Bárbara of Portugal

Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa, better known as Bárbara, was born on 4 December 1711, in Lisbon. She was the eldest child of King João V of Portugal and his wife, Maria Anna of Austria. Although her parents were married in 1708, they remained childless for nearly 3 years. The King had made a promise to God that if an heir was born, a great convent would be built as a sign of gratitude. Bárbara was born and, as promised, the King had the Convent of Mafra built.

When Bárbara was born, she was the presumptive heir to the Portuguese throne, so she received the title of Princess of Brazil. She was supplanted when her mother gave birth to a son, Pedro. Pedro would die two years later but, by then, Maria Anna had given birth to the future King, José.

Bárbara received a fine education and loved music. A talented harpsichord player, she was taught by Domenico Scarlatti, a great musician and composer.

In 1729, at the age of 18, Bárbara married the future Ferdinand VI of Spain, two years younger. Her brother, José, married Ferdinand's half-sister, Mariana Victoria - the double marriage was meant to repair the Portuguese-Spanish alliance. Scarlatti followed Bárbara to Madrid and remained with her until his death.

During their time as Prince and Princess of Asturias, Ferdinand and Bárbara became the target of the opposition. From 1733 to 1737, they were kept more or less under house arrest in their apartments, prevented from appearing in public and watched by the spies of the Queen, Elisabeth Farnese. This gave Bárbara the time to deepen her relationship with her husband.

Bárbara was not considered beautiful by her contemporaries, and her homely looks were thought to have caused her future husband a visible shock when he was presented to her. However, Ferdinand became deeply attached to her, sharing her passion for music and becoming dependent on her advice and support. When he ascended the throne as Ferdinand VI, the French ambassador noted it is rather Bárbara who succeeds Elisabeth than Ferdinand succeeding Philip. Bárbara was well-educated and, in addition to her musical talents, she was adept at languages (she spoke Portuguese, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and an avid reader.

Upon their succession, Bárbara was exposed to attempts to drive a wedge between her and Ferdinand, engineered by the supporters of the now Queen Dowager Elisabeth. Bárbara made an alliance with three members of the opposition and thus secured them as her supporters. She dismissed all power holders of the previous regime who threatened her influence over Ferdinand. Encouraged by Bárbara, Ferdinand fired the minister Villarias and in July 1747, the Queen Dowager was banished from court.

During Ferdinand's reign, Bárbara presided over magnificent parties and concerts at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. However, unlike her predecessor, Bárbara did not like to flaunt her influence over her husband and the government policy, and she made a moderately positive impression upon the public. She was not as self-assured, nor did she have as much ambition as Elisabeth Farnese, and her policy focused mainly upon a friendly relationship between Spain and Portugal. Queen Bárbara participated regularly in the affairs of state and she was the channel through which the ministers would work with the King, as it was she who advised them how to achieve the desired result.

Bárbara and Ferdinand produced no surviving children, with Bárbara having a stillborn son in 1733. She suffered from severe asthma for most of her life, and in later years became overweight.

Bárbara of Portugal, Queen of Spain, died on 27 August 1758 at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. Her death broke Ferdinand's heart.

Bárbara of Portugal
Jean Ranc
1729