Barbara of Portugal, Queen of Spain

Barbara of Portugal (Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa; 4 December 1711 – 27 August 1758) was an Infanta of Portugal, and Queen consort of Spain by marriage to Ferdinand VI. She had a good relationship with Ferdinand and is known for her influence over the affairs of state.

Life

Infanta of Portugal

Barbara was the daughter of King John V of Portugal and his wife Maria Anna of Austria. Their marriage remained childless for nearly three years, and thus the king made a promise to God that if an heir to the throne was born, a great convent would be built as a sign of gratitude. Upon the birth of a daughter in late 1711 began the building of the Convent of Mafra. The child was baptised Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa, honouring a number of saints and relatives, and styled Princess of Brazil as the heiress presumptive to the Portuguese throne. She was usually referred to as Bárbara or Maria Bárbara after Saint Barbara, the saint of her birthday, a name never used before among Portuguese royalty.

Two years later, Barbara's mother gave birth to a son, Pedro, and she ceased to be heir presumptive. Pedro died at the age of two, but by that time, the queen had already had another son, Joseph, and hence Barbara never became heiress presumptive again.

Barbara had a fine education and loved music. A talented keyboard player, she was the sole pupil of Domenico Scarlatti, the great harpsichordist and composer, from age 9 or 10 until 1757, when Scarlatti died, a year before her own death.

In 1725, Barbara was among the seventeen princesses seriously considered for marriage to king Louis XV of France, when the list of the original 99 had been reduced. However, there were concerns about the perceived weak physical and mental health of her family as well as her young age, and in the end she was removed from the list.

Princess of Asturias In 1729, at the age 18, Barbara married the future Ferdinand VI of Spain, two years her junior, the marriage contract having been signed the previous year. Scarlatti followed Barbara to Madrid after her marriage and remained with her, composing hundreds of harpsichord sonatas for her.

During their time as Prince and Princess of the Asturias, Ferdinand and Barbara became the target of the opposition known as the Spanish party, in parallel with Spain's deteriorating relations with Portugal. From 1733 until 1737 they were kept more or less under house arrest in their apartments, prevented from appearing in public and watched by the spies of Queen Elisabeth. This gave Barbara the time to deepen her relationship with Ferdinand, a timid person who suffered also from ill health.

Barbara was not considered beautiful by her contemporaries, and her homely looks were thought by observers to have caused her future husband a visible shock when he was first presented to her. She died at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, on the outskirts of Madrid on 27 August 1758. Her death was said to have broken her husband's heart.

Ancestors