Fernando VI (Bourbon) de España
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Ferdinand (Bourbon) de España (1713 - 1759)

Ferdinand (Fernando VI) "the Learned" de España formerly Bourbon
Born in Real Alcázar de Madrid, Madrid, Españamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 1729 (to 1758) [location unknown]
[children unknown]
Died at age 45 in Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, Españamap
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Profile last modified | Created 11 Aug 2014
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European Aristocracy
Fernando VI Bourbon was a member of the aristocracy in Europe.
Preceded by
Felipe V
Rey de España
1746-1759
Succeeded by
Carlos III

Biography

Ferdinand VI (Spanish: Fernando VI; 23 September 1713 – 10 August 1759), called the Learned, 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.

Born at the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, his youth was a time of sadness for Ferdinand. 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."

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

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 and the fall of Ensenada, after which Ricardo Wall became the most powerful advisor to the monarch.

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 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 Fernán Núñez give a shocking picture of his deathbed.[1]

Sources

  1. Wikipedia [1]
  • Menéndez-Pidal De Navascués, Faustino; (1999)El escudo; Menéndez Pidal y Navascués, Faustino; O´Donnell, Hugo; Lolo, Begoña. Símbolos de España. Madrid: Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales. ISBN 84-259-1074-9
  • Rodríguez de Maribona, Manuel Las armas del Príncipe de Asturias - ABC [2]. (Spanish) Accessed 2009-05-28.
  • "Fernando VI, Rey de España (1713-1759)" [3]. Ex-Libris Database (in Spanish). Royal Library of Spain. Retrieved 18 March 2013.




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Categories: House of Bourbon | Spanish Nobility | Spain, Monarchs