Infante is the male title in Spain

Up to the present day in the Spanish kingdom, the infante (infanta) is the title given to the son (daughter) of the ruling monarch, who nevertheless have no right to inherit the throne of their father. It used to be that some princes of blood in Spain and Portugal inherited this title from their parents. In addition, in the aristocratic families of these countries, children were also called baboons, but in this case without reference to the royal family. The thing is that in Spanish, and in many Romance languages, "infant" is an infant, child, child.

The modern meaning of the term "infanta"

In the modern world this term is often used to refer to a newly born child, incapable of independent existence, which is completely dependent on matter. Probably, many were interested in the question: a baby - how old is the infant? And this question is not so idle. He is interested in many parents because of the fact that the infants in some public places (for example, in transport) are given significant discounts. So, for example, in England, the infant infant is a baby under 7 years old, and in other countries only babies up to 2 years old fall into this category. So, if the child is only 23 months old, then he does not need a ticket for staying in the plane, however a 25-month-old kid is entitled to a ticket, the cost of which is equal to the price of an adult.

Don Carlos - Spanish Infant

However, let's go back to historical times and remember the most famous of the Spanish infantry - Don Carlos. He was born in 1545, his parents were the Spanish King Philip and his first wife, Maria of Portugal. When the boy was only four days old, his mother died. The boy grew up alone, rarely met his father, who was constantly on the road. Carlos was engaged in his native aunt by father - donja Juana. She also ruled the state in the absence of her crowned brother.

Childhood of Carlos

The boy grew morbid and frail, was capricious, irritable, vain, loved when flattered, cringed before him. Carlos did not have any strong abilities and did not like to learn. Nevertheless, his teacher was a famous scientist throughout the country, Don Onorato Juan. Don Carlos, however, had also positive qualities: he was generous, kind-hearted and courageous. When he was 13 years old, his father decided to marry his son to the daughter of the French King Henry II, Elizabeth Valois. However, soon the girl became the bride not of her son, but of her father. The young queen flushed with sympathy for her stepchild, and the latter, in turn, answered her with love and gave her gifts. It did not escape the king, and jealousy began to torment him.

Uneasy relationship between father and son

Philip decided to remove Carlos from the courtyard and sent him to study at the University of Alcala. Before that, he demanded of the Cortes to swear allegiance to the heir to the throne of Carlos. After graduation, Carlos returned to the capital and began to lead a loose life. He had many enemies. He sometimes led with them extremely passionate, and sometimes he could surprise everyone with his generosity. Don Carlos despised the Duke of Albu, who stood at the helm of power, as well as the great inquisitor Eskinoz. When in 1566 Carlos wanted to participate in the affairs of state administration, his father, Philip, did not allow this. This attitude of the king wounded the pride of the young Infanta.

The next time, his father opposed his alliance with Queen Elizabeth's sister, and then married the daughter of Emperor Maximilian-Anna. Carlos became more and more aware of his father's malevolence and flushed him with hatred. This was what the ambassador of Flanders, Montigny, who was then in the Spanish capital, wanted to use. He planned to draw Infanta to participate in the uprising, and he succeeded. Carlos demanded from his father the post of ruler of the Netherlands, but the choice of Philip fell on the Duke of Albu. Infante took it as a personal insult, and in a rage with a dagger rushed to the duke, but he managed to dodge the blow and disarmed the prince. After this incident, Carlos was under the watchful eye of royal spies. Soon, on the orders of Philippe Montigny, he was arrested and executed.

The death of Carlos

Carlos also decided to leave Spain. However, his father soon found out about this and ordered the arrest of the Infanta. Further actions of the king led the entire court and the rulers of neighboring states into perplexity. Philip ordered to draw up accusations against his son, and some time later a rumor spread that Carlos died. However, no one could say for sure whether his death was natural or violent. The history of Don Carlos, the Spanish Infanta, was so dramatic that many poets and prose writers (Schiller, Chenier, Otway, etc.) used it as a plot for their works.

Conclusion

Today the term "infante" is, like in the past, the Spanish title, which is given to the princes of blood. The modern Spanish infants are the cousin of the reigning King Juan Carlos Carlos de Bourbon, as well as Prince Felipe - the son of King Juan Carlos. However, he is also the prince of Asturias, therefore he is the direct heir to the throne.