Mariana Victoria of Spain
Encyclopedia
Mariana Victoria of Spain (31 March 1718 – 15 January 1781) was an Infanta of Spain and Queen consort of Portugal as wife of King Joseph I. The mother of Queen Maria I of Portugal
, she also acted as Regent of Portugal during the last months of her husband's life and advisor to her daughter during her reign.
and was given the same forenames as her paternal grandmother Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, wife of Louis, "le Grand Dauphin"
, the only surviving son of King Louis XIV of France
. She was an Infanta of Spain by birth as the eldest daughter of King Philip V of Spain
and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese. Her father was a grandson of Louis XIV and had inherited the Spanish throne in 1700. At the time of her birth, Mariana Victoria was fifth in line to the throne of Spain behind her half-brothers Louis, Ferdinand
, and Peter, as well as her full brother Charles
.
, France and Spain decided to reconcile by engaging the Infanta Mariana Victoria to her first cousin, the young King Louis XV of France
. Organised by Philippe d'Orléans
, Regent of France
for the ten-year-old Louis XV, the match was part of a wider set of marital engagements which included a plan to marry Philip V's eldest son Louis, Prince of Asturias, to Élisabeth d'Orléans, "Mademoiselle de Montpensier", and another plan to marry Philippine Élisabeth d'Orléans, "Mademoiselle de Beaujolais", to the young Infante Charles
, the future King Charles III of Spain.
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon
, the French ambassador, requested Mariana Victoria's hand on behalf of the French king on 25 November 1721. The exchange of the young Infanta and "Mademoiselle de Montpensier" took place on the Pheasant Island
on the border between France and Spain that was the site where their common ancestors, Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Austria
, had met in 1660. Mariana Victoria arrived in Paris on 2 March 1721 amidst much celebration and took up residence at the Palais du Louvre
. The young Infanta was nicknamed the l'infante Reine ("Queen-Infanta"), as the couple was not to be married until Mariana Victoria reached a more mature age. Mariana Victoria was in awe of Louis XV and was popular with the court apart from the king himself, who avoided her.
According to Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
, mother of the Regent of France, Mariana Victoria was the "sweetest and prettiest little thing" and had considerable wit for her age. Her education was placed in the care of Marie Anne de Bourbon
, an illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Louise de La Vallière
. In February 1723, Louis XV reached his majority and began to govern France on his own accord.
But Mariana Victoria's establishment in France was not to be. Under the influence of the Prime Minister
Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, and his mistress Madame de Prie, the decision was made to send the seven-year-old Infanta back to Spain on 11 March 1725. Bourbon had wanted to maintain influence over the young Louis XV and offered his sister Henriette Louise de Bourbon
as a potential wife. She, unlike Mariana Victoria, was old enough to conceive. The situation was not helped by the Spanish rejection of Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, whose husband died after ruling as Louis I of Spain for only seven months. As their marriage had not been consummated, the Spanish refused to support her and ordered her to return to France with her sister Philippine Élisabeth. Mariana Victoria left Versailles
on 5 April 1725 and travelled to the frontier, where she and the two Orléans daughters were then exchanged. Louis XV subsequently married Marie Leszczyńska in September 1725 and Mariana Victoria's sister the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela married Louis XV's son in 1745 to reassure the insulted Spanish court.
in the form of the 1725 Treaty of Vienna
, while England sought support from France. Having remained unmarried, Mariana Victoria was still eligible to inherit the throne, but was displaced in the line of succession by her younger brother Philip
, who was born in 1720. Discussions with the Kingdom of Portugal
began in 1727, and a marriage was negotiated by the Portuguese ambassador, the Marquis of Abrantes
. She had earlier been a rumoured bride for the Emperor Peter II of Russia
, grandson of Peter the Great. With the court of Portugal, another double marriage was planned. Mariana Victoria would marry the Infante José, Prince of Brazil, son and heir of King John V. Mariana Victoria's older half-brother Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias
, would marry José's sister the Infanta Bárbara
. Mariana Victoria married the Prince of Brazil
(the traditional title for the Portuguese heir to the throne) on 19 January 1729 at Elvas in Portugal. The Prince of Asturias
(traditional title for the Spanish heir to the throne) married the Infanta Bárbara the next day at Badajoz
in Spain.
Mariana Victoria and her husband would soon enjoy a close relationship. The couple liked hunting as well as music. Mariana Victoria was an accomplished singer who patronised Italian opera singers and the theatre, but both and her husband were passionately religious. Despite this, her husband maintained various mistresses, much to the dislike of his strong-willed wife. During her marriage, Mariana Victoria gave birth to eight children, four of which survived infancy. Her first child Maria was given the style "Princess of Beira" as the heiress presumptive to her father. Two of Mariana Victoria's daughters remained unmarried. Her daughter Mariana Francisca
was a proposed bride for the Dauphin of France (the eldest son of Louis XV), but Mariana Victoria herself rejected the plan. When her other daughter Doroteia
was proposed as a wife for the future Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
(known as "Philippe Égalité"), Mariana Victoria again refused to the match. Her youngest daughter Benedita
married José, Prince of Brazil, Mariana Victoria's grandson. The latter marriage was organised by Mariana Victoria herself after the death of her husband.
, which had significant territories in South America
. Her husbands reign was dominated by the influence of the Marquis of Pombal, who had been a favourite of the Queen mother Maria Anna of Austria
. Joseph I soon left the governing of his state to Pombal, who used his power to remove the influence of the church at the court as well as that of his enemies. Mariana Victoria and her daughter disliked the influence that Pombal exercised over Joseph I. Her husband's reign was marred by the devastating Lisbon earthquake
of 1 November 1755 which killed 100,000 people. The earthquake caused Joseph I to develop a severe case of claustrophobia
, and he was never again comfortable living within a walled building. Consequently, he moved the royal court to an extensive complex of tents in the hills of Ajuda
. It was Pombal who organised the reconstruction of Lisbon
in the aftermath of the earthquake.
In 1759, the "Távora Affair" emerged after an assassination attempt on Mariana Victoria's husband failed. Pombal held the powerful Távora family completely responsible for the attack. Pombal later ordered the execution of all members of the noble family, and it was only with the intervention of Mariana Victoria and her daughter Maria that some women and children were spared. As Pombal was de facto
ruler of the state, Mariana Victoria and her husband took a less prominent role in politics.
Her husband, having suffered a series of strokes, decided to allow his wife to take his place as head of government. As such, Mariana Victoria was created Regent of Portugal in her husband's name. Created Regent on 29 November 1776, she remained so until her husband's death on 24 February 1777. Her eldest daughter then became the first queen regnant
of Portugal as Maria I
. Throughout her daughter's reign, Mariana Victoria exerted much influence on her daughter, who would often ask her mother's advice on most matters of state. In the early days of Maria I's reign, Pombal was exiled to the country.
When her daughter assumed the reins of government, Mariana Victoria took it upon herself to improve relations with her native Spain, which was ruled by her older brother Carlos III
. The two countries had been in conflict regarding territorial possessions in the Americas
. Leaving Portugal on 28 October 1777, Mariana Victoria travelled to Spain, where she stayed for just over a year, residing both in Madrid
and at Aranjuez. Mariana Victoria helped bring about a treaty between the two nations which was to be cemented by a double marriage between her grandchildren. These unions were between Charles III's son Gabriel
and Mariana Victoria's granddaughter Mariana Vitória
. The second marriage was between the Infanta Carlota, eldest granddaughter of Carlos III, and the future King John VI of Portugal
. While in Spain, Mariana Victoria had had an attack of rheumatism
and used a wheelchair for some time in August 1778. She returned to Portugal in November 1778. Her illness worsened when it became clear that she was suffering from heart disease
as well. The elderly Mariana Victoria died at the Real Barraca de Ajuda, a building once on the site of the present Ajuda National Palace
. She was buried at the Monastery of São Vicente
in Lisbon.
, who was born on the same day that the 1755 Lisbon earthquake devastated Lisbon. Mariana Victoria has descendants ranging from the present King of Spain
, King of Belgium
, and Grand Duke of Luxembourg
to the pretending Duke of Parma and the French Count of Paris. In 1822, her great-grandson Pedro I of Brazil became the first emperor of Brazil.
Maria I of Portugal
Maria I was Queen regnant of Portugal and the Algarves from 1777 until her death. Known as Maria the Pious , or Maria the Mad , she was the first undisputed Queen regnant of Portugal...
, she also acted as Regent of Portugal during the last months of her husband's life and advisor to her daughter during her reign.
Background
Mariana Victoria was born at the Royal Alcazar of MadridRoyal Alcazar of Madrid
The Royal Alcázar of Madrid was a Muslim fortress built in the second half of the 9th century, at the site of today's Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. The structure was extended and enlarged over the centuries, particularly after the 16th century...
and was given the same forenames as her paternal grandmother Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, wife of Louis, "le Grand Dauphin"
Louis, Grand Dauphin
Louis of France was the eldest son and heir of Louis XIV, King of France, and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. As the heir apparent to the French throne, he was styled Dauphin...
, the only surviving son of King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. She was an Infanta of Spain by birth as the eldest daughter of King Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese. Her father was a grandson of Louis XIV and had inherited the Spanish throne in 1700. At the time of her birth, Mariana Victoria was fifth in line to the throne of Spain behind her half-brothers Louis, Ferdinand
Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI , called the Learnt, was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy...
, and Peter, as well as her full brother Charles
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
.
Engagement to Louis XV
After the War of the Quadruple AllianceWar of the Quadruple Alliance
The War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...
, France and Spain decided to reconcile by engaging the Infanta Mariana Victoria to her first cousin, the young King Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. Organised by Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, Regent of France
Régence
The Régence is the period in French history between 1715 and 1723, when King Louis XV was a minor and the land was governed by a Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, the nephew of Louis XIV of France....
for the ten-year-old Louis XV, the match was part of a wider set of marital engagements which included a plan to marry Philip V's eldest son Louis, Prince of Asturias, to Élisabeth d'Orléans, "Mademoiselle de Montpensier", and another plan to marry Philippine Élisabeth d'Orléans, "Mademoiselle de Beaujolais", to the young Infante Charles
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
, the future King Charles III of Spain.
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy commonly known as Saint-Simon was a French soldier, diplomatist and writer of memoirs, was born in Paris...
, the French ambassador, requested Mariana Victoria's hand on behalf of the French king on 25 November 1721. The exchange of the young Infanta and "Mademoiselle de Montpensier" took place on the Pheasant Island
Pheasant Island
Pheasant Island is a river island located in the Bidasoa river. The island is a condominium , under joint sovereignty of Spain and France, and so administered by Irun and Hendaye , which are in charge of the island during alternating periods of six months...
on the border between France and Spain that was the site where their common ancestors, Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Austria was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. Maria Theresa was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV and mother of the Grand Dauphin, an ancestor of the last four Bourbon kings of France.-Early life:Born as Infanta María Teresa of Spain at the...
, had met in 1660. Mariana Victoria arrived in Paris on 2 March 1721 amidst much celebration and took up residence at the Palais du Louvre
Palais du Louvre
The Louvre Palace , on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, is a former royal palace situated between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois...
. The young Infanta was nicknamed the l'infante Reine ("Queen-Infanta"), as the couple was not to be married until Mariana Victoria reached a more mature age. Mariana Victoria was in awe of Louis XV and was popular with the court apart from the king himself, who avoided her.
According to Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine was a German princess and the wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV of France. Her vast correspondence provides a detailed account of the personalities and activities at the court of her brother-in-law, Louis XIV...
, mother of the Regent of France, Mariana Victoria was the "sweetest and prettiest little thing" and had considerable wit for her age. Her education was placed in the care of Marie Anne de Bourbon
Marie Anne de Bourbon
Marie Anne de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV of France and Louise de La Vallière. At the age of thirteen, she was married to Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti and as such was the Princess of Conti by marriage...
, an illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Louise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
. In February 1723, Louis XV reached his majority and began to govern France on his own accord.
But Mariana Victoria's establishment in France was not to be. Under the influence of the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, and his mistress Madame de Prie, the decision was made to send the seven-year-old Infanta back to Spain on 11 March 1725. Bourbon had wanted to maintain influence over the young Louis XV and offered his sister Henriette Louise de Bourbon
Henriette Louise de Bourbon
Henriette Louise de Bourbon was a French Princess by birth and a member of the House of Bourbon...
as a potential wife. She, unlike Mariana Victoria, was old enough to conceive. The situation was not helped by the Spanish rejection of Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, whose husband died after ruling as Louis I of Spain for only seven months. As their marriage had not been consummated, the Spanish refused to support her and ordered her to return to France with her sister Philippine Élisabeth. Mariana Victoria left Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
on 5 April 1725 and travelled to the frontier, where she and the two Orléans daughters were then exchanged. Louis XV subsequently married Marie Leszczyńska in September 1725 and Mariana Victoria's sister the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela married Louis XV's son in 1745 to reassure the insulted Spanish court.
Engagement to Joseph I
Mariana Victoria's return to Spain was taken as a great affront and caused a diplomatic rift between Spain and France. The offended Spanish soon after concluded a treaty with AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in the form of the 1725 Treaty of Vienna
Treaty of Vienna (1725)
The Treaty of Vienna was signed on April 30, 1725 between Emperor Charles VI of Austria and King Philip V of Spain.The treaty guaranteed the Pragmatic Sanction of the Habsburgs, which was first declared in 1713. Based on the terms of the treaty, the Austrian Empire relinquished all claims to the...
, while England sought support from France. Having remained unmarried, Mariana Victoria was still eligible to inherit the throne, but was displaced in the line of succession by her younger brother Philip
Philip, Duke of Parma
Philip of Spain was Duke of Parma from 1748 to 1765. He founded the House of Bourbon-Parma , a cadet line of the Spanish branch of the dynasty...
, who was born in 1720. Discussions with the Kingdom of Portugal
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
began in 1727, and a marriage was negotiated by the Portuguese ambassador, the Marquis of Abrantes
Marquis of Abrantes
Marquis of Abrantes was a Portuguese title of nobility, granted by a decree issued by King John V of Portugal on 24 June 1718, to Rodrigo Anes de Sá Almeida e Menezes, 3rd Marquis of Fontes and 7th Count of Penaguião....
. She had earlier been a rumoured bride for the Emperor Peter II of Russia
Peter II of Russia
Pyotr II Alekseyevich was Emperor of Russia from 1727 until his death. He was the only son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, son of Peter I of Russia by his first wife Eudoxia Lopukhina, and Princess Charlotte, daughter of Duke Louis Rudolph of Brunswick-Lüneburg and sister-in-law of Charles VI,...
, grandson of Peter the Great. With the court of Portugal, another double marriage was planned. Mariana Victoria would marry the Infante José, Prince of Brazil, son and heir of King John V. Mariana Victoria's older half-brother Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias
Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI , called the Learnt, was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy...
, would marry José's sister the Infanta Bárbara
Barbara of Portugal
Barbara of Portugal was an Infanta of Portugal and later Queen of Spain as wife of Ferdinand VI of Spain.-Life in Portugal:...
. Mariana Victoria married the Prince of Brazil
Prince of Brazil
Prince of Brazil was a title used in the Kingdom of Portugal, for the heir of the royal House of Braganza.The title was created by King John IV of Portugal on 27 October 1645 in favor of his eldest son and heir prince Teodósio, soon after Portugal had got rid of its Spanish rulers...
(the traditional title for the Portuguese heir to the throne) on 19 January 1729 at Elvas in Portugal. The Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...
(traditional title for the Spanish heir to the throne) married the Infanta Bárbara the next day at Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
in Spain.
Mariana Victoria and her husband would soon enjoy a close relationship. The couple liked hunting as well as music. Mariana Victoria was an accomplished singer who patronised Italian opera singers and the theatre, but both and her husband were passionately religious. Despite this, her husband maintained various mistresses, much to the dislike of his strong-willed wife. During her marriage, Mariana Victoria gave birth to eight children, four of which survived infancy. Her first child Maria was given the style "Princess of Beira" as the heiress presumptive to her father. Two of Mariana Victoria's daughters remained unmarried. Her daughter Mariana Francisca
Infanta Mariana Francisca of Portugal
The Infanta Mariana Francisca also known as Maria Ana Francisca, was a Portuguese infanta daughter of King Joseph I of Portugal and his wife Mariana Victoria of Spain....
was a proposed bride for the Dauphin of France (the eldest son of Louis XV), but Mariana Victoria herself rejected the plan. When her other daughter Doroteia
Infanta Doroteia of Portugal
Doroteia of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta daughter of King Joseph I of Portugal and his wife Mariana Victoria of Spain....
was proposed as a wife for the future Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
(known as "Philippe Égalité"), Mariana Victoria again refused to the match. Her youngest daughter Benedita
Infanta Benedita of Portugal
Benedita of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta and the youngest daughter of King Joseph I of Portugal and his wife Mariana Victoria of Spain.- Biography :Benedita was born in Lisbon she was named after Pope Benedict XIV...
married José, Prince of Brazil, Mariana Victoria's grandson. The latter marriage was organised by Mariana Victoria herself after the death of her husband.
Queen, regent and widow
At the death of her father-in-law, King John V in 1750, Mariana Victoria husband became the ruler of the Portuguese EmpirePortuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, which had significant territories in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Her husbands reign was dominated by the influence of the Marquis of Pombal, who had been a favourite of the Queen mother Maria Anna of Austria
Maria Anna of Austria
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria , was Electress of Bavaria as the spouse of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria. She also served as Regent of Bavaria during the minority of her son...
. Joseph I soon left the governing of his state to Pombal, who used his power to remove the influence of the church at the court as well as that of his enemies. Mariana Victoria and her daughter disliked the influence that Pombal exercised over Joseph I. Her husband's reign was marred by the devastating Lisbon earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
of 1 November 1755 which killed 100,000 people. The earthquake caused Joseph I to develop a severe case of claustrophobia
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
, and he was never again comfortable living within a walled building. Consequently, he moved the royal court to an extensive complex of tents in the hills of Ajuda
Ajuda
Ajuda is a Portuguese civil parish in the municipality of Lisbon with an area and 17,961 inhabitants ; its density was 5707.3 inhabitants/km².-History:...
. It was Pombal who organised the reconstruction of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in the aftermath of the earthquake.
In 1759, the "Távora Affair" emerged after an assassination attempt on Mariana Victoria's husband failed. Pombal held the powerful Távora family completely responsible for the attack. Pombal later ordered the execution of all members of the noble family, and it was only with the intervention of Mariana Victoria and her daughter Maria that some women and children were spared. As Pombal was de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
ruler of the state, Mariana Victoria and her husband took a less prominent role in politics.
Her husband, having suffered a series of strokes, decided to allow his wife to take his place as head of government. As such, Mariana Victoria was created Regent of Portugal in her husband's name. Created Regent on 29 November 1776, she remained so until her husband's death on 24 February 1777. Her eldest daughter then became the first queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
of Portugal as Maria I
Maria I of Portugal
Maria I was Queen regnant of Portugal and the Algarves from 1777 until her death. Known as Maria the Pious , or Maria the Mad , she was the first undisputed Queen regnant of Portugal...
. Throughout her daughter's reign, Mariana Victoria exerted much influence on her daughter, who would often ask her mother's advice on most matters of state. In the early days of Maria I's reign, Pombal was exiled to the country.
When her daughter assumed the reins of government, Mariana Victoria took it upon herself to improve relations with her native Spain, which was ruled by her older brother Carlos III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
. The two countries had been in conflict regarding territorial possessions in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. Leaving Portugal on 28 October 1777, Mariana Victoria travelled to Spain, where she stayed for just over a year, residing both in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and at Aranjuez. Mariana Victoria helped bring about a treaty between the two nations which was to be cemented by a double marriage between her grandchildren. These unions were between Charles III's son Gabriel
Infante Gabriel of Spain
Infante Gabriel of Spain was an Infante of Spain.-Biography:Born at the Palace of Portici outside Naples, he was named Prince Gabriel Antonio Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Serafin Pascual Salvador of Naples and Sicily; he was the fourth son of King Charles VII and V and Maria Amalia of...
and Mariana Victoria's granddaughter Mariana Vitória
Infanta Mariana Vitória of Portugal
Mariana Victoria of Portugal was a Portuguese Infanta , the third child and eldest daughter of Queen Maria I of Portugal and King Peter III of Portugal.-Biography:Mariana Victoria was born at the Royal Palace of Queluz, in the...
. The second marriage was between the Infanta Carlota, eldest granddaughter of Carlos III, and the future King John VI of Portugal
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...
. While in Spain, Mariana Victoria had had an attack of rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
and used a wheelchair for some time in August 1778. She returned to Portugal in November 1778. Her illness worsened when it became clear that she was suffering from heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
as well. The elderly Mariana Victoria died at the Real Barraca de Ajuda, a building once on the site of the present Ajuda National Palace
Ajuda National Palace
The Ajuda National Palace is a neoclassical monument in the civil parish of Ajuda in the city of Lisbon, centralPortugal. Built on the site of a temporary wooden building constructed to house the Royal family after the 1755 earthquake and tsunami, it was originally begun by architect Manuel...
. She was buried at the Monastery of São Vicente
Monastery of São Vicente de Fora
The Church or Monastery of São Vicente de Fora; meaning "Monastery of St. Vincent Outside the Walls" is a 17th century church and monastery in the city of Lisbon, in Portugal...
in Lisbon.
Legacy
Mariana Victoria was the godmother of Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
, who was born on the same day that the 1755 Lisbon earthquake devastated Lisbon. Mariana Victoria has descendants ranging from the present King of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
, King of Belgium
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
, and Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg OIH is the head of state of Luxembourg. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. His maternal grandparents were King Leopold III of Belgium and Astrid of Sweden...
to the pretending Duke of Parma and the French Count of Paris. In 1822, her great-grandson Pedro I of Brazil became the first emperor of Brazil.
Issue
- Maria I of PortugalMaria I of PortugalMaria I was Queen regnant of Portugal and the Algarves from 1777 until her death. Known as Maria the Pious , or Maria the Mad , she was the first undisputed Queen regnant of Portugal...
(17 December 1734 – 20 March 1816) married Infante Pedro of PortugalPeter III of PortugalPeter III became King of the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves by the accession of his wife and niece Queen Maria I in 1777, and co-reigned alongside her until his death.-Biography:...
and had issue. Later queen of Portugal. - Mariana Francisca of PortugalInfanta Mariana Francisca of PortugalThe Infanta Mariana Francisca also known as Maria Ana Francisca, was a Portuguese infanta daughter of King Joseph I of Portugal and his wife Mariana Victoria of Spain....
(7 October 1736 – 6 May 1813), died unmarried. - Doroteia of PortugalInfanta Doroteia of PortugalDoroteia of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta daughter of King Joseph I of Portugal and his wife Mariana Victoria of Spain....
(21 September 1739 – 14 January 1771), died unmarried. - Benedita of PortugalInfanta Benedita of PortugalBenedita of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta and the youngest daughter of King Joseph I of Portugal and his wife Mariana Victoria of Spain.- Biography :Benedita was born in Lisbon she was named after Pope Benedict XIV...
(25 July 1746 – 18 August 1829) married Infante Joseph, Prince of Beira, no issue.
Ancestors
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 31 March 1718 – 19 January 1729 Her Royal Highness Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain
- 19 January 1729 – 31 July 1750 Her Royal Highness the Princess of Brazil, Duchess of Braganza
- 31 July 1750 – 29 November 1776 Her Most Faithful Majesty the Queen of Portugal and the Algarves
- 29 November 1776 – 24 February 1777 Her Most Faithful Majesty the Queen Regent of Portugal and the Algarves
- 24 February 1777 – 15 January 1781 Her Most Faithful Majesty the Queen Mother of Portugal and the Algarves