Carlota Joaquina of Spain
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Carlota Joaquina of Spain | |||||
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Queen consort of Brazil | |||||
Tenure | 20 March 1816 – 12 October 1822 | ||||
Born | Palace of Aranjuez, Aranjuez, Spain | 25 April 1775||||
Died | 7 January 1830 Palace of Queluz, Sintra, Portugal | (aged 54)||||
Burial | , Lisbon, Portugal | ||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue Detail |
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House | Bourbon | ||||
Father | Charles IV of Spain | ||||
Mother | Maria Luisa of Parma | ||||
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Doña Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830) was Queen of Portugal and Brazil as the wife of King Dom John VI. She was the daughter of King Don Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma.
Detested by the Portuguese court — where she was called "the Shrew of
Life
Childhood
Born in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez on 25 April 1775 as the second (but eldest surviving) child of Charles, Prince of Asturias, and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma, she was baptized with the names of Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana, but she was called only by her first name, Carlota, a name that honored both her father and paternal grandfather, King Charles III of Spain—Carlota was his favorite granddaughter. Despite the rigidity of her education and court etiquette, the Infanta was described as mischievous and playful.
She received a rigid and deeply Catholic education, with bases in the fields of study of religion, geography, painting, and riding (Carlota's favorite sport). The closed and austere temperament of the Spanish monarchy imposed on the family and on the whole court rigid norms of behavior and etiquette. King Charles III, a man of reserved behavior, devoted more time to his family than to the animations of the courtesan life, where his daughter-in-law Maria Luisa took an active part. Carlota's mother soon assumed the organization of entertainments at court, with luxurious parties, where morals were easily forgotten. Soon the Princess of Asturias' image would be linked to that of a promiscuous woman who betrayed her husband to other men. Among them, possibly, was the Prime Minister Manuel Godoy, whose alleged love affair was widely explored by the press at the time. Not even the successive pregnancies and long-hoped birth of a living male heir to the throne in 1784 saved Maria Luísa from the contempt of the population. She would go down in history as one of the most unpopular queens in Spain and her bad reputation deeply affected her children, especially Carlota, the firstborn daughter.
Marriage
The subject of Carlota Joaquina's marriage was arranged by both King Charles III and his sister
Carlota's apprenticeship would be tested when she underwent a series of public examinations in front of the Spanish court and Portuguese ambassadors sent on behalf of Queen Maria I of Portugal to evaluate the qualities of the princess destined to marry her second son. In October 1785, the Gazeta of Lisbon published an account of the tests:
"Everything has satisfied so completely that one can not express the admiration which such a vast instruction ought to cause at such a tender age: but...the decided talent with which God has endowed this most serene Lady, her prodigious memory, understanding and that everything is possible, especially with the awakening and capacity with which the above-mentioned master promotes such useful and glorious applications."
Having proven the talent of the bride, there was therefore no impediment to the union with the Portuguese prince, so on 8 May 1785 was celebrated the proxy marriage; three days later, on 11 May, the 10-year-old Carlota Joaquina and her retinue left Spain for Lisbon. On the day she left the Spanish court, Carlota Joaquina asked her mother to make a painting of her in a red dress to place on the wall, instead of the painting of Infanta Margaret Theresa of Spain (which Carlota Joaquina claimed to be more beautiful). As a part of the infanta cortege were Father Felipe Scio, famous Spanish theologian and scholar, Emília O'Dempsy, as lady-in-waiting, and Anna Miquelina, personal maid of Carlota Joaquina. The official wedding ceremony between Infante John of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina took place on 9 June 1785; she was only 10 years old while her husband was 18. Due to the bride's young age, the consummation of the union was delayed until 9 January 1790, when Carlota Joaquina was then able to conceive and bear children.
Life in the Portuguese court
Nevertheless, the climate in the Bragança court differed in many respects from that of the cheerful Spanish court. While in other parts of the Europe they represented the mark of a new society based on the Age of Enlightenment principles, in Portugal the Catholic Church still imposed norms prohibiting all types of amusement. The dramatization of comedies was banned, including the performance of dances and parties. The reign of Queen Maria I was marked by the rise of a conservative group of the nobility and clergy of Portugal; an extremely "boredom" environment, as defined by Dowager Queen Mariana Victoria (Carlota Joaquina's great-aunt). In this way, Carlota Joaquina found herself in the midst of a very religious and austere environment, in contrast to the extravagance and the faust to which she was accustomed. Despite this, her relationship with her mother-in-law was very tender, as the letters exchanged between them proved. The joy and vivacity of Carlota were responsible for the rare hours of relaxation of the Queen.
Her more liberal habits and customs differed in many ways from that of other women at court. Quite traditional in relation to female behavior, Portuguese men disapproved of the ease with which Carlota Joaquina transited in public space, her performance in the political field and her distemper in the family routine. Since most Portuguese women were deprived of social life, Carlota Joaquina's offending behavior allowed some malicious rumors about her in the court. Some of them were prejudiced, like the Duchess of Abrantès, wife of the French General Junot, who later invaded Portugal. During her time in Lisbon, Madame Junot had ridiculed Carlota Joaquina both for her manner of acting and for her dressing, and she had vilified her as an extremely ugly woman.
Princess of Brazil
In 1788, when his eldest brother Joseph, Prince of Brazil died, Infante John became the first in line to his mother's throne. Soon he received the titles Prince of Brazil and 15th Duke of Braganza. Between 1788 and 1816, Carlota Joaquina was known as Princess of Brazil as the wife of the heir-apparent of the Portuguese throne. Some scholars believe that her disdain for Brazil led to behaviors that alienated her from both the people and her husband.
His religious observances bored her, and their personalities were quite incompatible. Nevertheless, she gave birth to nine children during their marriage and, because they were all handsome, it was rumoured that especially the younger ones had a different father. [attribution needed]
After Queen Maria I declared insane in 1792, Prince John took over the government in her name, even though he only took the title of Prince Regent in 1799. This change in events suited Carlota Joaquina's ambitious and sometimes violent nature. In the Portuguese court she would interfere frequently in matters of state, trying to influence the decisions of her husband; these attempts to meddle in politics displeased the Portuguese nobility and even the population.
Because she was often excluded from government decisions, Carlota Joaquina organized a plot with the intention to take the reins of power from the Prince Regent. She had him arrested, declaring that, like his mother, he was incapable of rule.
However, in 1805 this plot was discovered. Count of Vila Verde proposed the opening of an investigation and the arrest of all those involved, but Carlota Joaquina was saved because her husband, wishing to avoid a public scandal, opposed her arrest, preferring to confine his wife to
In Brazil
In 1807, the Portuguese royal family left Portugal for Brazil because of the Napoleonic invasion.
While in Brazil, Carlota Joaquina made attempts to obtain the administration of the Spanish dominions in
Queen
When the Portuguese royal family returned to Portugal in 1821 after an absence of 14 years, Carlota Joaquina met a country that had changed much since their departure. In 1807, Portugal had lived stably under
King John VI lived in
Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, now became King of Portugal as well, but knowing that carrying out the duties of both positions would be impossible, Pedro abdicated in Portugal and made his eldest daughter
Queen Carlota Joaquina died at the Queluz Royal Palace, outside of Sintra. It is speculated whether she died because of natural causes or whether she, in fact, killed herself.
Issue
Carlota Joaquina married King João VI of Portugal in 1785 and had nine children.
Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
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Infanta Maria Teresa | 29 April 1793 | 17 January 1874 | Married first her cousin Carlos, Infante of Spain , widower of her sister Maria Francisca.
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Francisco António, Prince of Beira | 21 March 1795 | 11 June 1801 | Died at the age of 6, making his younger brother, Pedro, the heir to the throne of Portugal. |
Infanta Maria Isabel | 19 May 1797 | 26 December 1818 | Married Ferdinand VII, King of Spain .
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Peter IV of Portugal, I of Brazil | 12 October 1798 | 24 September 1834 | Stayed in Brazil after Napoleonic Wars in Spain. Proclaimed the Independence of Brazil in 1822 and became its first monarch as Emperor Peter I. He was also King of Portugal as Peter IV in 1826. |
Infanta Maria Francisca | 22 April 1800 | 4 September 1834 | Married Carlos, Infante of Spain (his first marriage).
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Infanta Isabel Maria | 4 July 1801 | 22 April 1876 | served as regent of Portugal from 1826 to 1828; died unmarried |
Miguel of Braganza | 26 October 1802 | 14 November 1866 | Known by the Liberals as the Usurper, he was King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834. He was forced to abdicate after the Liberal Wars .
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Infanta Maria da Assunção | 25 June 1805 | 7 January 1834 | died unmarried |
Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Marquesa de Loulé | 23 October 1806 | 22 June 1857 | Married Nuno José Severo de Mendoça Rolim de Moura Barreto, Marquis and then Duke of Loulé, and had issue. |
Carlota in film and television
After her death, Carlota Joaquina (mainly in Brazil) became part of popular culture and an important historical figure, being the subject of several books, films and other media.
- Carlota Joaquina, Princess of Brazil (1994) – Feature film directed by Carla Camurati, tells a summarized tale, mixing history with legend, of the Princess's life, from her childhood until her (mythical) suicide. Marieta Severo plays adult Carlota, while Ludmila Dayer portrays her as a child.
- the Portuguese Royal Family escaped to Brazil.
- Liberdade, Liberdade (2016) - Susana Ribeiro portrays Carlota in this Globo telenovela that eventually features the Portuguese Royal family going to Brazil.
- Novo Mundo (2017) - Débora Olivieri portrays Carlota in this Globo telenovela set in 1817 Brazil.
Ancestors
Ancestors of Carlota Joaquina of Spain Louise Elisabeth of France | | ||||||||||||
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15. Marie Leszczyńska | |||||||||||||
References
- ^ Treaty of Rio de Janeiro (1825)
- ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. pp. 9, 96.
Further reading
- Azevedo, Francisca Nogueira de. Carlota Joaquina na Corte do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 2003.
- Azevedo, Francisca Nogueira de. Carlota Joaquina: cartas inéditas. Rio de Janeiro, Casa da Palavra, 2007.
- Cassotti, Marsilio. Carlota Joaquina – o Pecado Espanhol. Lisboa, A Esfera dos Livros, 2009.
- Cheke, Marcus. Carlota Joaquina: Queen of Portugal. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1947
- (Portuguese) Carlota Joaquina, a Rainha Intrigante; tradução de Gulnara Lobato de Morais Pereira. Rio de Janeiro: José Olympio, 1949.
- Lima, Oliveira. D. João VI no Brasil. Topbooks.
- Pereira, Sara Marques (1999), D. Carlota Joaquina e os Espelhos de Clio: Actuação Política e Figurações Historiográficas, Livros Horizonte, Lisboa, 1999.
- Pereira, Sara Marques (2008), D. Carlota Joaquina Rainha de Portugal, Livros Horizonte, Lisboa, 2008.