The jaw of Emperor Charles V did not go unnoticed. His exaggerated prognathism prevented him from chewing properly, which made him so embarrassed that he preferred to eat alone. This difficulty caused him indigestion, which he complained about all the time. As if that were not enough, the most powerful man of his time stammered, fainted frequently, and suffered from continuous and painful attacks of gout that tormented him throughout his life.
His ancestors on his father's side were the Habsburgs, a dynasty that extended its influence throughout Europe through a policy of consanguineous marriages that ensured political and financial alliances with other Crowns.
In the 16th century, the dynasty was subdivided into two branches: that of the Austrian Habsburgs and that of the Spanish Habsburgs, the Austrians, whose monarchs ruled the vast territories of the Spanish Empire until 1700. Despite the extraordinary power they enjoyed, their health It was declining due to genetic diseases associated with inbreeding.
Oblivious to the evils that this practice entailed, Charles V married his cousin Isabella of Portugal, whose dowry alleviated his financial difficulties. His son Philip II did the same with his first cousin María Manuela, with whom he had a sickly and psychotic child whom they named Carlos, who died in captivity when he was only 23 years old.
According to a study published in the journal Annals of Human Biology, carried out by genetic experts at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Prince Charles' blood had a consanguinity coefficient of 21 percent, almost the same as that resulting from a union between brothers.
These USC researchers have analyzed the genealogies of more than 8,000 individuals over 20 generations and have studied medical reports, as well as the degree of prognathism of members of the House of Habsburg through 66 portraits.