John VI of Portugal

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John VI
King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves later
King of Portugal and the Algarves
Reign 20 March 1816 – 10 March 1826
Predecessor Maria I
Successor Pedro IV
Emperor of Brazil (titular)
Reign 15 November 1825 – 10 March 1826
Duke of Braganza
Tenure 11 September 1788 – 20 March 1816
Predecessor Joseph II
Successor Pedro I
Spouse Carlota Joaquina of Spain
Issue
Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira
Francisco António, Prince of Beira
Maria Isabel, Queen of Spain
Pedro IV
Infanta Maria Francisca
Infanta Isabel Maria
Miguel I
Infanta Maria da Assunção
Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Duchess of Loulé
Full name
João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael
House House of Braganza
Father Peter III of Portugal
Mother Maria I of Portugal
Born 13 May 1767(1767-05-13)
Lisbon, Portugal
Died 10 March 1826(1826-03-10) (aged 58)
Lisbon, Portugal
Burial Royal Pantheon of the Braganza Dynasty
Religion Roman Catholicism

John VI (Portuguese: Dom João VI[1]; 13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was de facto King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves from 1816 to 1822, and de jure from 1822 to 1825; and, after recognition of Brazilian independence under the 1825 Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, remained King of Portugal and the Algarves until his death in 1826. Under the treaty he also remained titular emperor of Brazil, but de facto power there was held by his son Pedro I of Brazil, who inherited the title of emperor de jure upon John's death. As the Portuguese sovereign, he was also sovereign of the Portuguese Colonial Empire.

Born in Lisbon in 1767, the son of Peter III of Portugal, and Queen Maria I, his full name was João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael de Bragança. Originally an infante (prince not heir to the throne) of Portugal, he became heir to the throne only when his older brother José, Prince of Brazil died in 1788 of smallpox at the age of 27.

Before his accession to the Portuguese throne, John VI bore the titles of Duke of Braganza and Duke of Beja, as well as the title of Prince of Brazil. He served, from 1799, as Prince Regent of Portugal (and later as Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves), due to the mental illness of his mother, the Queen. Eventually, he succeeded his mother as monarch of Portugal.

One of the last representatives of absolutism, he lived during a turbulent period; his reign never saw a lasting peace. Throughout his period as regent and later king, such major powers as Spain, France and Great Britain (from 1801, the United Kingdom) continually intervened in Portuguese affairs. Forced to flee to Brazil when Napoleon's troops invaded Portugal, he found himself faced there with liberal revolts that reflected similar events in the metropolis; he was compelled to return to Europe amid new conflicts. His marriage was no less conflictual, as his wife, Carlota Joaquina of Spain repeatedly conspired against her husband in favor of personal interests or those of her native Spain. He lost Brazil when his son Pedro declared independence, and his other son Miguel (later Miguel I of Portugal), led a rebellion that sought to depose him. According to recent research, his death may well have been caused by arsenic poisoning.

Notwithstanding these tribulations he left a lasting mark, especially in Brazil, creating numerous institutions and services that laid a foundation for national autonomy, and is considered by many researchers the true mastermind of the modern Brazilian state. Still, he has been widely (if unjustly) viewed as a cartoonish figure in Luso-Brazilian history, being accused of laziness, lack of political acumen and constant indecision, and often portrayed as physically grotesque.

Contents

[edit] First years

João as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil. Anonymous painting in the Museum of Betrayal, Ouro Preto.

John was born 13 May 1767, during the reign of his grandfather, Joseph I of Portugal, the second son of the future Queen Maria I and her husband (who was also her uncle), the future King Peter III. At the time of John's birth they were, respectively, Princess of Brazil and Infante of Portugal. He was ten years old when his grandfather died and his mother ascended to the throne as Queen Maria I of Portugal. His childhood and youth were lived quietly, as he was a mere infante, in the shadow of his elder brother José, Prince of Brazil and 14th Duke of Braganza, the primogenitor and heir to the throne. Folklore has John as a rather uncultured youth, but according to Jorge Pedreira e Costa, he received as rigorous an education as José. Still, a French ambassador of the time painted him in unfavorable colors, seeing him as hesitant and dim. The record of this period of his life is too vague for historians to form any definitive picture.[2]

According to tradition, his tutors in arts and sciences included Fathers Manuel do Cenáculo, Antônio Domingues do Paço and Miguel Franzini; his music masters were the organist João Cordeiro da Silva and the composer João Sousa de Carvalho; and his riding instructor Staff Sergeant Carlos Antônio Ferreira Monte. Little is known of the substance of his education. He surely received instruction in religion, law, French, and etiquette, and would presumably have learned history through reading the works of Duarte Nunes de Leão and João de Barros.[3]

[edit] Marriage and crisis of succession

In 1785 a marriage was arranged between John and the Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain, daughter of King Charles IV of Spain and Queen Consort Maria Luisa of Parma, like him a junior member of a royal family. Fearing a new Iberian Union, some in the Portuguese court viewed the marriage to a Spanish princess unfavorably. Despite her being barely ten years old, Carlota was vivacious and well-educated. She endured four days of testing by the Portuguese ambassadors before the marriage pact was confirmed. Because John and Carlota were related, and because of the bride's youth, the marriage required a papal dispensation. After being confirmed, the marriage capitulation was signed in the throne room of the Spanish court, with great pomp and with the participation of both kingdoms, followed immediately by a proxy marriage. John was represented by the bride's own father. That night, a grand banquet was held for more than two thousand guests.[4]

Dona Carlota Joaquina in 1785, painted by Mariano Salvador Maella.

The infanta was received at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa at the beginning of May 1785, and on 9 June 1785 the couple received a nuptial benediction at the palace chapel. At the same time, John's sister Infanta Mariana Victoria was married to infante Infante Gabriel, also of the Spanish royal family. An assiduous correspondence between John and Mariana at that time reveals that the absence of his sister weighed upon him and, comparing her to his young wife, he wrote: "She is very smart and has a lot of judgment, whereas you have rather little, and I like her a lot, but for all that I cannot love her equally." John's young bride was little given to docility, requiring at times the intervention of Queen Maria herself. Furthermore the difference in their ages (John being 18 years old) made him uncomfortable and anxious. Because Carlota was so young, the marriage had not been consummated, and John wrote ""Here's to the arrival of the time when I shall play a lot with the Infanta. The way these things go, I think six years from now. Better that she be a bit more grown up than when she came." In fact, the consummation waited until 5 April 1790. In 1793 Carlota gave birth to the first of nine children, Teresa, Princess of Beira.[4]

By that time his hitherto relatively quiet life had been turned upside down by the death on 11 September 1788 of his older brother Dom José. This left John as the heir apparent to the throne with the titles of Prince of Brazil and 15th Duke of Braganza.[5] Great hopes had ridden on Dom José, who was associated with the progressive ideas of the Enlightenment. Criticized by the clergy, he appeared to have been inclined toward the anti-clerical policies of the Marquess of Pombal. John, in contrast, was well known for his religiosity and for favoring absolutism. The crisis of succession was aggravated with the death soon after of Ignacio de São Caetano, Archbishop of Thessalonica, the queen's confessor and a powerful political figure, who had influenced a controversial choice of Maria's ministers that favored John, but not without encountering strong opposition from important fidalgos who had ambitions for those posts. Furthermore, the year after these deaths, John was so ill that his own survival was uncertain. He recovered, but in 1791 he again fell ill "bleeding from the mouth and intestines", according to notes left by the chaplain of the Marquis of Marialva, who added that his spirit was always depressed. This created a tense climate and uncertainty about his future reign.[6]

[edit] Regency

Meanwhile, the queen showed increasing signs of mental instability. On 10 February 1792, seventeen doctors signed a document declaring her unable to manage the kingdom, with no prospect for her condition to improve. John was reluctant to take the reins of power, rejecting the idea of ​​a formal regency. This opened the way for elements of the nobility to form a de facto government via a Council. Rumors circulated that John exhibited symptoms of the same insanity, and that he might be prevented from ruling. According to longstanding laws that guided the institution of regency, were the regent to die or become incapable for any reason, and having children of less that fourteen years—John's situation at the time—government would be exercised by the guardians of those children or, if guardians had not be formally named, by the wife of the regent: in John's case, a Spanish princess. Fear, suspicion and intrigue engulfed the entire institutional framework of the nation.[7]

At the same time, the French Revolution perplexed and horrified the reining houses of Europe. The execution of the French king Louis XVI on 21 January 1793 by the revolutionaries precipitated an international response. On 15 July 1793 Portugal signed a treaty with Spain, and on 26 September allied itself with Great Britain, both treaties pledging mutual aid against revolutionary France and bringing six thousand Portuguese soldiers into the War of the Pyrenees (1793-1795), a campaign that began with an advance to Roussillon in France and ended in defeat with French conquest of northeastern Spain. This created a delicate diplomatic problem, as Portugal could not make peace with France without damaging an alliance with England that involved several overseas interests, and thus sought a neutrality that proved fragile and tense.[8][9]

After the defeat, Spain abandoned its alliance with Portugal and allied with France under the Peace of Basel. With Britain too powerful for France to attack directly, France set its sights on Portugal.[10] In 1799, John officially assumed the reins of government as prince regent in the name of his widowed mother;[11] that same year Napoleon Bonaparte staged his coup in France and coerced Spain to issue an ultimatum that the Portuguese break with Great Britain and submit the country to the interests of Napoleon. With John's refusal, neutrality became unviable. Spain and France invaded in 1801, setting off the War of the Oranges; a defeated Portugal signed the Treaty of Badajoz and the subsequent Treaty of Madrid, under which it ceded territory to Spain, in particular Olivenza, and made concessions to French over certain colonial territories.[12][13] With conflicting interests among all the countries involved, the war was marked by ambiguous movements and secret agreements. Portugal, as the weakest player, could not avoid continued struggle.[10] At the same time, John had to face an enemy at home. His wife, Carlota Joaquina, loyal to Spanish interests, initiated an intrigue with the objective of deposing her husband and taking power herself, an attempt that failed in 1805, resulting in the queen's exile from court, after which she resided at Queluz National Palace, while the regent took up residency at Mafra National Palace.[14][15]

[edit] Flight to Brazil

Main article: Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil
The Prince Regent, the entire royal family, and other nobles embark for the Brazil port of Belém, 11 a.m. 29 November 1807. Engraving by Francisco Bartolozzi based on an oil painting by Nicolas Delariva.

The Prince Regent played desperately for time, pretending until the last moment an apparent submission to France, to the point of suggesting to George III of the United Kingdom a declaration of a fictitious war between their countries, but he did not obey the dictates of Napoleon's Continental System (a blockade against Great Britain). A new secret treaty with the British guaranteed him help in case of an eventual flight of the royal family. The accord greatly favored the British and, preserving from certain deposition a legitimate government that had always been friendly toward them, preserved their influence over the country, as the United Kingdom continued to make vast profits in trade with the Portuguese intercontinental empire. It fell to Portugal only to choose between obedience to France or to England, and the hesitancy to decide firmly placed Portugal at risk of war with not merely one of these powers but with both. In October 1807 news arrived that a French army was approaching and on 16 November a British squadron arrived in the port of Lisbon with a force of seven thousand men, with orders either to escort the royal family to Brazil or, if the government surrendered to France, to attack and conquer the Portuguese capital. The court was divided between Francophiles and Anglophiles, after anguished consideration under pressure from both sides, John decided to accept British protection and to leave for Brazil.[10][16][17]

The invading army led by Jean-Andoche Junot advanced with some difficulty, arriving at the gates of Lisbon only on 30 November 1807.[14] By this time, the Prince Regent, accompanied by the entire royal family and a large following of nobles, state functionaries and servants, and bringing a variety of baggage including a valuable collection of artwork and books, had already embarked, leaving the government under a regency and having recommended to the army that they not engage in hostilities with the invader. The hasty departure, during a rainstorm that left the streets a morass, caused havoc in Lisbon as an astonished population could not believe that their prince had abandoned them.[18][19] According to the account of José Acúrsio das Neves, the departure brought forth deep emotion on the part of the Prince Regent:

He wanted to speak and could not; wanted to move and, convulsed, did not succeed in taking a step; he walked over an abyss, and envisioned a future dark and as uncertain as the ocean to which he was about to submit himself. Country, capital, kingdom, vassals, he was about to leave all of these suddenly, with little hope of setting eyes on them again, and all were thorns that passed through his heart.[20]

To explain himself to the people, John ordered that posters be put up along the streets stating that his departure was unavoidable despite all efforts made to assure the integrity and peace of the kingdom. The posters recommended that everyone remain calm, orderly and not resist the invaders, so that blood not be shed in vain. Because of the rush to depart, the prince, his mother the queen, and their heirs Pedro (later Pedro I of Brazil and briefly Pedro IV of Portugal) and Miguel (later Miguel I of Portugal) were all in a single ship. This was an imprudent decision given the dangers of a transatlantic voyage in that era, placing at risk the succession of the crown in case of shipwreck. Carlota Joaquina and the infantas were on two other ships.[21] The number of people who embarked with John remains a matter of controversy; in the 19th century there was talk of up to 30 thousand emigrants;[22] more recent estimates vary between five hundred and fifteen thousand, the latter being close to the maximum capacity of the squadron of fifteen ships, including their crews. Still, the ships were overcrowded. According to Pedreira e Costa, taking into account all of the variables, the most likely numbers fall between four and seven thousand passengers plus the crews. Many families were separated, and even high officials failed to secure a place on the ships and were left behind. The voyage was not a tranquil one. Several ships were in precarious condition, and overcrowding created humiliating situations for the nobility, the majority of whom had to sleep huddled in the open, in the poops. Hygienic conditions were bad, including an epidemic of head lice. Many had failed to bring changes of clothing. Several people fell ill. Supplies were scarce, causing rationing. Furthermore, the flotilla spent ten days nearly becalmed in Equatorial zone under a scorching heat, where the mood turned sour and there were murmurings. The flotilla also faced two storms and was eventually dispersed near Madeira. In the middle of the voyage, Prince John changed his plans and decided to head for Salvador, Bahia, probably for political reasons—to please the inhabitants of the colony's first capital, which had given many signs of discontent with the loss of its old status—while the ships carrying the infantas held to the original destination of Rio de Janeiro.[23][24]


John retained his position as regent until his mother's death in 1816. John had been brought up in an ecclesiastical atmosphere, and being naturally of a somewhat weak and helpless character, he was ill-adapted for the responsibilities he was called on to undertake.[25] His wife, Charlotte of Spain, dominated him. In 1807, Portugal was invaded by France. At the urging of Britain, the whole Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil, accompanied by an escort of British ships. His court in exile was established in Rio de Janeiro.

[edit] King of Portugal

Portrait of João as King of Portugal.

In 1816 John was recognized as king of Portugal after his mother's death, but he continued to reside in Brazil, which he had raised to the status of a kingdom on 16 December 1815. The consequent spread of dissatisfaction in Portugal resulted in the peaceful Revolution of 24 August 1820, and the proclamation of a constitutional government, to which John swore fidelity on his return to Portugal in 1821. In the same year, and again in 1823, he had to suppress a rebellion led by his younger son Miguel, whom he was ultimately compelled to banish in 1824.[25]

Meanwhile his elder son and heir apparent, Peter, declared Brazilian independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822, and subsequently declared himself Emperor Pedro I. John refused to recognize Brazilian independence until 29 August 1825, where he was also granted the title "Emperor of Brazil", a peace offering from John's son, the new emperor Pedro I, for his father's recognizing of Brazil's sovereignty. John's subsequent restoration of Peter to the succession led to the belief that Brazil and Portugal would be reunited in a dual monarchy federation after his own death. João died at Lisbon on 26 March 1826, and was briefly succeeded by Peter (as King Peter IV). Recent tests made to John's intestines, which had been kept buried in a vase, demonstrated that he may have died due to arsenic poisoning. His body currently rests in the Pantheon of the Braganzas at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.

[edit] Legacy

Despite many tribulations throughout his reign, king John VI left a lasting mark especially in Brazil, where he patronised the arts, reorganised economy and created several important institutions and public services that sedimented national autonomy, being considered by many writers the true mastermind of the modern Brazilian state. Among these institutions many were pioneering in the Americas and are still in existence, such as the Bank of Brazil, the Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Medical School and the National Library of Brazil. Nonetheless, he continues being one of the more cartoonish characters of the Luso-Brazilian history, accused, among other things, of laziness, lack of political acumen and constant indecision, not to mention his person, often described as grotesque. But, according to recent researches, such an image is at best controversial and in most cases unfair, based on unreliable sources.[26][27]

[edit] Marriages and descendants

John married Carlota Joaquina of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 December 1830) in 1785 and had several children:[citation needed]

Name Birth Death Notes
Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira 29 April 1793 17 January 1874 Married first her cousin Pedro Carlos de Borbón y Bragança, Infante of Spain and Portugal and second to Carlos, Infante of Spain, widower of her sister Maria Francisca.
Francisco António, Prince of Beira 21 March 1795 11 June 1801 Died at the age of 6, making his younger brother, Pedro, the heir-apparent to the throne of Portugal.
Infanta Maria Isabel 19 May 1797 26 December 1818 Married Ferdinand VII, King of Spain.
Peter IV of Portugal, I of Brazil 12 October 1798 24 September 1834 Stayed in Brazil after the Peninsular War in Portugal. Proclaimed the Independence of Brazil in 1822 and became its first monarch as Emperor Peter I. He was also King of Portugal as Peter IV in 1826.
Infanta Maria Francisca 22 April 1800 4 September 1834 Married Carlos, Infante of Spain (his first marriage).
Infanta Isabel Maria 4 July 1801 22 April 1876 Served as regent of Portugal from 1826 to 1828; died unmarried
Miguel I 26 October 1802 14 November 1866 Known by the Liberals as the Usurper, he was King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834. He was forced to abdicate after the Liberal Wars.
Infanta Maria da Assunção 25 June 1805 7 January 1834 Died unmarried
Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Duchess of Loulé 23 October 1806 22 June 1857 Married Nuno José Severo de Mendoça Rolim de Moura Barreto, Marquis and then Duke of Loulé and had issue.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "João" (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈɐ̃w̃], "Zhwow[n]") is pronounced (in Brazilian Portuguese) similar to "Jean", its French equivalent.
  2. ^ Pedreira, Jorge e Costa, Fernando Dores. D. João VI: um príncipe entre dois continentes. Companhia das Letras, 2008, pp. 31-35. In Portuguese.
  3. ^ Pedreira e Costa, p. 42
  4. ^ a b Pedreira e Costa, pp. 38-43
  5. ^ Cronologia Período Joanino. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, 2010. In Portugal.
  6. ^ Pedreira e Costa, pp. 42-54
  7. ^ Pedreira e Costa, pp. 59-63
  8. ^ Strobel, Thomas. A "Guerra das Laranjas" e a "Questão de Olivença" num contexto internacional. GRIN Verlag, 2008, pp. 3-4. In Portuguese.
  9. ^ Souza, Laura de Mello e. O sol e a sombra: política e administração na América portuguesa do século XVIII. Companhia das Letras, 2006, p. 394 In Portuguese.
  10. ^ a b c Andrade, Maria Ivone de Ornellas de. "O reino sob tormenta". In: Marques, João et alii. Estudos em homenagem a João Francisco Marques, Volume I. Universidade do Porto, sd, pp. 137-144. In Portuguese.
  11. ^ Amaral, Manuel. "João VI". In: Portugal - Dicionário Histórico, Corográfico, Heráldico, Biográfico, Bibliográfico, Numismático e Artístico, Volume III, 2000-2010, pp. 1051-1055. In Portuguese.
  12. ^ "War of the Oranges". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. 
  13. ^ Vicente, António Pedro (2007) (in Portuguese). Guerra Peninsular: História de Portugal Guerras e Campanhas Militares [Peninsular War: History of Portuguese Wars and Military Campaigns]. Lisbon, Portugal: Academia Portuguesa da História/Quidnovi. 
  14. ^ a b Schwarcz, Lília Moritz; Azevedo, Paulo Cesar de & Costa, Angela Marques da. A longa viagem da biblioteca dos reis: do terremoto de Lisboa à independência do Brasil. Companhia das Letras, 2002, pp. 479-480. In Portuguese.
  15. ^ Aclamação de d. João. Arquivo Nacional, 2003. In Portuguese.
  16. ^ Valuguera, Alfonso B. de Mendoza Y Gómez de. "Carlismo y miguelismo". In: Gómez, Hipólito de la Torre & Vicente, António Pedro. España y Portugal. Estudios de Historia Contemporánea. Editorial Complutense, 1998, pp. 13-14. In Spanish.
  17. ^ Pedreira e Costa, pp. 174-176
  18. ^ O Embarque e a Viagem da Corte. Secretaria Municipal de Educação da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. In Portuguese.
  19. ^ Pedreira e Costa, pp. 185-186
  20. ^ "Queria falar e não podia; queria mover-se e, convulso, não acertava a dar um passo; caminhava sobre um abismo, e apresentava-se-lhe à imaginação um futuro tenebroso e tão incerto como o oceano a que ia entregar-se. Pátria, capital, reino, vassalos, tudo ia abandonar repentinamente, com poucas esperanças de tornar a pôr-lhes os olhos, e tudo eram espinhos que lhe atravessavam o coração." Pedreira e Costa, p. 186
  21. ^ Gomes, pp. 64-70
  22. ^ Bortoloti, Marcelo. "Controvérsias na corte". In: Revista Veja, Edição 2013, 20 June 2007. In Portuguese.
  23. ^ Pedreira e Costa, pp. 186-194
  24. ^ Gomes, pp. 72-74; 82-100
  25. ^ a b Chisholm 1911, p. 444.
  26. ^ Martins, p. 39.
  27. ^ Loyola 2008, p. [page needed].

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: João VI of Portugal
  • (Portuguese)Loyola, Leandro (30 January 2008), "A nova história de Dom João VI", Revista Época (506) .[Full citation needed]
  • (Portuguese) Martins, Ismênia de Lima, "Dom João – Príncipe Regente e Rei – um soberano e muitas controvérsias", Revista Navigator (11): 39 .[Full citation needed]
Attribution
John VI of Portugal
Cadet branch of the House of Aviz
Born: 13 May 1767 Died: 26 March 1826
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Maria I		 King of the United Kingdom of
Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
1816–1822		 Brazil secedes to from
the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Title last held by
Joseph I of Portugal		 King of Portugal and the Algarves
1822–1826		 Succeeded by
Peter IV
Preceded by
Peter I		 Emperor of Brazil
(titular)
1825-1826		 Succeeded by
Peter I
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_VI_of_Portugal&oldid=478803646"
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