Descendants of Charles III of Spain

Updated on Dec 20, 2023

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The descendants of Charles III of Spain, the third surviving son of the first Bourbon King of Spain are many. Growing up in Madrid till he was 16, he was sent to the Italian Sovereign Duchy of Parma and Piacenza which, through his mother Elisabeth of Parma, was considered his birthright. Charles married only once; he married the cultured Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony with whom he had 13 children with; 8 of these reached adulthood and a further 4 of them had issue.

A younger son of Charles would found the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, while his younger brother would found the House of Bourbon-Parma. This article deals with the children of Charles III and in turn their senior descendants.

Background of Charles

The future Charles III (Real Alcázar de Madrid, Madrid, Kingdom of Spain, 20 January 1716 – Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Kingdom of Spain, 14 December 1788) was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indes from 1759 to his death in 1788.

Eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, Princess Elisabeth of Parma, he became the Duke of Parma and Piacenza under the name of Charles I (at the death of his great uncle Antonio Farnese); later on in 1734 while Duke of Parma he conquered the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily and was thus created the King of Naples and Sicily due to a personal union; he ruled under the simple name of Charles with no specific numeration even though time has made him Charles VII of Naples and Charles V and Sicily. In Sicily, he was known as Charles III of Sicily and of Jerusalem; using the ordinal one III rather than V for the Sicilian people did not recognise as their sovereign legitimate one or Charles I of Naples (Charles d'Anjou), against whom they rebelled, nor the Emperor Charles, quickly discharged of the island. He was crowned King of Naples and Sicily at Palermo, Sicily on 3 July 1735.

After becoming the King of Spain by default, he left the Neapolitan and Sicilian kingdoms to his third surviving son who was later Ferdinand IV of Naples; Ferdinand III of Sicily; Ferdinand would see the creation of the future Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which would be ruled by Charles' descendants till 1861.

He was a proponent of enlightened absolutism.

Maria Amalia of Saxony

She was born at the Zwinger Palace in Dresden, the daughter of Augustus III of Poland, Elector of Saxony and Maria Josepha, herself daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor. Her full name was Maria Amalia Christina Franziska Xaveria Flora Walburga von Sachsen. One of 15 children, she was the sister of Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony,

In 1737 Maria Amalia became engaged to the future Charles III of Spain. The marriage date was confirmed on 31 October 1737. In 1738, at the age of 14, Maria Amalia married Charles of Bourbon, then King of Naples and Sicily. Despite the fact that this was an arranged marriage, the couple was very close and had many children. Maria Amalia had a proxy ceremony at Dresden in May 1738 with her brother.

The couple met for the first time on 19 June 1738 at Portella.

At the end of 1758, Charles' half brother Ferdinand VI was displaying the same symptoms of depression that their father used to suffer from. Ferdinand lost his devoted wife, Infanta Barbara of Portugal in August 1758 and would fall into deep morning for her. He named Charles his heir on 10 December 1758 before leaving Madrid to stay at Villaviciosa de Odón where he died on 10 August 1759. In September 1760, a year after arriving in Madrid, Maria Amalia died from tuberculosis at the Buen Retiro Palace outside the capital. She was buried at the Royal Crypt in El Escorial. She was joined by her devoted husband in 1788.

Princess Maria Isabel

Maria Isabel Antonietta de Padua Francisca Januaria Francisca de Paula Juana Nepomucena Josefina Onesifora of Naples and Sicily was born at the Palace of Portici, Portici, Modern Italy, 6 September 1740, she died in Naples on 2 November 1742. Due to being a male line descendant of Philip V of Spain (paternal grandfather) she was an Infanta of Spain.

Princess Maria Josefa

Born Princess Maria Josefa Antonietta of Naples and Sicily at the Palace of Portici on 20 January 1742 she later died in Naples on 1 April 1742. She was an Infanta of Spain.

Princess Maria Isabel Ana

Princess Maria Isabel Ana was born at the Palace of Capodimonte on 30 April 1743; the young princess died at Capodimonte on 5 March 1749 three weeks before her sixth birthday. She was an Infanta of Spain.

Princess Maria Josefa

Princess Maria Josefa Carmela was born at Gaeta in Italy on 6 July 1744; the first of the Charkes' childrent to live past their fifth birthday, she died in Madrid on 8 December 1801; despite her long life little is known of her. She was an Infanta of Spain.

Princess Maria Luisa

Born at the Palace of Portici on 24 November 1745, she would die at the Imperial Palace of the Hofburg in Vienna, 15 May 1792 aged 46. She would marry Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and become the future Holy Roman Empress; Queen consort of the Romans, Hungary and Bohemia; Archduchess consort of Austria; Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany. Despite being born as Princess Maria Luisa of Naples and Sicily, her "style" changed to Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain after 1759 when her father became King of Spain. She was buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

Prince Felipe

Prince Felipe Antonio Genaro Pasquale Francesco de Paula of Naples and Sicily was born the first son at the Palace of Portici, 13 June 1747; titled the Duke of Calabria, he was excluded from succession to the throne due to his mental conditions; he died at the Palace of Portici, 19 September 1777 and was buried in Naples. He was an Infante of Spain.

Charles IV of Spain

Prince Carlos Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno Jose Januario Serafin Diego of Naples and Sicily

Princess Maria Teresa

Maria Teresa Antonieta Francisca Javier Francisca de Paula Serafina was born at the Royal Palace of Naples, 2 December 1749; the young princess died at the Palace of Portici on 2 May 1750. She was an Infanta of Spain.

Prince Gabriel

Prince Gabriel Antonio Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Serafin Pascual Salvador of Naples and Sicily was born at the Palace of Portici, 11 May 1752; married Infanta Mariana Vitória of Portugal, daughter of Maria I of Portugal; had three children two of which died young; died at his private residence, the Casita del Infante, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, 23 November 1788.

Princess Maria Ana

Born at the Palace of Portici, 3 July 1754; she died at the Palace of Capodimonte, 11 May 1755. She was an Infanta of Spain.

Prince Antonio Pascual

Prince Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno Aniello Raimundo Sylvestre of Naples and Sicily was born at the Caserta Palace, 31 December 1755; he married his niece, Infanta Maria Amalia of Spain (1779–1798) in 1795 and had no issue. He died in Madrid on 20 April 1817. He is more commonly known as Infante Antonio Pascual. He was buried at El Escorial.

Prince Francis

Prince Francisco Javier Antonio Pascual Bernardo Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Aniello Julian of Naples and Sicily was born at the Caserta Palace on 15 February 1757 little is known of the youngest of Charles' children but he did move to Spain with his parents in 1759; he died unmarried and without known issue at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, Spain on 10 April 1771. He was buried at El Escorial.