Ferdinand VI of Spain

Ferdinand VI
King of Spain
Reign 9 July 1746–10 August 1759
Predecessor Philip V
Successor Charles III
Spouse Barbara of Portugal
House House of Bourbon
Father Philip V of Spain
Mother Maria Luisa of Savoy
Born 23 September 1713
Real Alcázar de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Died 10 August 1759(1759-08-10) (aged 45)
Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, Spain
Burial Convent of the Salesas Reales

Ferdinand VI (Spanish: Fernando VI; 23 September 1713 – 10 August 1759) was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy. Ferdinand, the third member of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, was born in Madrid on 23 September 1713.

Contents

Early life

Born at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, his youth was depressed. His father's second wife, Elisabeth of Parma, was a domineering woman, who had no affection except for her own children, and who looked upon her stepson as an obstacle to their fortunes. The hypochondria of his father left Elisabeth mistress of the palace.

Ferdinand was by temperament melancholy, shy and distrustful of his own abilities. When complimented on his shooting, he replied, "It would be hard if there were not something I could do."

As king he followed a steady policy of neutrality in the conflict between France and Britain, and refused to be tempted by the offers of either into declaring war on the other. In his life he was orderly and retiring, averse from taking decisions, though not incapable of acting firmly, as when he cut short the dangerous intrigues of his able minister Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea, Marquis of Ensenada by dismissing and imprisoning him. He was called Ferdinand the Learned for his refined pursuits.

Shooting and music were his only pleasures, and he was the generous patron of the famous singer Farinelli, whose voice soothed his melancholy.

Marriage

His father, King of Spain (Jean Ranc)

His wife, Barbara, was a beauty in her youth, but became quite overweight in her later years

Elisabeth of Parma, his famous step-mother (Jean Ranc)

Ferdinand was married in 1729 to Infanta Barbara of Portugal, daughter of John V of Portugal and Mary Anne of Austria. The very homely looks of his wife were thought by observers to cause the prince a visible shock when he was first presented to her. Yet he became deeply attached to his wife, and proved in fact nearly as luxurious as his father.

Beginning of the Reign

When he came to the throne, Spain found itself in the War of the Austrian Succession which ended without any benefit to Spain. He started his reign by eliminating the influence of the widow Queen Elisabeth of Parma and her group of Italian courtiers. As king he followed a steady policy of neutrality in the conflict between France and Britain, and refused to be tempted by the offers of either into declaring war on the other.

Prominent figures during his reign were the Marquis of Ensenada, a Francophile; and José de Carvajal y Lancaster, a supporter of the alliance with Great Britain. The fight between both ended in 1754 with the death of Carvajal the fall of Ensenada, after which Ricardo Wall became the most powerful advisor to the monarch.

The Projects of Ensenada

Royal styles of
King Ferdinand VI
Escudo del rey de España abreviado antes de 1868.svg
Reference style His Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Sire

The most important tasks during the reign of Ferdinand VI were carried out by the Marquis of Ensenada, the Secretary of the Treasury, Navy and Indies. He suggested that the state help modernize the country. To him, this was necessary to maintain a position of exterior strength so that France and Great Britain would consider Spain as an ally without supposing Spain's renunciation of its claim to Gibraltar.

Reforms

Among his reform projects were:

Foreign policy

Carvajal

Half escudo gold coin of Ferdinand VI, dated 1756

During the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, Spain reinforced its military might.

The main conflict was its confrontation with Portugal over the colony of Sacramento, from which British contraband was transferred down the Río de la Plata. In 1750 José de Carvajal helped Spain and Portugal strike a deal. Portugal agreed to renounce the colony and its claim to free navigation down the Río de la Plata. In return, Spain ceded to Portugal two regions on the Brazilian border, one in the Amazon and the other to the south, in which seven of the thirty Jesuit Guaraní towns. The Spanish had to expel the missionaries, generating a conflict with the Guaraní people that lasted eleven years.

The conflict over the towns provoked a crisis in the Spanish Court. Ensenada, favorable to the Jesuits, and Father Rávago, confessor of the King and members of the Society of Jesus, were fired, accused of hindering the agreements with Portugal.

Death

The death of his wife Barbara, who had been devoted to him, and who carefully abstained from political intrigue, broke his heart. Between the date of her death in August of 1758 and his own on 10 August 1759, he fell into a state of prostration in which he would not even dress, but wandered unshaven, unwashed and in a nightgown about his park. The memoirs of the count of Fernan Nuñez give a shocking picture of his deathbed.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Ancestry

Ancestors of Ferdinand VI of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16. Louis XIII of France
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Louis XIV of France
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17. Anna of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Louis, Dauphin of France
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18. Philip IV of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Maria Theresa of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19. Elisabeth of Bourbon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Philip V of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 20. Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21. Maria Anna of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Maria Anna of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22. Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. Henriette Adelaide of Savoy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23. Christine Marie of France
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. Ferdinand VI of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 24. Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (=22)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12. Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25. Christine Marie of France (=23)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6. Victor Amadeus II of Savoy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 26. Charles Amadeus of Savoy, 6th Duke of Nemours
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13. Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie-Nemours
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27. Elisabeth de Bourbon-Vendôme
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Maria Luisa of Savoy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28. Louis XIII of France (=16)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29. Anne of Austria (=17)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Anne Marie d'Orléans
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 30. Charles I of England
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15. Henrietta Anne Stuart
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31. Henrietta Maria of France
 
 
 
 
 
 

Titles and styles

External links

Ferdinand VI of Spain
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 23 September 1713 Died: 10 August 1759
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Philip V		 King of Spain
1746–1759		 Succeeded by
Charles III
Preceded by
Infante Louis		 Prince of Asturias
1724-1746		 Vacant
Title next held by
Infante Charles