Template:POTD/2014-12-13
Maria Anna (1606–46) was the youngest daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. A marriage planned for her in the 1620s to the future Charles I of England, a Protestant, did not take place as she was Catholic and neither one wanted to convert. Instead, in 1631 Maria Anna married the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand III. Theirs was reportedly a happy marriage, and as Holy Roman Empress Maria Anna was politically active.
This portrait was completed by Diego Velázquez in 1630, a year before Maria Anna's wedding.Painting: Diego Velázquez