Charlotte Joachime of Spain

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Queen Charlotte Joachime of Portugal

Charlotte Joachime (in Portuguese Carlota Joaquina ) (born April 25, 1775 in Aranjuez , † January 7, 1830 in Queluz ) was a princess of Spain , queen of Portugal and Brazil .

Life

childhood

Charlotte Joachime around 1775 ( Anton Raphael Mengs )

Charlotte Joachime was born on April 25, 1775 as the second (but eldest surviving) child of Charles , the Prince of Asturias and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma in the royal palace of Aranjuez and baptized in the name of Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana . She got her first name Charlotte ( Carlota ) in honor of her father and her paternal grandfather, King Charles III. of Spain . She was the favorite granddaughter of the Spanish king. Despite the strict upbringing and courtly etiquette, the Infanta was described as mischievous and playful.

She received a rigorous and deeply Catholic education and learned the basics of religion, geography, painting, and horse riding (Charlotte's favorite sport). The strict temperament of the Spanish monarchy imposed strict rules of conduct and etiquette on the family and the entire court. Charlotte's mother organized luxurious festivities at court, at which morals were easily forgotten, and very actively indulged in the courtesan life. Soon her image would be associated with that of a promiscuous woman cheating on her husband with other men. Among them was possibly Prime Minister Manuel Godoy , whose alleged love affair was being extensively investigated by the press at the time. Not even the successive pregnancies and the long-awaited birth of a living male heir to the throne in 1784 saved Maria Luísa from the contempt of the population. She went down in history as one of Spain's most unpopular queens, and her bad reputation hit her children deeply, especially Charlotte, the firstborn daughter.

wedding

Infanta Charlotte Joachime of Spain

The wedding of Charlotte Joachimes was in the late 1770s of King Charles III. and his sister Maria Viktoria , the Queen widow of Portugal. Maria Viktoria's aim was to promote diplomatic relations between the alienated countries. Charlotte Joachime should Johann , Duke of Beja (youngest grandson of Maria Viktoria) and later King Johann VI. from Portugal, get married. The Spanish Infanta Gabriel (Charlotte Joachime's paternal uncle) married the Portuguese Infanta Maria Viktoria (only surviving granddaughter and namesake of the Queen's widow of Portugal). Charlotte had to prove her upbringing and training through a series of public exams before the Spanish Cortes and before Portuguese ambassadors who, on behalf of Queen Maria I of Portugal , had to assess the suitability of the princess who was to marry her second son. In October 1785, the Lisbon Gazeta published a report on the test:

Everything was so utterly satisfactory that one cannot express the admiration that such a voluminous instruction must evoke at such an early age: But ... the resolute talent God endowed this serene woman with will be seen in her amazing memory, understanding and Show ease.

After the bride's trial was completed to all satisfaction, there was no longer any obstacle to union with the Portuguese prince. On May 8, 1785, the marriage could thus be celebrated by proxy. Three days later, on May 11th, 10-year-old Charlotte Joachime and her entourage left Spain for Lisbon. On that day, she asked her mother, instead of hanging a picture of the Spanish Infanta Margarita Theresa, of her in a red dress on the wall. Her entourage included Father Felipe Scio, the famous Spanish theologian, the scholar Emília O'Dempsy as lady-in-waiting and Anna Miquelina, the personal maid of Charlotte Joachime. The official wedding between the Infante John of Portugal and Charlotta Joachima took place on June 9, 1785. She was only 11 years old while her husband was an 18 year old young man. Due to the young age of the bride, the consummation of the marriage was delayed until January 9, 1790, when Charlotte Joachima was able to conceive and bear children.

Life at the Portuguese court

Portrait of Charlotte Joachime of Spain

Shortly after Charlotte Joachim's arrival at the Portuguese court of the House of Braganza, she discovered that it differed in many respects from the well-known, cheerful Spanish court. While in other parts of Europe the court was a sign of a new society based on the principles of the Age of Enlightenment, in Portugal the Catholic Church imposed norms that forbade all forms of entertainment. The dramatization of comedies, including the performance of dances and other amusements, was prohibited. Due to the rise of a conservative group of nobility and clergy in Portugal, during the reign of Queen Maria I, according to Charlotta Joachime's great-aunt, Queen Maria Anna Victoria of Spain , the court offered an extremely "boring" environment. Charlotte Joachime now lived - in contrast to the extravagance and luxury to which she was used - in the middle of a very religious and strict court. Nonetheless, her relationship with her mother-in-law was very tender, as the letters exchanged between them show. Charlotte Joachim's joy and vivacity even led to rare hours of relaxation for the Queen.

In terms of traditional female behavior, Portuguese men disapproved of the ease with which Charlotte Joachime performed in public. With most Portuguese women deprived of their social life, Charlotte Joachim's behavior led to some malicious rumors. During her time in Lisbon, the Duchess of Abrantès - the wife of the French general Junot , who later invaded Portugal - had ridiculed Charlotte Joachime for both her manner and her clothes, calling her an extremely ugly woman.

Princess of Brazil

In 1788, when his eldest brother Joseph , Prince of Brazil, died, Johann rose to the throne of his mother. Soon he received the titles Prince of Brazil and 15th Duke of Braganza. Between 1788 and 1816, Charlotte Joachime was known as the Princess of Brazil and as the wife of the heir to the Portuguese throne.

Charlotte Joachime, Queen of Portugal, 1824

Charlotte Joachime and Johann had a very unhappy marriage. Johann was good-natured, indolent, corpulent and almost as ugly as she was. She was deeply bored with his religious views. Even so, she had nine children during their marriage, and because they were all handsome, it was rumored that the younger ones in particular had a different father.

After Queen Maria I was declared insane and unfit to rule in 1792, Prince Johann took over the government on her behalf, although he did not assume the title of Prince Regent until 1799. This change in events suited Charlotte Joachim's ambitious and sometimes violent character. She frequently interfered in state affairs at the Portuguese court and tried to influence her husband's decisions. These attempts to meddle in politics displeased the Portuguese nobility and even the population.

Political conspiracy

Charlotte Joachime was an ambitious woman who always tried to promote Spanish interests, even if they were to the detriment of Portugal. As she had been excluded from government decisions many times, Charlotte Jochime organized a conspiracy with the intention of removing the power of the Prince Regent, arresting him and declaring that he could not rule like his mother. In 1805 this conspiracy was exposed. The Count of Vila Verde proposed an investigation and the arrest of all concerned, but Charlotte Joachime was able to escape this punishment because her husband, who wanted to prevent a public scandal, resisted the arrest. He preferred to limit his wife's freedom to the Queluz Palace and Ramalhão Palace . He himself moved to the Mafra National Palace to part with her. At the time, Charlotte Joachime's enemies claimed she had found a retreat where she indulged in sexual orgies.

Charlotte Joachime

In Brasil

in 1807 the Portuguese royal family left Portugal due to the Napoleonic invasion and fled to Brazil in the city of Rio de Janeiro . Queen Maria I died on March 20, 1816, her son Johann ascended the throne and Charlotta Joachime became queen.

During her stay in Brazil, Charlotte Joachime attempted to introduce Spanish administrative principles. This project later became known as Carlotismo. After Napoleon's invasion of Spain, Ferdinand VII , Charlotta's younger brother, had to abdicate and hand over the throne to Joseph Bonaparte . However, most Spaniards did not consider him a legitimate king, so Charlotte Joachime considered herself the heir to her imprisoned family and the Spanish throne. Allegedly she wanted to occupy Buenos Aires and northern Argentina and proclaim herself "Queen of La Plata". Her goal was to create a kingdom under her and Spanish power after John's abdication. So there was no trustful marriage. In order to keep up appearances, she appeared in public with Johann. Although Charlotte attracted a lot of sympathy, all of her plans failed. Despite everything, she got her husband to become more directly involved in Spanish colonial politics, which ended with the capture of Montevideo in 1817 and the annexation of the province of Cisplatin in 1821.

Return to Portugal

Equestrian portrait of Charlotte Joachime

Due to the unrest in Portugal, the Cortes met in Lisbon on January 30, 1821 and had the formation of a Regency Council to exercise power in the name of King John. They freed many political prisoners and demanded the immediate return of the king. When the Queen of Portugal saw again in 1821 after an absence of 14 years, she entered a country that had changed a lot since her departure. In 1807, when she left Portugal, the country was an absolute monarchy . Napoleon's troops then brought revolutionary ideas to Portugal, which fell on fertile ground, especially in the poorly paid and humiliated Portuguese army. The Liberal Revolution in Portugal began in 1820 with an uprising in Porto . A constituent Cortes had been convened, which in 1821 passed the country's first constitution. There had been similar efforts in her native Spain in 1812, but these had been suppressed by a French army sent to Spain on behalf of the Holy Alliance ; absolutism was reintroduced in Spain in 1823.

Charlotte Joachime

The queen, who had an extremely conservative attitude, wanted something similar for Portugal. However, her husband, the king, had sworn an oath on the 1821 constitution and was unwilling to break it. Charlotte Joachime refused to follow her husband and was deprived of her political rights and her title of queen. Charlotte Joachime allied with her younger son, Prince Michael (the older son and heir to the throne, Peter , had remained in Brazil , had proclaimed independence there in 1822 and proclaimed himself emperor as Peter I). Michael shared his mother's reactionary attitudes and was continuously influenced by her. Charlotte Joachime and Michael also hoped for the support of the Holy Alliance and the French army, which was to march on from Spain to Portugal in order to restore absolutism there too. In 1824 the Queen and Michael, who had been appointed Commander in Chief of the Portuguese Army by his father, carried out their revolt. The king was practically held as a prisoner in his palace, the queen tried to persuade her husband to abdicate in favor of his son Michael. Johann VI. was able to free himself with British help, fled on an English warship, relieved his son of command and finally forced him to leave the country. On May 14th, the king returned to Bemposta, restored the Council of Ministers and showed generosity to the others who had rebelled. However, this did not deter the queen from further conspiracies. The police discovered another uprising planned for October 26th, on the basis of which Johann put his wife under house arrest in the palace of Queluz. Charlotte Joachime died in Portugal without again having played a decisive role in her country's politics.

progeny

Johann VI. and Charlotte Joachime, 1815 (painting by Manuel Dias de Oliveira)

With Johann VI. she had the following children:

  1. ⚭ 1810 Peter Karl von Bourbon and Braganza, a son of her father's sister.
  2. ⚭ 1838 Carlos (V) (1788–1855) pretender to the throne of Spain
  1. ⚭ 1817 Maria Leopoldine of Austria (1797–1826)
  2. ⚭ 1829 Amélie von Leuchtenberg (1812–1873)

literature

  • 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. Lisbon, 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, Lisbon, 2008.
  • SANTOS, João Felício dos. Carlota Joaquina, a Rainha Devassa. 1968.
  • LÁZARO, Alice, La Menina - Retrato de Dona Carlota Joaquina nas Cartas Familiares (1785-1790) , Chiado Editora, 2011.
  • LOUSADA, M.ª Alexandre e PEREIRA, M.ª de Fátima Melo, D. Miguel, Círculo de Leitores, Lisboa, 2005
  • Resenha das familias titulares do reino de Portugal, por João Carlos Feo Cardozo de Castello Branco e Torres, Manuel de Castro Pereira de Mesquita, Imprensa Nacional, Lisboa, 1838, pp. 35 and 36

Web links

Commons : Carlota Joaquina of Spain  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pereira, Sara Marques: D. Carlota Joaquina Rainha de Portugal . Livros horizons, Lisbon 2008, p. 26 .
  2. ^ A b Francisca Nogueira de Azevedo: Carlota Joaquina: cartas inéditas . Casa da Palavra, Rio de Janeiro 2007, p. 30 .
  3. ↑ Carlota Joaquina. Netsaber, May 1, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 (Portuguese).
  4. ^ Otávio Tarquínio de Sousa: A vida de D. Pedro I. Volume 1 . José Olímpio, Rio de Janeiro 1972, p. 4, 8, 10, 28 .
  5. ↑ Pedro Calmon: O Rei Cavaleiro . 6th edition. Edição Saraiva, São Paulo 1950, p. 12 f .
  6. ^ Macaulay, Neill .: Dom Pedro: the struggle for liberty in Brazil and Portugal, 1798-1834 . Duke University Press, Durham [NC] 1986, ISBN 0-8223-0681-6 , pp. 7 .
  7. ↑ Vicente, António Pedro: Política exterior de D. João VI no Brasil. tape 7 , no. 19 . Sao Paulo December 1993.
  8. ↑ Iglésias, Francisco: Trajetória política do Brasil, 1500-1964 . Companhia das Letras, 1993, p. 103-105 .
  9. ↑ a b c Amaral, Manuel: João VI. In: Portugal - Dicionário Histórico, Corográfico, Heráldico, Biográfico, Bibliográfico, Numismático e Artístico . tape 3 , 2010, p. 1051-1055 .
  10. ↑ Pedreira, Jorge; Costa, Fernando Dores: D. João VI: um príncipe entre dois continentes . Companhia das Letras, 2008, p. 18 .
  11. ^ Cardoso, António Barros: Liberais e absolutistas no Porto (1823-1829) . In: Departamento de Ciências e Técnicas do Património / Departamento de História, ed. Estudos em homenagem ao professor doutor José Marques . Universidad de Oporto, 2006, p. 269-271 .
predecessor Office Successor
Maria Anna Viktoria of Spain Queen of Portugal
1816–1826 		Maria Leopoldine of Austria
personal data
SURNAME Charlotte Joachime of Spain
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Carlota Joaquina (Portuguese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Princess of Spain and Queen of Portugal
DATE OF BIRTH April 25, 1775
PLACE OF BIRTH Aranjuez
DATE OF DEATH January 7, 1830
Place of death Queluz