Charlotte of Spain
From Freepedia
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Carlota Joaquina Teresa of Spain (25 April or May 1775 - 6 or 7 January 1830) was the eldest daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain (1748-1819) and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma (1751-1819).
In Portuguese: Carlota Joaquina de Bourbon e Bourbon; in Castilian (Spanish): Carlota Joaquina de Borbón y Borbón
She was born in Aranjuez. In 8 May 1785 she officially married (consummated on 9 January 1790 in Lisbon), the future João VI, King of Portugal and the Algarves, King of Brazil, second son of queen Maria I of Portugal and late king-consort Pedro III of Portugal. In 1788, when his eldest brother the Prince of Beira died, Joao became the first in line to the throne of his mother. Soon he received the title Prince of Brazil.
Their children were:
- Maria Teresa (1793-1874), m1 Pedro Carlos of Spain and Portugal (having an only child, Sebastian of Spain) m2. Infante Carlos of Spain, pretender of Spain, widower of her younger sister
- Antonio (Francisco Antonio) (1795-1801), 4th prince of Beira
- Maria Isabel (1797-1818), m Ferdinand VII of Spain, her uncle
- Pedro IV (1798-1834)
- Maria Francisca (1800-1834), m. Infante Carlos of Spain, later pretender, her uncle
- Isabel Maria (1801-1876), 1826 regent of Portugal
- Miguel I (1802-1866)
- Maria de Assunção (1805-1834)
- Ana de Jesus (1806-1857), m 1827 Joseph Barreto, Duke of Loulé
Carlota Joaquina died in Queluz Palace.
She is said to have been ambitious and violent. Her features were reportedly ugly and she was short in stature, though apprently not clearly a dwarf.
When in Brazil, she made attempts to obtain the government of Spanish dominions. Spain itself was under Napoleon and its kings, her father and brother, held by Napoleon in France. She regarded herself as the heiress of her captured family.
When they returned to Portugal 1821 after an absence of 14 years, she met a country that had changed much since their departure. In 1807, the country had lived stably under absolutism. Napoleonic troops had brought revolutionary ideas. 1820 had a liberal revolution commenced from Porto. Constitutional Cortes had been promulgating and 1821 gave the first constitution of the country. Also in her nativa Spain, 1812 similar developments. The queen had arch-conservative position and wanted reactionary development to also Portugal. Her husband did not want to renege his vows to uphold the constitution. She allied with her youngest son Miguel, who shared the conservative views of his mother. In 1824 they, utilizing the position of Miguel as army commander, took power and held the king a virtual prisoner in the palace, where the queen tried to make him to abdicate in favor of Miguel. The king however received British help and regained power, finally compelling his son to leave the country - and the queen had also to go briefly into exile.
When death approached her husband the king, he nominated their daughter infanta Isabel Maria as regent, a position usually occupied by dowager queen.
Portuguese Films and Programes of her life
- "Carlota Joaquina, a Princesa do Brazil" (1994) - Directed by: Carla Camurati; Cast: Marco Nanini, Marieta Severo, Vera Holtz, Ney Latorraca e Marcos Palmeira; Tells a summarized tale, mixing history with legend, of the Princess's life, from her childhood until her suicide.
- "O Quinto dos Infernos" (2003) - Directed by: Wolf Maya; Cast: André Mattos, Betty Lago, Eva Wilma, Marcos Pasquim e Humberto Martins. A tv miniseries produced by Globo TV that tells the tale of the Portuguse Royal Family in their stay in Brazil.
