Barbara of Braganza Biography

Queen of Spain between ( December 4th,1711 - August 27th,1758 ).

Parents:

King John V of Portugal and Maria Anna of Austria had her as their child.

Childhood and Education:

Even from an early age, the intelligent and artistic Princess Barbara loved music so much. In this field she received a privileged education. Her parents called for Domenico Scarlatti, a renowned composer, to tutor her on harpsichord. She was also taught the necessary subjects required for royals preparing her future role in European nobility. She was born in a family of  Portuguese father and Austrian mother, she learned French, German and Italian besides speaking Latin and Spanish.

Marriage:

She married her brother Joseph, Prince of Brazil in accordance with the customs of that period (Gomes 2007). This time around it was a double wedding between the children of Philip V of Spain in order to improve relations between the two Iberian crowns after the War for the Spanish Succession had ended (Kurth 1964). The Spanish couples were exchanged with their Portuguese counterparts; as such this marriage is historically referred to as “The Exchange of Princesses” (Silva 2012). It is also known as Caia Voyage because it took place at Rio Caia in Badajoz which lies on Portugal’s border (Dominguez Ortiz & Vincent P11). Barbara Braganza married Prince Ferdinand in 1729 who would later become King Ferdinand VI. However it did not last long since they did not have any children together. Barbra became pregnant but gave birth to a lifeless baby boy in 1733.

Princess of Asturias:

They remained crown prince and princess for seventeen years before eventually ascending to the throne as king Ferdinand VI and queen Barbara in 1746 (Santos Simoes 62 ). They were compelled to live away from court by Isabella Farnese who was Philip V’s second wife until his death due declining health conditions . After moving to Portugal the princess found solace in her former music teacher who was now a citizen of Spain, Scarlatti. The Neapolitan harpsichordist composed over five hundred sonatas for his Portuguese benefactress while she herself spent most of her days playing and performing those works (Salvadore 2003).

The Queen of Spain:

She became the queen consort of Spain in 1746, when her husband became king as Ferdinand VI. During his reign, she would organize luxurious parties and concerts at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. In contrast to her predecessor Isabella Farnese, Barbara did not show off her influence on the king or politics leaving quite a positive impression on people. In collaboration with her father and Portuguese ambassador, she pursued policy towards maintaining good relations between Spain and Portugal. She was regularly involved with state affairs evaluating all documents before they reached the king while counseling ministers on what steps to take. The queen played a key role at the Spanish court especially during negotiations between her father—the King of Portugal—and husband. The period from 1746–1750 saw her being actively involved in negotiations which led to signing the Treaty of Madrid. A devotee of music; she sheltered Farinelli an Italian singer and continued relationship with Scarlatti until he died in 1757 a year before she also passed away .Besides composing sonatas for orchestra, Barbara herself composed sonatas for orchestra.

She was a great lover of arts and music besides fostering works’ creation and emblematic building construction. Her influence can be easily felt when it comes to new artistic trends in Spain whether imitative or musical ones.Barbara was an avid reader owning 572 titles some dealing with history geography art literature theology among others.Her musical inventory illustrates how she associated with important European networks supplying the repertoire of the eighteenth century.

Death:

Her health collapsed, so that last years witnessed several diseases attacking her body’s functions. Bárbara de Braganza died on August 27th 1758 in Aranjuez, Spain at age forty six.She was buried in Convento de las Salesas Reales.They rest in a mausoleum that Sabatini made by order of Charles III.Her death took such a toll on Ferdinand VI that he fell into deep depression and died within a year.

Summary:

Born in Portugal in 1711, she became the queen consort of Spain. Her marriage to Ferdinand VI made her famous as an art lover and musician who greatly influenced her contemporary culture. She had a low key influence in court favoring collaboration with her father and Portuguese ambassador by concentrating on fostering good relationships between Spain and Portugal.

Did You Know?

Bárbara de Braganza was a talented harpsichordist, being one of the most prominent students of Domenico Scarlatti the great Italian composer who wrote for her over 500 sonatas.