Fernando VII of Spain and his family

[trentk80]

This thread is about King Ferdinand VII of Spain, his wives, his brothers and their wives.

Does anyone have information about Maria Antonia of Naples, Ferdinand VII's first wife? And any information about Maria Francisca of Portugal, wife of Infante Carlos Maria Isidro of Spain (King Ferdinand VII's younger brother)?

[Prince_Christopher]

Maria Francisca of Portugal (1800-1834)

dau. of King John VI and Infanta Carlota of Spain

m.(1816) Infante Carlos of Spain, Count of Molina (1788-1855)

Children:
**Carlos, Count of Montelimon (1818-1861) m. (1850) Caroline of Sicily
**John, Count of Montizon (1822-1887) m. (1847) Maria Beatrix of Modena
**Ferdinand (1824-1861)

These are all of the children that I have listed, although there may have been more....

[cantacuzene]

Does anyone have information about Maria Antonia of Naples, Ferdinand VII's first wife?

Well, we must consider that Princess Maria Antonia was said to be interested in political intrigue, and said to be against Godoy's influence. When Queen Maria Luisa knew about this and her influence on the Prince of Asturias, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was quite bad.

When Maria Antonia arrived she was 17 years old and was not 'nubil'?(fertile) sorry. In words of Maria Luisa she had not 'la novedad'. In her words too, in a letter to Godoy, the queen wrote: 'In this she is 'muy hija de su madre', she mean Queen Caroline of Naples; she continued: 'it will be very normal that when she start to bore, she will not stop' or something like this. But she was wrong and Maria Antonia was sick, so that Maria Luisa felt tricked?

For the main duty of a princess was to bore childs. She continued writing to Godoy, after the first miscarriage: 'Maria Antonia por fin malparió. algo ta chico como un cañamón chico. Tanto es así que el rey tuvo que usar monóculo para poder verlo'. After her second miscarriage: 'Todavía más pequeño que el otro, un hilillo insignificante.' So her attitude was not very tender.

[umigon]

María Antonia "Totó" already had her menstruation when married to Fernando, the fact is that he just didn´t care about her at first. During their first year of marriage the marriage was not consumated, something which Totó told her mother with much indignation!

[trentk80]

I read that infanta Luisa Carlota and infanta Maria Francisca hated each other. Do you know why? And what happened to infante Carlos and Maria Francisca after they were exiled from Spain?

[umigon]

It may seem stupid, but Luisa Carlota and María Francisca hated each other since this moment I am now going to write about and which marked the start of the Carlist wars!

In 1824 there were four main women in the Court:

the Queen: María Josefa Amalia de Sajonia, María Francisca de Braganza, married to the heir apparent don Carlos, Luisa Carlota, married to infante Francisco de Paula and María Teresa de Braganza, widow of infante don Pedro. The Queen was very naive and had no power over the Court. The other three were ambitious and intelligent.

In 1824, when they were celebrating a religious feast with a ceremony, the three (Francisca, Luiisa Carlota and Teresa), decided to wear a red and colourful dress. When the time of the celebration came, Luisa Carlota noticed that she was the only one to have dressed so flamboyantly. The other two, in order to make a laugh out of Luisa Carlota, had dressed themselves in white, very elegant dresses, in accordance with the rest of the Court. This was something Luisa Carlota couldn't stand and from that day onwards she hated the Portuguese sisters with all her heart. She swore that Francisca would never become Queen of Spain. So, when Queen Josefa died, Luisa Carlota proposed her own sister, María Cristina, as a new bride for the King. Fernando VII married María Cristina and she soon became pregnant. The hatred between Luisa Carlota and the Braganzas as immense, but it would increase when Fernando VII abolished the Salic Law, making it impossible, if the baby that Cristina was expecting survived, to Carlos and Francisca to reach the Crown. When Isabel (II) was born, Luisa Carlota was fully satisfied, she hadn't spoke a word with the Portuguese sisters for months and until 1833, the last time they saw each other, she only spoke with them to insult them or to humiliate them.

[umigon]

Do you know why? And what happened to infante Carlos and Maria Francisca after they were exiled from Spain?

Well, don Carlos proclaimed himself the King of Spain on the very moment he knew about Fernando VII's death. The couple were still refugiated in Lisbon, where the absolut monarch Miguel I, brother of Francisca and nephew of Carlos, reigned. When Miguel lost his Crown against his liberal brother don Pedro, he fled with his sisters (Francisca and Teresa) and his brother-in-law to England.

In England Francisca would die in September 1834. Carlos would then move to Europe, where he achieved to get some support in Northern Spain. The carlist wars had started. In 1838 Carlos María Isidro married his niece and former sister-in-law María Teresa, who became his faithful wife and his more loyal and passionate subject.

In 1845, when there was a possibility of making peace with Isabel II by marrying the teenager queen to his oldest son, he abdicated in him (his son Carlos Luis, who became Carlos VI). This potential marriage, however, never occured and Carlos retired to Trieste. He died in 1855. María Teresa, who would follow him 19 years after, became the champion of Carlism.

[YaBB_Jose]

Infanta D. Maria Francisca and her sister D. Maria Teresa, pss. of Beira had a major position in the spanish court during their sister's Isabel life and even during the obscure Maria Josefa of Saxony's life.

They had such influence due to the fact that the first was married to D. Carlos count of Molina and presumptive heir of the childless Fernando VII.
They were hated and envied by their sister-in-law Luisa Carlota of the Two Sicilies, wife of Fernando and Carlos' younger brother Francisco de Paula.

The fate of the Infantas turned  when Fernando decided to marry for the 4th time with Louisa's niece Maria-Cristina and she gave birth to the 2 girls and forced the king to abolish the Salic Law.

That was the origin of the Carlist wars, and at that time, D. Maria Teresa, already a widow, accompanied her sister and brother-in-law in campaign and in exile.
When she felt she was dying, D.Maria Francisca asked her sister to marry D. Carlos and take care of her children, which she did.

José

[YaBB_Jose]

And in the end the Mafiosi  sisters won  

José

[trentk80]

And in the end the Mafiosi  sisters won  

Yes, they did. But on the other hand, weren't Maria Francisca and Maria Teresa rather unpleasant ladies?

[Eric_Lowe]

True... very agressive, just like their mother, Queen Carlota Jaquina of Portugal.

[umigon]

They were agressive and unpleasant, but they also knew how to be charming, witty and even attractive. Fernando VII, when married to María Isabel of Portugal, used to say to his brother Carlos: "¡Qué suerte, majo! Te has quedado con la hermana guapa". (That's good luck! You have won the pretty sister.)

[Eric_Lowe]

I think he later like Maria Cristina of Naples much better.

[YaBB_Jose]

May be  because she provided the so necessary heir (esse)  

But he did not have much time since the marriage lasted less than 4 years

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes...she was a lovely woman. (Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, Princess of naples).