by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Barbara of Portugal, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Infanta Barbara of Portugal was the wife of King Fernando VI of Spain. Born December 4, 1711, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, Barbara was the eldest of the six children and the only daughter of João V, King of Portugal and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria. Barbara’s parents remained childless for the first three years of their marriage. Her father promised God that he would build a great convent as a sign of gratitude if an heir to the throne was born. King João V fulfilled his promise and built the Palace-Convent of Mafra located in Mafra, Portugal, a short distance from Lisbon.

The facade of the Palace-Convent of Mafra; Credit – By Pedro S Bello – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124113359

At birth, Barbara was styled Princess of Brazil as the heir presumptive and given the names Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa, honoring several saints and relatives. She was called Barbara, a name that had never been used in the Portuguese royal family, after Saint Barbara whose feast day was on her birthday. Barbara’s paternal grandparents were Pedro II, King of Portugal and his second wife Maria Sophia of Neuburg. Her maternal grandparents were  Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and his third wife Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg. Barbara’s grandmothers were sisters and so her parents were first cousins.

The two eldest children in the family, Barbara with her brother Pedro who died at the age of two; Credit – Wikipedia

Barbara had five younger brothers. Two of her brothers died in childhood and one died in his teens. The surviving two brothers were both Kings of Portugal. After the birth of her brother Pedro, Barbara was no longer the heir presumptive. Pedro died when he was two but by that time Barbara had another brother, the future King José I of Portugal.

• Infante Pedro of Portugal (1712 – 1714), died in early childhood
• José I, King of Portugal (1714 – 1777), married Mariana Victoria of Spain, had four daughters including his successor Maria I, Queen of Portugal who married her paternal uncle Pedro (below)
• Infante Carlos of Portugal (1716 – 1736), died of a high fever, aged 19
• Pedro III, King of Portugal (1717 – 1786), married his niece Maria I, Queen of Portugal, and was her co-ruler, had six children
• Infante Alexandre of Portugal (1723 – 1728), died in childhood from smallpox

Barbara in 1725 Credit – Wikipedia

Barbara received an excellent education. She spoke Portuguese, French, German, and Italian fluently, and she would later learn Spanish after her marriage. Like her father she loved music. When Barbara was eight years old, her father hired the great Italian harpsichordist and composer Domenico Scarlatti as her music master and the music director of the Royal Chapel. Barbara became a talented keyboard player and when she married in 1729, Scarlatti followed her to Spain and composed hundreds of harpsichord sonatas for her. Scarlatti remained Barbara’s music master until he died in 1757, a year before Barbara died.

Barbara in 1729, the year of her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1725, Barbara was on a list of 99 princesses who were potential brides for King Louis XV of France. However, because of concerns about her health and her young age, she was removed from the list. To strengthen an alliance with Spain, a double marriage between Portugal and Spain was arranged between Barbara and the future Fernando VI, King of Spain, the son and heir of Felipe V, King of Spain, and Barbara’s brother the future José I, King of Portugal, her father’s heir, and Fernando’s half-sister Mariana Victoria of Spain.

A contemporary engraving depicting the Exchange of the Princesses over the Caia River on the Portugal-Spain border; Credit – Wikipedia

In a complex and protocol-filled arrangement called the Exchange of Princesses, on January 19, 1729, the two sets of princes and princesses were escorted to the Portugal-Spain border by the two royal courts, and the princesses were exchanged in a richly decorated wooden pavilion built on a bridge over the Caia River that linked the towns of Elvas, Portugal and Badajoz, Spain. Then, both couples were married in richly decorated pavilions on the same day on the grooms’ sides of the Caia River. Fernando and Barbara had no children except a stillborn son in 1733.

Barbara’s husband Fernando; Credit – Wikipedia

Barbara’s father-in-law King Felipe V suffered from mental instability and as he grew older, his mental issues worsened, and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma became the de facto ruler of Spain. Queen Elisabeth never showed affection toward her stepson Fernando. She considered him to be an obstacle to achieving her main objective: to provide her sons with King Felipe V of Spain with a realm to rule. Fernando and Barbara continually had to deal with the animosity of Queen Elisabeth who wanted to keep her stepson away from court. From 1733 until 1737, they were kept more or less under house arrest in their apartments, prevented from appearing in public, and watched by the spies of Queen Elisabeth, until Barbara’s father King João V of Portugal intervened.

Felipe V, King of Spain died of a stroke at the age of 62 on July 9, 1746, and Fernando succeeded to the Spanish throne. Fernando VI, King of Spain reigned for thirteen years. Benevolent but weak, Fernando VI left the government mostly to others. He allowed his troublesome stepmother Elisabeth to remain in Spain but banned her from court. As Queen Consort of Spain, Barbara did not have as much political ambition as Fernando’s stepmother Elisabeth. Instead, Barbara was focused mainly on a friendly relationship between Spain and Portugal. However, Barbara was the conduit through which the government ministers worked with King Fernando VI. She was presented with all documents of state before they were given to King Fernando VI because only she knew what should be said or hidden from him.

Barbara shortly before her death; Credit – Wikipedia

Barbara suffered from severe asthma for most of her life and became obese in the years before her death. On August 27, 1758, at the age of 46, Barbara died at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain. She was buried in the Church of Saint Barbara at the Convent of the Salesas Reales in Madrid, Spain which she had founded in 1748 as a school and home for young noblewomen. Barbara’s death broke Fernando’s heart. During the last year of his reign, probably at least partially caused by his wife’s death, Fernando VI rapidly lost his mental capacity and was held at the Castle of Villaviciosa de Odón, near Madrid, where he died less than a year after Barbara’s death, on August 10, 1759, as the age of 45. He was buried with his wife Barbara in the Church of Saint Barbara at the Convent of the Salesas Reales in Madrid.

Tomb of Barbara of Portugal; Queen of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Bárbara de Braganza (2022) Wikipedia (Portuguese). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1rbara_de_Braganza (Accessed: November 28, 2022).
• Bárbara de Braganza (2022) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1rbara_de_Braganza (Accessed: November 28, 2022).
• Flantzer, Susan. (2022) João V, King of Portugal, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/joao-v-king-of-portugal/ (Accessed: November 28, 2022).
• Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Fernando VI, King of Spain, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/fernando-vi-king-of-spain/ (Accessed: November 28, 2022).
• Maria Bárbara de Bragança, Rainha de Espanha (2022) Wikipedia (Portuguese). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_B%C3%A1rbara_de_Bragan%C3%A7a,_Rainha_de_Espanha (Accessed: November 28, 2022).

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Felipe IV, King of Spain, Filipe III, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Besides being King of Spain, Felipe was also King of Portugal (from 1621 to 1640) and King of Sardinia, King of Naples, King of Sicily, Duke of Milan, Duke of Lothier, Duke of Brabant, Duke of Limburg, Duke of Luxemburg, Count Palatine of Burgundy, Count of Flanders, Count of Hainaut and Count of Namur from 1621 until his death in 1665.

Felipe Domingo Víctor de la Cruz was born on April 8, 1605, at the Royal Palace of Valladolid in Valladolid, Spain. He was the eldest of the four sons and third but the second surviving of the eight children of Felipe III, King of Spain and Margaret of Austria. His paternal grandparents were Felipe II, King of Spain and his fourth wife and niece Anna of Austria. Felipe IV’s maternal grandparents were Karl II, Archduke of Austria-Styria and his niece Maria Anna of Bavaria. As the heir to the Spanish throne, Felipe was titled Prince of Asturias.

The House of Habsburg was notorious for its inbreeding. The Habsburgs had built their empire by marriage and they wanted to keep the land they amassed all in the family, so they began to intermarry more and more frequently among themselves. Of the eleven marriages of Spanish monarchs between 1450 and 1661, nearly all contained some element of consanguinity, marriages between very closely related people. Felipe IV’s parents, King Felipe III and Margaret of Austria, both children of parents who were an uncle and his niece, were first cousins once removed and second cousins, adding to more inbreeding.

Felipe with his elder sister Ana María Mauricia: Credit – Wikipedia

Felipe IV had seven siblings but only four survived childhood. His elder sister Ana María Mauricia, better known as Queen Anne of France, married King Louis XIII of France. They were the parents of King Louis XIV of France. When Felipe IV was ten years old, his mother died at the age of twenty-six from childbirth complications eleven days after giving birth to her eighth child.

Felipe IV’s siblings:

• Ana María Mauricia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1601 – 1666), married Louis XIII, King of France, had two sons Louis XIV, King of France and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
• Maria of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1603)
• Maria Anna of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1606 – 1646), married Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, had six children including Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and Marianna of Austria who married her maternal uncle Felipe IV, King of Spain
• Carlos of Austria, Infante of Spain (1607 – 1632), unmarried
• Ferdinand of Austria, Cardinal-Infante of Spain (1609 – 1641), unmarried
• Margarita of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1610 – 1617), died in childhood
• Alonso of Austria, Infante of Spain (1611 – 1612), died in infancy

An assassination caused an early marriage for Felipe IV. On May 14, 1610, King Henri IV of France was assassinated by a Catholic zealot François Ravaillac, and his nine-year-old son ascended the French throne as King Louis XIII. The widowed Queen, Marie de’ Medici, was appointed Regent for her son. During this period, there were struggles in France between the Catholics and the Protestants (French Huguenots). The new Regent, Marie de’ Medici promoted a strong alliance with the Spanish monarchy and favored Catholicism over Protestantism. To strengthen this bond, she arranged the marriages of her son King Louis XIII to Felipe IV’s elder sister Ana María Mauricia and her eldest daughter Elisabeth of France to the future King Felipe IV of Spain.

Felipe IV’s first wife Elisabeth of France; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 13, 1615, at the Louvre Palace in Paris, France, both young couples were married by proxy and soon, Elisabeth and her brother Louis XIII left Paris to meet their respective spouses. On Pheasant Island in the Bidassoa River that divides France and Spain, the two couples first met and the brides were exchanged. On November 25, 1615, at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Burgos, Spain, 13-year-old Elisabeth married 10-year-old Felipe in a religious ceremony.

Because of the couple’s young age, the marriage was not consummated. The situation changed when Elisabeth’s father-in-law King Felipe III became ill, the marriage was consummated, and Elisabeth quickly became pregnant. King Felipe III died on March 31, 1621, and was succeeded by his 16-year-old son as King Felipe IV of Spain and King Filip III of Portugal

Felipe IV and Elisabeth’s only child to survive to adulthood, Maria Theresa, at age 14; Credit – Wikipedia

Felipe and Elisabeth had eight children but only their youngest child survived to adulthood. Besides having so many children die young, Elisabeth had three miscarriages. It is very probable that her husband transmitted a venereal disease he had contracted with one of his mistresses to Elisabeth. This may explain the miscarriages and the many dead infants.

• Maria Margarita of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)
• Margarita Maria Catalina of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)
• Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)
• Isabella Maria of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)
• Balthasar Carlos of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646), died at age 16 from smallpox
• Francisco Fernando of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)
• Maria Ana Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)
• Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1638 – 1683), married King Louis XIV of France, had six children but only one son survived childhood

Elisabeth was aware of Felipe IV’s mistresses. There were rumors about her relationship with the diplomat Juan de Tassis, 2nd Count of Villamediana, her gentleman-in-waiting. Throughout her marriage, Elisabeth suffered in silence over the deaths of her children and her miscarriages. The fact that Felipe IV’s mistresses gave him children – it has been estimated that Felipe IV was the father of at least thirty illegitimate children – made Elisabeth feel even worse. Her feelings are evident in her letters to her brother King Louis XIII and sister-in-law Queen Anne of France. Weakened by her multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Elisabeth died at the Royal Alcázar in Madrid, Spain on October 6, 1644, at the age of forty-one, after miscarrying a son. She was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Mariana of Austria, Felipe IV’s niece and second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1646, continuing the Habsburg practice of intermarriage, Felipe IV arranged a marriage for his son and heir Balthasar Carlos, Prince of Asturias with his first cousin Mariana of Austria, the daughter of King Felipe IV’s sister Maria Anna and Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III. However, Balthasar Carlos died three months later from smallpox, leaving his father no male heir. Three years later, on October 7, 1649, 44-year-old Felipe IV married his son’s former fiancée, his 14-year-old niece Mariana of Austria, adding to more inbreeding.

Felipe IV and Mariana had five children but only two survived childhood:

• Margarita Teresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1651 – 1673), married her maternal uncle and first cousin Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, had four children, only one survived infancy
• Maria Ambrosia de la Concepción of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1655), died in infancy
• Felipe of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1657 – 1661), died in childhood
• Fernando of Austria, Infante of Spain (1658 – 1659), died in infancy
• Carlos II, King of Spain (1661 – 1700) married (1) Marie Louise d’Orléans, no children (2) Maria Anna of Neuburg, no children

Felipe IV and Mariana’s son King Carlos II of Spain had a severe type of mandibular prognathism (Habsburg jaw); Credit – Wikipedia

The Spanish House of Habsburg would end with the reign of Felipe IV and Mariana’s physically and mentally disabled son Carlos II, King of Spain. While a person in the fifth generation normally has thirty-two different ancestors, Carlos II had only ten different ancestors in the fifth generation. Seven of his eight great-grandparents were descended from Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and her husband Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy. See the family tree of the ancestors of Felipe IV’s parents, Felipe III and his wife, at Wikipedia: Family Tree of Felipe III of Spain.

Carlos II’s Habsburg jaw (mandibular prognathism), a disfiguring genetic disorder in which the lower jaw outgrows the upper jaw, was so severe that he swallowed his food without thoroughly chewing. He did not learn to walk until he was eight and never was educated as befitted the heir to the throne. Carlos II died at the age of thirty-eight. Neither of his two marriages produced children, and so Carlos was succeeded by 16-year-old Philip of Anjou, the  French grandson of his elder half-sister Maria Theresa of Austria and King Louis XIV of France who reigned as Felipe V, King of Spain, the first Spanish king of the House of Bourbon which is still the reigning house of Spain.

Felipe IV painted by Diego Velázquez in 1656; Credit – Wikipedia

Felipe IV, King of Spain is best remembered for his patronage of the arts, including supporting such artists as Diego Velázquez, and his rule over Spain during the Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648), one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history. In 1640, Felipe IV lost the Kingdom of Portugal which the King of Spain had held since 1580. The Portuguese House of Braganza came to power in Portugal after deposing the Spanish Habsburg dynasty in the Portuguese Restoration War, resulting in João, 8th Duke of Braganza becoming King João IV of Portugal. During the reign of Felipe IV, the Spanish Empire reached approximately 4.7 million square miles/12.2 million square kilometers in area. However, in other aspects, the Spanish Empire was in decline, and Felipe IV’s inability to achieve successful domestic and military reform was part of the reason.

In early September 1665, Felipe IV began to feel unwell. His stools were bloody which meant he may have had dysentery. After great suffering, Felipe IV, King of Spain, aged 60, died on September 17, 1665, at the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, located at the site of today’s Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain. He was interred in the Pantheon of Kings at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Tomb of Felipe IV, King of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Felipe IV’s second wife Mariana of Austria was appointed Regent for their three-year-old son Carlos II, King of Spain. Due to Carlos’ physical and mental issues, Mariana remained an influential figure during his reign, until her death. She survived her husband by thirty-one years, dying on May 16, 1696, at Uceda Palace in Madrid, Spain, at the age of sixty-one.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Mariana of Austria – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_of_Austria> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Philip IV of Spain – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_Spain> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Es.wikipedia.org. 2022. Felipe IV de España – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_IV_de_Espa%C3%B1a> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Flantzer, S., 2019. Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/elisabeth-of-france-queen-of-spain/> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Felipe III, King of Spain, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/felipe-iii-king-of-spain/> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Wheatcroft, Andrew (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Manuela of Portugal, Princess of Asturias; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Manuela of Portugal, Princess of Asturias was the first of the four wives of Felipe II, King of Spain but she died before he became king. Born in Coimbra, Portugal on October 15, 1527, she was the eldest of the three daughters and the second but the eldest surviving of the nine children of João III, King of Portugal and Catherine of Austria. Maria Manuela was the heir presumptive to the throne of Portugal from her birth until her brother Manuel was declared the heir in 1535. Maria Manuela’s paternal grandparents were Manuel I, King of Portugal and his second wife Maria of Aragon. Her maternal grandparents were Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon.

João Manuel, Maria Manuela’s only sibling who survived childhood; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Manuela had eight siblings. Of her eight younger siblings, only João Manuel survived childhood but he died at age sixteen after producing a son who succeeded to the throne of Portugal.

• Afonso, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (born and died 1526), died in infancy
• Infanta Isabel (born and died 1528), died in infancy
• Infanta Beatriz (born and died 1530), died in infancy
• Manuel, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (1531 – 1537), died in childhood
• Filipe, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (1533 – 1539), died in childhood
• Infante Dinis (1535 – 1537), died in childhood
• João Manuel, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (1537 – 1554), married his first cousin Joanna of Austria, daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, had one son who succeeded his grandfather João III, King of Portugal as Sebastian I, King of Portugal; João Manuel died from tuberculosis at age sixteen.
• Infante António (1539 – 1540), died in infancy

Felipe, Prince of Asturias, later King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Manuela’s upbringing was influenced by her mother’s deep religious piety and the expectation that as the only daughter of the King of Portugal, she would marry a high-ranking prince. Her groom was to be Felipe, Prince of Asturias (the title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the throne of Spain), the eldest son and heir of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy, one of the most powerful ever monarchs who had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. Maria Manuela and Felipe were double first cousins. Maria Manuela’s father João III, King of Portugal and Felipe’s mother Isabella of Portugal were siblings and Maria Manuela’s mother Catherine of Austria and Felipe’s father Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor were siblings.

The two sixteen-year-olds were to be married in Salamanca, Kingdom of Castile and León, now in Spain, and in October 1543, Maria Manuela left Portugal to travel to her new homeland. During her trip from Lisbon, Portugal, there were festivities at every stop. An incognito Prince Felipe followed Maria Manuela’s traveling party. When the royal party arrived at a town where they were going to rest, Felipe mixed with the crowds in the streets to watch his future wife.

Maria Manuela was met by the dignitaries of Salamanca and made a magnificent entrance into the city. Prince Felipe arranged to be on a balcony and Maria Manuela, aware that he would be on the balcony, covered her face with a fan as she passed by. However, the court jester distracted Maria Manuela with his jokes causing her to move the fan, revealing her face. Later that afternoon, Felipe left the Salamanca incognito, and then made a grand entrance into the city accompanied by Cardinal Juan Álvarez de Toledo and Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba.

On November 15, 1543, the betrothal was celebrated at 1:00 AM with Cardinal Juan Álvarez de Toledo giving the couple the nuptial blessing. A nuptial mass was then celebrated at 4:00 AM. The rest of the day and several of the following days were spent in parties and tournaments. Maria Manuela and Felipe traveled to the Royal Convent of Santa Clara in Tordesillas, Kingdom of Castile and León to visit their mutual grandmother Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon. Juana was very pleased to see and embrace her grandchildren, and the story goes that she made them dance in her presence.

The tomb of Maria Manuela is on the right, the tomb of her son Carlos is on the left; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Sadly, Maria Manuela and Felipe had a short marriage. On July 8, 1545, Maria Manuela gave birth to a son in Valladolid, Kingdom of Castile and León. Four days later, on July 12, 1545, she died, aged seventeen, due to childbirth complications. Maria Manuela was initially buried in the Royal Chapel of Granada but in 1549 her remains were transferred to the Royal Crypt at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, now in Spain, where she was interred in the Pantheon of Infantes which houses the tombs of Infantes, Infantas, and Queen Consorts who were not the mothers of a future King of Spain.

Maria Manuela and Felipe’s son Carlos, Prince of Asturias, circa 1562; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Manuela and Felipe’s son Carlos, Prince of Asturias (1545 – 1568), died unmarried. Carlos was mentally unstable and was imprisoned in his rooms by his father Felipe in early 1568 after participating in a plot to murder his father. Carlos died, aged twenty-three, after six months of solitary confinement.

Felipe married three more times, to his first cousin once removed Queen Mary I of England, to Elisabeth of Valois, daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici, and to his niece Anna of Austria, daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Austria, who was Felipe’s sister. Felipe was a widower three more times and had children with his third and fourth wives. Having survived all four of his wives, Felipe II, King of Spain died at the age of 71 on September 13, 1598, and was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. John III of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_III_of_Portugal> [Accessed 17 August 2022].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Manuela,_Princess_of_Portugal> [Accessed 17 August 2022].
• Es.wikipedia.org. 2022. María Manuela de Portugal – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Manuela_de_Portugal> [Accessed 17 August 2022].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2019. King Philip II of Spain. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-philip-ii-of-spain/> [Accessed 17 August 2022].
• Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
• Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Manuela de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Manuela_de_Portugal> [Accessed 17 August 2022].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Carlota Joaquina of Spain, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlota Joaquina of Spain was the wife of João VI, King of Portugal. She was detested by members of the Portuguese royal court who called her Megera de Queluz – the Shrew of Queluz. She conspired against her husband several times and was eventually placed under house arrest at the Palace of Queluz.

Carlota Joaquina Theresa Marcos Cayetana Coleta Francisca de Sales Rafaela Vizenta Ferrer Juana Nepomucena Fernanda Josepha Luisa Sinforosa Antonia Francisca Bibiana Maria Casilda Rita Genara y Pasquala was born at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Spain on April 25, 1775. She was the second of the fourteen children and the eldest of the six daughters of Carlos IV, King of Spain and his first cousin Maria Luisa of Parma. Her paternal grandparents were Carlos III, King of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony. Carlota Joaquina’s maternal grandparents were Augustus III, King of Poland, Elector of Saxony and Maria Josepha of Austria.

The Family of Carlos IV by Francisco de Goya, 1800; L to R: Infante Carlos, Count of Molina; the artist Francisco de Goya at the easel; the future King Fernando VII, Infanta Maria Josepha (sister of Carlos IV); a young woman whose face cannot be seen who is representing the future wife of King Fernando VII; Infanta Maria Isabel; Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Portugal; Infante Francisco de Paula; King Carlos IV; Infante Antonio Pascual (brother of Carlos IV); Carlota Joaquina or her sister Infanta Maria Amalia; Carlo Ludovico of Parma (husband of Maria Luisa); Infanta Maria Luisa; child in the arms of Maria Luisa, her son, the future Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma

Carlota Joaquina had thirteen siblings:

• Carlos Clemente, Infante of Spain (1771 – 1774), died in infancy
• Maria Luisa, Infanta of Spain (1777 – 1782), died in childhood
• Maria Amalia, Infanta of Spain (1779 – 1798), married her paternal uncle Infante Antonio Pascual of Spain, died after giving birth to a stillborn son
• Carlos Domingo, Infante of Spain (1780 – 1783), died in childhood
• Maria Luisa, Infanta of Spain, Duchess of Lucca (1782 – 1824), married Carlo Ludovico of Parma, King of Etruria, had two children
• Carlos Francisco de Paula, Infante of Spain (1783 – 1784), twin of Felipe Francisco de Paula, died in infancy
• Felipe Francisco de Paula, Infante of Spain (1783 – 1784), twin of Carlos Francisco de Paula, died in infancy
• Fernando VII, King of Spain (1784 – 1833), married (1) Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, no children (2) his niece, Carlota Joaquina’s daughter Maria Isabel of Portugal, had one daughter who died in infancy and one stillborn daughter, died in childbirth (3) Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony, no children (4) Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, had two daughters including Queen Isabella II of Spain
• Carlos, Infante of Spain, Count of Molina (1788 – 1855, married (1) Maria Francisca, Infanta of Portugal, had three sons (2) Maria Teresa, Infanta of Portugal (sister of his first wife), no children
• Maria Isabel, Infanta of Spain (1789 – 1848), married (2nd wife) Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies, had twelve children
• Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain (1791 – 1794), died in childhood from smallpox
• Felipe Maria, Infante of Spain (1792 – 1794), died in childhood
• Francisco de Paula, Infante of Spain (1794 – 1865), married (1) his niece Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily, had eleven children (2) Teresa de Arredondo y Ramirez de Arellano (morganatic marriage), had one son

Carlota Joaquina was brought up in the strict and austere Spanish court that imposed rigid norms of behavior and etiquette on the royal family and the entire court. She had a very strict Catholic upbringing and studied religion, geography, painting, and horseback riding which she loved.

Carlota Joaquina of Spain in 1785, the year of their marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

Before Carlota Joaquina was ten-years-old, her marriage was arranged by her paternal grandfather Carlos III, King of Spain and his sister Mariana Victoria, Dowager Queen of Portugal to improve relations between the two countries. Her groom was to be João, Infante of Portugal, the 18-year-old grandson of Mariana Victoria, Dowager Queen of Portugal. João was the second surviving son of Maria I, Queen of Portugal and her husband and paternal uncle Pedro III, King of Portugal. Pedro was Maria I’s co-ruler but he was only a nominal king because the actual regal authority was vested solely in Maria I. However, before the marriage arrangements could be finalized, Carlota Joaquina had to undergo a series of public examinations in front of the Spanish court and Portuguese ambassadors sent on behalf of Queen Maria I of Portugal. She passed the examinations with flying colors.

João VI, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Because Carlota Joaquina and João were related and because the bride was only ten years old, the marriage required a papal dispensation. A proxy marriage was held in Spain on May 8, 1785, and three days later, Carlota Joaquina left for Lisbon, Portugal. The in-person wedding took place in the chapel of the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa on June 9, 1785. Due to the bride’s young age, the consummation of the marriage was delayed for five years.

Carlota Joaquina and João had nine children:

• Maria Teresa of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal (1793 – 1874), married (1) her first cousin Infante Pedro Carlos of Spain and Portugal, had one son (2) her maternal uncle Infante Carlos of Spain, Count of Molina, widower of her sister Maria Francisca, no children
• Francisco António of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal, Prince of Beira (1795 – 1801), died in childhood
• Maria Isabel of Braganza, Infante of Portugal (1797 – 1818), married her paternal uncle (2nd wife) Ferdinand VII, King of Spain, had one daughter who died in infancy and one stillborn daughter, Maria Isabel died due to childbirth complications
• Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal (1798 – 1834), married (1) Maria Leopoldina of Austria, had seven children, Maria Leopoldina died due to complications of a miscarriage (2) Amélie of Leuchtenberg, had one daughter
• Maria Francisca of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal (1800 – 1834), her maternal uncle Infante Carlos of Spain, Count of Molina, had three children
• Isabel Maria of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal (1801 – 1876), unmarried, Regent of Portugal (1826 to 1828)
• Miguel I, King of Portugal (1802 – 1866), King of Portugal (1828 – 1834), forced to abdicate, married Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, had seven children
• Maria da Assunção of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal (1805 – 1834), died unmarried
• Ana de Jesus Maria of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal (1806 – 1857), married Nuno José Severo de Mendonça Rolim de Moura Barreto, Marquis of Loulé and Count of Vale de Reis, had five children

In 1788, João’s elder brother José died from smallpox at the age of twenty-seven. As José’s marriage had produced no children, 21-year-old João became the heir to the throne of Portugal and received the titles Prince of Brazil and Duke of Braganza, and Carlota Joaquina received the female counterparts of the titles. João would soon have to take a leadership role due to his mother’s mental instability which was first noticed in 1786 when she had to be carried back to her apartments in a state of delirium. Queen Maria I’s mental instability continued to worsen. The deaths of her husband Pedro III in 1786, her eldest son and heir José in 1788, and her confessor Inácio de São Caetano, Archbishop of Salonica in 1788 may have caused major depressive disorder. Another potential causal factor of her mental instability may have been inbreeding, as Maria I’s two unmarried sisters Maria Ana Francisca and Maria Doroteia had similar conditions. In 1792, João took over the government on his mother’s behalf but he did not assume the title of Prince Regent until 1799.

João and Carlota Joaquina; Credit – Wikipedia

When João became Prince Regent, Carlota Joaquina would often interfere in matters of state, trying to influence her husband’s decisions. Her attempts at meddling in politics displeased the Portuguese nobility and the Portuguese people. Because she was excluded from government decisions, Carlota Joaquina plotted to remove João from his position as Prince Regent by arresting him and declaring that like his mother, he was incapable of ruling. The plot was discovered in 1805 and an investigation and the arrest of those involved were proposed. João wanted to avoid a public scandal and instead of an investigation and arrests, he confined Carlota Joaquina to the Palace of Queluz, and he moved to the Palace of Mafra, effectively causing a marital separation.

The Royal Family of Portugal and their entourage leaving for Brazil; Credit – Wikipedia

In late 1807, Spanish and Napoleonic forces threatened Portugal, causing Prince Regent João, in the name of his mother Queen Maria I, to move the royal court from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, in the Portuguese colony of Brazil. While in Brazil, Carlota Joaquina concocted another scheme. After Napoleon invaded Spain, King Fernando VII of Spain, Carlota Joaquina’s younger brother, was forced to abdicate and give the Spanish throne to Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte. Napoleon kept Fernando under guard in France for six years at the Château de Valençay until the Treaty of Valençay on December 11, 1813, provided for the restoration of Fernando as King of Spain. Between 1808 and 1812, Carlota Joaquina intended to replace her brother Fernando VII as Regent of Spain for the duration of his confinement and Joseph Bonaparte’s usurpation of the Spanish throne. She planned to send an army to occupy Buenos Aires on the Río de la Plata, in the Spanish colony of Argentina, and style herself “Queen of La Plata”. The plan failed as the Portuguese-Brazilian forces only managed to annex the eastern banks of the Rio de la Plata which remained part of the Empire of Brazil until the disputed land seceded in 1828 as the Republic of Uruguay.

On March 20, 1816, Maria I, Queen of Portugal died, aged 81, at the Carmo Convent in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Carlota Joaquina’s husband succeeded her as João VI, King of Portugal. In 1821, after a series of revolutions and army mutinies in Portugal, João VI, under pressure from the Portuguese parliament, departed Brazil for Portugal, leaving behind his eldest son Pedro as Regent of Brazil. Upon his return to Portugal, João VI, under pressure, called a constitutional Cortes Gerais, consisting of all three estates – the nobility, clergy, and bourgeoisie – to draft a constitution that made Portugal a constitutional monarchy. João VI made vows to uphold the new constitution. However, João’s wife Carlota Joaquina had other ideas.

Carlota Joaquina’s youngest son Miguel; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlota Joaquina allied with her youngest son Miguel, who shared his mother’s conservative views. In 1824, using Miguel’s position as army commander, they took power and held João VI as a virtual prisoner in the palace. Carlota Joaquina tried to make João VI abdicate in favor of his son Miguel. João VI received help from a British naval fleet in the port. From aboard a Royal Navy warship, João VI reprimanded his son Miguel, deposed him from command of the army, and exiled him. João VI then returned to Bemposta Palace, reorganized the council of ministers, and showed generosity to the others who had rebelled. Later in the year, another rebellion organized by João VI’s wife Carlota Joaquina was discovered and she was placed under house arrest in the Palace of Queluz.

On March 4, 1826, after returning from a visit to the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, João VI suddenly fell ill with symptoms that included vomiting and convulsions, and died on March 10, 1826, aged 58. Doctors could not definitively determine a cause of death but it was suspected that João VI had been poisoned. In 2000, a team of researchers exhumed the ceramic pot that contained João VI’s heart. An analysis of his heart detected enough arsenic to kill two people, confirming suspicions that João VI had been murdered.

Carlota Joaquina, circa 1825; Credit – Wikipedia

For the rest of her life, Carlota Joaquina remained confined in the Palace of Queluz, where she died alone and abandoned by her children on January 7, 1830, at the age of 56. She was interred in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal.

Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora Credit – Wikipedia Commons

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Works Cited

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