Barbara of Portugal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maria Bárbara of Bragança | |
| Queen Consort of Spain | |
 Maria Bárbara of Bragança |
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| Titles | Princess of Brazil (while heir to the throne of Portugal) |
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| Born | December 4, 1711 |
| Birthplace | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Died | August 27, 1758 (aged 46) |
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain |
| Consort | 1746 - 1758 |
| Consort to | Ferdinand VI of Spain |
| Issue | None |
| Royal House | House of Braganza |
| Father | John V of Portugal |
| Mother | Maria Anna of Austria |
The Infanta Maria Madalena Josefa Teresa Bárbara (pron. IPA: ['baɾbɐɾɐ]) of Braganza (English: Mary Magdalene Josepha Theresa Barbara) (December 4, 1711 – August 27, 1758), was a Portuguese infanta and later Queen Consort of Spain.
She was the eldest daughter of King John V of Portugal and his wife, Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria, a daughter of Emperor Leopold I.
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[edit] Life
Her parents were married in 1708, but for nearly three years the queen did not give birth to any children. The King then made a promise to God that if an heir to the throne was born, a great convent would be built to thank Him. On December 4, 1711, an Infanta was born, and the Convent of Mafra was built.
[edit] Princess of Brazil
She was born as heiress-presumptive to the Portuguese throne, but her status as heiress lapsed when the Queen gave birth to a son, Pedro, two years later. Her title while she was heir to the throne was Princess of Brazil or Princesa do Brasil in its portuguese form. Pedro died at the age of two, but another son, Joseph, had been born before Peter's death. Though Barbara was never heiress-presumptive again, she was second-in-line to the throne throughout much of her life.
The Princess was baptized Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa (English: Mary Magdalene Barbara Xavier Eleanor Theresa Antonia Josepha), her names honouring a number of saints and relatives. She was usually referred to as Bárbara or Maria Bárbara, a name never before used among Portuguese royals, in honour of St. Barbara, the saint of her birthday.
[edit] Siblings
She was the eldest of her siblings who were:
- Prince Peter (October 19, 1712 - October 29, 1714)
- Prince of Brazil and 14th Duke of Braganza
- Prince Joseph (June 6, 1714 - February 24, 1777)
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- Prince of Brazil from 1714. Succeeded him as 25th (or 26th according to some historians) King of Portugal.
- Infante Carlos May 2, 1716 March 30, 1730
- Peter Clemente (July 5, 1717 - May 25, 1786)
- Married Queen Maria I of Portugal and became King-consort as Peter III.
- Infante Alexandre (September 24, 1723 - August 2, 1728)
She also had four illegitimate siblings via her father with four different mistresses:
By Luís Clara de Portugal (1712-?)
By Madalena Máxima de Miranda (c. 1690-?) Gaspar (October 8, 1716 - January 18, 1789)
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- Archbishop of Braga. One of the three children of Palhavã
By Mother Paula (c. 1690-?) José September 8, 1720 - July 31, 1801)
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- General-Inquisitor of the Kingdom. One of the three children of Palhavã
Other:
She had a fine education and loved music. An accomplished keyboard player, she was a student of Domenico Scarlatti, the famous harpsichordist and composer, from age 9 or 10 until age 14.
[edit] Marriage
In 1729 at age 18, she married the future Ferdinand VI of Spain, two years her junior. Her brother Joseph married Ferdinand's half-sister, the Spanish Infanta Marianne Victoria of Borbón. Scarlatti followed her to Madrid on her marriage and remained with her, composing hundreds of harpsichord sonatas for her.
Although Barbara was not beautiful — her homely looks were thought by observers to cause the prince a visible shock when he was first presented to her — 'Ferdinand the Learned' (as he was called) became deeply attached to her, sharing her passion for music. Her death was said to have broken his heart. They had no children.
[edit] Death
Barbara, who suffered from severe asthma for most of her life, died at the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain in 1758.
[edit] Ancestors
| Barbara of Portugal | Father: John V of Portugal |
Father's father: Peter II of Portugal |
Father's father's father: John IV of Portugal |
| Father's father's mother: Luisa of Medina-Sidonia (Luisa de Guzmán) |
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| Father's mother: Maria Sophia of Neuburg |
Father's mother's father: Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine |
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| Father's mother's mother: Magdalene of Bavaria |
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| Mother: Mary Anne of Austria |
Mother's father: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor |
Mother's father's father: Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor |
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| Mother's father's mother: Maria Anna of Spain |
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| Mother's mother: Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg |
Mother's mother's father: Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine |
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| Mother's mother's mother: Elisabeth of Hessen-Darmstadt |
[edit] Queen of Spain
See below
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Barbara of Portugal
Born: 4 December 1711 Died: 27 August 1758 |
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| Spanish royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Elisabeth of Parma |
Queen Consort of Spain 1746-1758 |
Succeeded by Maria Amalia of Saxony |
