Photo: Vicente López Portaña, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons²²

Ferdinand VII of Spain

King of Spain (1808, 1813–1833)

Ferdinand VII (Spanish: Fernando VII; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain and the Indies during the early 19th century, and king of the Spains during the Spanish liberal period. He reigned as a prisoner of Napoleon, in absentia, or without effective sovereignty during the periods of Spanish liberalism, 1808–1813 and 1820–1823 (Trienio Liberal).²

From Wikipedia’s article on Ferdinand VII of Spain (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Oct 14, 1784, died Sep 29, 1833.¹

About

Before 1813, he was known as el Deseado (the Desired), and after, as el Rey Felón (the Felon King).

Born in Madrid at El Escorial, Ferdinand was heir apparent to the Spanish throne in his youth. Following the 1808 Tumult of Aranjuez, he ascended the throne. That year, Napoleon overthrew him; he linked his monarchy to counter-revolution and reactionary policies that produced a deep rift in Spain between his forces on the right and liberals on the left. Back in power in December 1813, he re-established the absolutist monarchy and rejected the liberal constitution of 1812. A revolt in 1820 led by Rafael del Riego forced him to restore the constitution, starting the Liberal Triennium, a three-year period of liberal rule. In 1823, the Congress of Verona authorised a successful French intervention, restoring him to absolute power for the second time. He suppressed the liberal press from 1814 to 1833, jailing many of its editors and writers.

Under his rule, the liberal revolution took place throughout the Spanish Empire; Spanish America obtained its independence and Spain entered into a large-scale civil war upon his death. His political legacy has remained contested since his death; some historians regard him as incompetent, despotic, and short-sighted.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ferdinand VII of Spain, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Royal Lithographic EstablishmentFounder²¹

Early life and education

Ferdinand was the eldest surviving son of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. He was born in the palace of El Escorial near Madrid. In his youth, he occupied the position of an heir apparent excluded from any participation in government by his parents and their favourite advisor and Prime Minister, Manuel Godoy. National discontent with the government produced a rebellion in 1805. In October 1807, Ferdinand was arrested for his complicity in the El Escorial Conspiracy in which the rebels aimed at securing foreign support from the French Emperor Napoleon. When the conspiracy was discovered, he submitted to his parents.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ferdinand VII of Spain (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: ruler.¹²

1814 to 1833Head of State of Spain¹¹
1814 to 1833Monarch of Spain¹¹
1808Monarch of Spain¹¹
1808Head of State of Spain¹¹
Date not recordedFounded Cross of María Isabel Luisa³
Date not recordedFounded Real Consulado de Comercio de Madrid⁴
Date not recordedFounded Order of Saint Hermenegild⁵
Date not recordedFounded Universidad Central⁶
Date not recordedFounded Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo⁷
Date not recordedFounded Royal Tenure of Quitapesares⁸
Date not recordedFounded Order of Isabella the Catholic‎⁹
Date not recordedFounded Royal Lithographic Establishment¹⁰
Date not recordedGrand Master of the Order of Santiago¹¹

Known for: Will of Ferdinand VII of Spain.¹³

Personal life

BornOct 14, 1784, Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial¹⁴
DiedSep 29, 1833, Royal Palace of Madrid¹⁵
CitizenshipSpain¹⁶
SpousesMaria Antonia of Naples and Sicily 1802 to 1806¹⁷; Queen Maria Isabel of Spain 1816 to 1818¹⁷; Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony 1819 to 1829¹⁷; Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies 1829 to 1833¹⁷

Ferdinand VII married four times. His first wife died of tuberculosis, the second died in childbirth, and the third died of "a fever". His fourth wife outlived him by 45 years.

In 1802, he married his first cousin Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (1784–1806), daughter of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Marie Caroline of Austria. Her two pregnancies in 1804 and 1805 both ended in miscarriages.

In 1816, Ferdinand married his niece Maria Isabel of Portugal (1797–1818), daughter of his older sister Carlota Joaquina and John VI of Portugal. They had a daughter who lived only five months, and a stillborn daughter.

On 20 October 1819, in Madrid, Ferdinand married the daughter of his father's first cousin Maximilian, Prince of Saxony and of his mother's niece Caroline of Parma, Princess Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (1803–1829). They had no children.

Lastly, on 27 May 1829, Ferdinand married another niece, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (1806–1878), daughter of his younger sister Maria Isabella of Spain and of their first cousin Francis I of the Two Sicilies, who was also the brother of Ferdinand's first wife. They had two surviving daughters, the older of whom succeeded Ferdinand upon his death.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ferdinand VII of Spain (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

1818Knight of the Order of the Elephant¹⁸
1784Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece^{18 19}
Date not recordedCollar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic‎¹⁸
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Legion of Honour¹⁸
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of Charles III^{18 19}
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild¹⁸
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Sash of the Three Orders^{18 20}
Date not recordedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit¹⁸
Date not recordedKnight of the Order of Saint Michael¹⁸
Date not recordedKnight of the Order of the Holy Spirit¹⁸

More awards (8)

Date not recordedOrder of Alcántara¹⁸
Date not recordedOrder of Calatrava¹⁸
Date not recordedOrder of Montesa¹⁸
Date not recordedOrder of Saint Alexander Nevsky¹⁸
Date not recordedOrder of Saint Ferdinand¹⁸
Date not recordedOrder of Saint Januarius¹⁸
Date not recordedOrder of St. Andrew¹⁸
Date not recordedOrder of the Garter¹⁸

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain on Wikidata
2
WikipediaFerdinand VII of Spain on Wikipedia
3
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Cross of María Isabel Luisa, on Wikidata
4
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Real Consulado de Comercio de Madrid, on Wikidata
5
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Order of Saint Hermenegild, on Wikidata
6
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Universidad Central, on Wikidata
7
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, on Wikidata
8
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Royal Tenure of Quitapesares, on Wikidata
9
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Order of Isabella the Catholic‎, on Wikidata
10
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Founded Royal Lithographic Establishment, on Wikidata
11
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, on Wikidata
12
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: occupation, on Wikidata
13
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: notable work, on Wikidata
14
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: place of birth, on Wikidata
15
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: place of death, on Wikidata
16
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: citizenship, on Wikidata
17
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: spouse, on Wikidata
18
WikidataFerdinand VII of Spain: award, on Wikidata
19
Wikidataaward, as reported
20
Wikidataaward, as reported by Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas
21
WikidataRoyal Lithographic Establishment, Founder
22
Wikimedia CommonsFerdinand VII of Spain photo by Vicente López Portaña, Public domain

About

Companies

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Awards

Links

Sources