this period largely through the letters Philip wrote to them from Portugal. The infantas wrote to their father regularly, but after reading their letters, Philip burned them. He instructed his daughters to burn his as well, but the girls disobeyed, and Catalina took her fatherβs letters with her to Turin, where they survive to this day. From these letters, we can often deduce or guess what the girls had written in theirs, since he often commented on their letters and responded to the topics they had addressed. Philipβs letters to his daughters provide us with insight not only into the girlsβ daily lives but also into their relationship with him.
Even from afar, Philip remained well informed about his daughtersβ activities; famously obsessive and micromanaging, he tried his best to control what they did. Yet he was also an affectionate and caring father who missed them and was interested in what they were doing. He encouraged them to write often, asking questions that he expected them to answer and thanking them for responding to everything that he had written. For the girls, writing was a means to reach out to their father, whom they in turn missed.
In his letters, Philip described his activities in Portugal, indicating not only his own preferences but also what he thought infantas would enjoy hearing about. He told them about his visits to monasteries, often with Archduke Albert, and the religious services that they attended there: a sermon, sung mass, vespers. He would often comment on the monastic buildings, the views from the monasteries, and especially the gardens. On one occasion, he stated that he intended to copy the plans for a garden he had seen, apparently to imitate it in Spain. In turn, the infantas told him about religious services at the Descalzas, where they were living, and about their trips to Aranjuez, Aceca, El Pardo, and the Escorial. Catalina wrote to him that there were citrons (cidras) in Aranjuez, and Philip responded that he was happy to hear it. He asked for news on the progress of the construction of the palace in Aranjuez, wondering if the fountain was operational, if the chapel was finished and the altarpiece in place, and if the clock was running. Several times, Philip commented that he envied their ability to visit these places, mentioning that what he missed most about Aranjuez was the song of the nightingales. He described in detail a trip he had taken by boat, noting that he had done so to make them envious. These exchanges reveal that the king and his daughters connected over their mutual love of gardens and the outdoors, as well as their religious devotion. (..)
Edible gifts, especially with a particular connection to the giver, fostered affection at a distance. On at least one occasion, the infantas sent Philip apricots, which unfortunately did not survive the trip: he described them as having arrived unrecognizable. He noted that he was especially sorry because the apricots had come from one of the garden trees close to the infantasβ window, which made the gift even dearer to him. In return, Philip sent his daughters a box of horticultural items: sweet limes (limas dulces), Spanish limes (limoncillos), roses, and blossoms from a lemon or orange tree. He told them to try the limes and write to tell him whether in fact they were sweet, because he had never seen any so big and thought they were probably lemons. He also explained that he sent the roses and the blossoms to show them what grew in Lisbon, adding that he had seen violets but no jonquils, which apparently were grown in Spain. He also sent them beads from the Indies, Agnus Dei, rosaries, and pardon beads (perdones) given to him by the papal legate. (..)
Personal matters also figure prominently in Philipβs letters, which tell us that the king knew his daughters well and did not shy away from sensitive subjects. For example, in October 1581, he told Catalina to be careful with her cheek, because he knew how often it swelled. To Isabelβs report of a nosebleed, Philip replied that she would probably continue to have nosebleeds until she began to menstruate. Two months later, congratulating Isabel on her fifteenth birthday, he added that she had not yet become a woman, which would suggest that his daughter had still not had her first period. (..)
His letters also reveal their shared fund of knowledge. When Philip mentioned Badajoz, the city where Queen Anna had died, he commented that he would rather not remember βsuch a bad place.β He had no need to say more, because the girls would have understood his reference. All of these allusions suggest the intimacy between father and daughters, and the ease with which they communicated. Philip reassured them that he missed them and their siblings; he asked the girls to tell their half-brother that he was sending him an elephant and would give him books of paintings upon his return to Spain. As he told his daughters, βI would like to see all of you in more than just portraits.β
Once their father returned to Madrid, they resumed the monarchβs festive court life, interacting regularly with the empress and many aristocrats. In Catalinaβs last few years in Madrid, she and Isabel gradually assumed roles usually given to the queen and took over many activities that Anna of Austria had once organized. They often joined their father in his excursions outside Madrid, as they did in November 1583 when they spent many days in the royal hunting lodge of El Pardo, enjoying frequent walks with him. In May 1584, the French representative at the Spanish court, Pierre de SΓ©gusson, lord of LonglΓ©e, reported that the infantas and the prince were in Aranjuez with their father, where they spent mornings walking in the gardens and afternoons making boat excursions and hunting. βFrom morning to evening, their highnesses never lose His Majesty from view,β LonglΓ©e related, βand it is a company that he [Philip] loves greatly.β In the years between Philipβs return from Portugal and Catalinaβs departure for Savoy, the girls spent many hours with him β KhevenhΓΌller reported in July 1584 that the infantas were always with the king β once again enjoying the life they had shared with him in the 1570s.β
Magdalena S. SΓ‘nchez, Infanta: The Short, Remarkable Life of Catalina Micaela
yousharknotpass
blakekathryn
stormborns
vaporwave
titsay
