Infante Gabriel of Spain
Encyclopedia
Infante Gabriel of Spain (12 May 1752 - 23 November 1788) was an Infante of Spain
.
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 Saxony
; his father was the King of Naples and Sicily as part of a personal union from 1735.
Of all the sons of Charles III, Gabriel was the most intelligent and hardworking. He was very cultured, renown to be an excellent translator of Sallust
and a true Maecenas. He had Antonio Soler
as his music teacher, who composed several sonatas on harpsichord
especially for his gifted pupil, as well as concerts for two organs to be interpreted together in the El Escorial church.
Gabriel spent his childhood growing up in his fathers Neapolitan kingdom; at the age of seven, he moved with his parents and older siblings Infante Charles
and Infanta Maria Luisa
to live in Madrid. His uncle Ferdinand VI of Spain
died in heirless in 1759 so his father became Charles III of Spain
by default. In Naples he left his two other brothers Infante Philip, Duke of Calabria (who was disabled and thus excluded from succession to any of his fathers domains) and the eight year old Ferdinand, King of Naples and Sicily
; Ferdinand was put in the care of a Regency council which ran the Kingdom till 1767.
While in Spain his brother married Maria Luisa of Parma
in 1765; the couple did not have any issue until 1771; Gabriel was third in line to the Spanish Throne during that period. Prior to the marriage of King Ferdinand, Gabriel was second in line to his throne from 1759 to 1775. He was later made the Grand Prior of the Orden Hospitalaria de San Juan in Castilla y León. In 1771 he instructed Juan de Villanueva
to build the so called Casita del Infante
.
He had married Infanta Mariana Victoria of Portugal; she was the daughter of Maria I of Portugal
and Peter III of Portugal
. Mariana Victoria had a proxy ceremony on 12 April 1785 in Lisbon
; they met for the first time at Aranjuez on 23 May. The couple had three children but only one survived infancy; their eldest child, Infante Peter Charles, was later made an Infante of Portugal by his grandmother who had him raised at her court at Royal Palace of Queluz
.
At the birth of his last child, Infante Charles, he and his wife were in residence at Gabriel's Casita del Infante at El Escorial
. While there, Gabriel caught Smallpox
and died at the Casita aged only 36. His wife succumbed to the illness also and died aged just 19 on 2 November; Infante Carlos died himself a week after his mother.
The three were all buried at the El Escorial complex. Gabriel's death affected his father who soon also died.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Biography
Born at the Palace of PorticiPalace of Portici
The Royal Palace of Portici is a former royal palace in Portici, southern Italy. Today it is the home of the Orto Botanico di Portici. The Botanic Gardens are operated by the University of Naples Federico II...
outside Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of 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
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...
and Maria Amalia of Saxony
Maria Amalia of Saxony
Maria Amalia of Saxony was a German princess from the House of Wettin and was the wife of Charles III of Spain; she was the Queen consort of Naples and Sicily from 1738 till 1759 and then Queen consort of Spain from 1759 until her death in 1760...
; his father was the King of Naples and Sicily as part of a personal union from 1735.
Of all the sons of Charles III, Gabriel was the most intelligent and hardworking. He was very cultured, renown to be an excellent translator of Sallust
Sallust
Gaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...
and a true Maecenas. He had Antonio Soler
Antonio Soler
Antonio Francisco Javier José Soler Ramos, usually known as Padre Antonio Soler, known in Catalan as Antoni Soler i Ramos was a Spanish Catalan composer whose works span the late Baroque and early Classical music eras...
as his music teacher, who composed several sonatas on harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
especially for his gifted pupil, as well as concerts for two organs to be interpreted together in the El Escorial church.
Gabriel spent his childhood growing up in his fathers Neapolitan kingdom; at the age of seven, he moved with his parents and older siblings Infante Charles
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
and Infanta Maria Luisa
Maria Luisa of Spain
Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary as the spouse of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor.-Names:...
to live in Madrid. His uncle Ferdinand VI of Spain
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...
died in heirless in 1759 so his father became Charles III of Spain
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...
by default. In Naples he left his two other brothers Infante Philip, Duke of Calabria (who was disabled and thus excluded from succession to any of his fathers domains) and the eight year old Ferdinand, King of Naples and Sicily
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
; Ferdinand was put in the care of a Regency council which ran the Kingdom till 1767.
While in Spain his brother married Maria Luisa of Parma
Maria Luisa of Parma
Maria Luisa of Parma was Queen consort of Spain from 1788 to 1808 as the wife of King Charles IV of Spain. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Philip of Parma and his wife, Louise-Élisabeth of France, the eldest daughter of King Louis XV.She was christened Luisa Maria Teresa Ana, but was known...
in 1765; the couple did not have any issue until 1771; Gabriel was third in line to the Spanish Throne during that period. Prior to the marriage of King Ferdinand, Gabriel was second in line to his throne from 1759 to 1775. He was later made the Grand Prior of the Orden Hospitalaria de San Juan in Castilla y León. In 1771 he instructed Juan de Villanueva
Juan de Villanueva
Juan de Villanueva was a Spanish architect. Alongside Ventura Rodríguez, Villanueva is the best known architect of Spanish Neoclassicism....
to build the so called Casita del Infante
Casita del Infante
The Casita del Infante is a historical building in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, constructed as a private home for the Infante Gabriel of Spain, hence its name. The small residence was built during the late 18th century during the reign of his father Charles III of Spain...
.
He had married Infanta Mariana Victoria of Portugal; she was the daughter of Maria I of Portugal
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...
and Peter III of Portugal
Peter III of Portugal
Peter 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:...
. Mariana Victoria had a proxy ceremony on 12 April 1785 in 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...
; they met for the first time at Aranjuez on 23 May. The couple had three children but only one survived infancy; their eldest child, Infante Peter Charles, was later made an Infante of Portugal by his grandmother who had him raised at her court at Royal Palace of Queluz
Queluz National Palace
The Queluz National Palace is a Portuguese 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a freguesia of the modern-day Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe, the palace was conceived as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza,...
.
At the birth of his last child, Infante Charles, he and his wife were in residence at Gabriel's Casita del Infante at El Escorial
El Escorial
The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...
. While there, Gabriel caught Smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
and died at the Casita aged only 36. His wife succumbed to the illness also and died aged just 19 on 2 November; Infante Carlos died himself a week after his mother.
The three were all buried at the El Escorial complex. Gabriel's death affected his father who soon also died.
Issue
- Infante Pedro Carlos Antonio Rafael Jose Javier Francisco Juan Nepomuceno Tomas de Villanueva Marcos Marcelino Vicente Ferrer Raymundo of SpainInfante Pedro Carlos of Spain and PortugalPedro Carlos de Borbón y Braganza was an Infante of Spain and Portugal.-Family:...
(Royal Palace of Aranjuez, 18 June 1786 - Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, 4 July 1812), married Infante Teresa, Princess of BeiraTeresa, Princess of BeiraInfanta Maria Teresa of Portugal was the firstborn child of John VI of Portugal and Charlotte of Spain, and heir to the throne of Portugal between 1793 and 1795, until her short-lived brother António Pio was born.Maria Teresa Francisca de Assis Antónia Carlota Joana Josefa Xavier de Paula Micaela...
; had issue; - Infanta Maria Carlota Josefa Joaquina Ana Rafaela Antonieta Francisca de Asis Agustina Madalena Francisca de Paula Clotilde Lutgarda Te of Spain (Casita del InfanteCasita del InfanteThe Casita del Infante is a historical building in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, constructed as a private home for the Infante Gabriel of Spain, hence its name. The small residence was built during the late 18th century during the reign of his father Charles III of Spain...
, 4 November - Casita del Infante, 11 November 1787). - Infante Carlos José Antonio of Spain (Casita del Infante, 28 October - Casita del Infante 9 November 1788).
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 12 May 1752 - 6 October 1759 His Royal HighnessRoyal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
Prince Gabriel of Naples and Sicily, Infante of Spain - 6 October 1759 - 23 November 1788 His Royal HighnessRoyal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
Don Gabriel, Infante of Spain, Prince of Naples, Prince of Sicily etc.
Honours
12 May 1752 Created 739th Knight of the Order of the Golden FleeceOrder of the Golden FleeceThe Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
Titles
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