John VI of Portugal
Encyclopedia
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 independent in 1825). Before his accession, he bore the titles of Duke of Braganza
and Duke of Beja, as well as the title of Prince of Brazil
. As the Portuguese sovereign, he was also sovereign of the colonial ultramarine Portuguese Empire
.
He was born in Lisbon
in 1767 as an infante (Prince not heir to the throne) of Portugal. John was the 27th (or 28th according to some historians) monarch of Portugal.
Before acceeding to the Portuguese Throne, John served, since 1799, as Prince Regent of Portugal (and later as Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves), due to the mental ilness of his mother, Queen Maria I
.
(known as Princess of Brazil
at the time of his birth) and her husband (and uncle), King Peter III of Portugal
(known as Infante of Portugal at the time of his birth). His parents ascended the throne of Portugal in 1777. John's elder brother Joseph died in 1788, so John became the heir apparent and received the title of Prince of Brazil
and 15th Duke of Braganza
.
In 1799 John assumed the reins of government as prince regent
in the name of his widowed mother, who had declined into mental illness (perhaps due to porphyria
). He retained this position until his mother's death in 1816. John had been brought up in an ecclesiastical atmosphere and, being naturally of a somewhat weak and helpless character, was ill adapted for the responsibilities he was called on to undertake. His wife, Charlotte of Spain
, dominated him. In 1807, Portugal was invaded by France. At the urging of Britain, the whole Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil
, accompanied by an escort of British ships. His court in exile was established in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1816 John was recognized as king of Portugal after his mother's death but he continued to reside in Brazil, which he had raised to the status of a kingdom on 16 December 1815. The consequent spread of dissatisfaction in Portugal resulted in the peaceful Revolution of 24 August 1820
, and the proclamation of a constitutional government, to which John swore fidelity on his return to Portugal in 1821. In the same year, and again in 1823, he had to suppress a rebellion led by his younger son Miguel
, whom he was ultimately compelled to banish in 1824.
Meanwhile his elder son and heir-apparent, Peter, declared Brazilian independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822, and subsequently declared himself Emperor Peter I. John refused to recognize Brazilian independence until 29 August 1825, when he restored Peter to the succession in the belief that Brazil and Portugal would be reunited in a dual monarchy federation after his own death. John died at Lisbon on 26 March 1826, and was briefly succeeded by Peter (as King Peter IV). Recent tests made to John's intestines, which had been kept buried in a vase, demonstrated that he may have died due to arsenic
poisoning. His nemesis, Napoleon I of France
, may have also suffered a similar fate.
(25 April 1775-7 December 1830) in 1785 and had several children:
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 independent in 1825). Before his accession, he bore the titles of Duke of Braganza
Duchy of Braganza
The Duchy of Braganza, in Portuguese: Ducado de Bragança, has been the fief of an important Portuguese noble family: the House of Braganza, and is one of the most important Dukedoms of Portugal...
and Duke of Beja, as well as the title of 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...
. As the Portuguese sovereign, he was also sovereign of the colonial ultramarine Portuguese Empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
.
He was born 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...
in 1767 as an infante (Prince not heir to the throne) of Portugal. John was the 27th (or 28th according to some historians) monarch of Portugal.
Before acceeding to the Portuguese Throne, John served, since 1799, as Prince Regent of Portugal (and later as Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves), due to the mental ilness of his mother, Queen 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...
.
Early life and regency
John was the second son of Queen Maria I of PortugalMaria 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...
(known as Princess of Brazil
Princess of Brazil
This is a list of Princesses of Brazil, from 1645 to 1815, both by marriage and birth. The title was preceded by the titles Princess of Portugal and succeed by Princess Royal of Portugal....
at the time of his birth) and her husband (and uncle), King 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:...
(known as Infante of Portugal at the time of his birth). His parents ascended the throne of Portugal in 1777. John's elder brother Joseph died in 1788, so John became the heir apparent and received the title of 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...
and 15th Duke of Braganza
Duke of Braganza
The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...
.
In 1799 John assumed the reins of government as prince regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
in the name of his widowed mother, who had declined into mental illness (perhaps due to porphyria
Porphyria
Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes in the heme bio-synthetic pathway . They are broadly classified as acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias, based on the site of the overproduction and accumulation of the porphyrins...
). He retained this position until his mother's death in 1816. John had been brought up in an ecclesiastical atmosphere and, being naturally of a somewhat weak and helpless character, was ill adapted for the responsibilities he was called on to undertake. His wife, Charlotte of Spain
Charlotte of Spain
Doña Carlota Joaquina of Spain was a Queen consort of Portugal as wife of John VI...
, dominated him. In 1807, Portugal was invaded by France. At the urging of Britain, the whole Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil
Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil
The Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil was an episode in the history of Portugal and the history of Brazil in which the Portuguese royal family and its court escaped from Lisbon on November 29, 1807 to Brazil, just days before Napoleonic forces captured the city on December 1...
, accompanied by an escort of British ships. His court in exile was established in Rio de Janeiro.
King of Portugal
Liberal Revolution of 1820
The Liberal Revolution of 1820 was a political revolution that erupted in 1820 and lasted until 1826. It was unchained via a military insurrection in the city of Porto, in northern Portugal, that quickly and peacefully spread to the rest of the country. From 1807 to 1811 Napoleonic French forces...
, and the proclamation of a constitutional government, to which John swore fidelity on his return to Portugal in 1821. In the same year, and again in 1823, he had to suppress a rebellion led by his younger son Miguel
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
, whom he was ultimately compelled to banish in 1824.
Meanwhile his elder son and heir-apparent, Peter, declared Brazilian independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822, and subsequently declared himself Emperor Peter I. John refused to recognize Brazilian independence until 29 August 1825, when he restored Peter to the succession in the belief that Brazil and Portugal would be reunited in a dual monarchy federation after his own death. John died at Lisbon on 26 March 1826, and was briefly succeeded by Peter (as King Peter IV). Recent tests made to John's intestines, which had been kept buried in a vase, demonstrated that he may have died due to arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
poisoning. His nemesis, Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, may have also suffered a similar fate.
Marriages and descendants
John married Charlotte of SpainCharlotte of Spain
Doña Carlota Joaquina of Spain was a Queen consort of Portugal as wife of John VI...
(25 April 1775-7 December 1830) in 1785 and had several children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira | 29 April 1793 | 17 January 1874 | Married first her cousin Pedro Carlos de Borbón y Bragança, Infante of Spain and Portugal Infante Pedro Carlos of Spain and Portugal Pedro Carlos de Borbón y Braganza was an Infante of Spain and Portugal.-Family:... and second to Carlos, Infante of Spain Infante Carlos, Count of Molina The Infante Carlos of Spain was the second surviving son of King Charles IV of Spain and of his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma. As Carlos V he was the first of the Carlist claimants to the throne of Spain... , widower of her sister Maria Francisca. |
| Francisco António Pio, Prince of Beira Prince of Beira Prince of Beira is a title in Portugal, normally given to the second heirs to the throne and/or to the eldest daughter of the monarch. It was thus attributed to persons of the royal family especially esteemed by the sovereign... |
21 March 1795 | 11 June 1801 | |
| Infanta Maria Isabel Maria Isabel of Portugal Maria Isabel of Portugal was an Infanta of Portugal and was later the Queen of Spain as the second wife of Ferdinand VII of Spain.-Biography:... |
19 May 1797 | 26 December 1818 | Married Ferdinand VII, King of Spain. |
| Peter IV of Portugal, I of Brazil | 12 October 1798 | 24 September 1834 | Stayed in Brazil after Napoleonic Wars Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to... in Spain. Proclaimed the Independence of Brazil in 1822 and became its first monarch as Emperor Peter I. He was also King of Portugal as Peter IV in 1826. |
| Infanta Maria Francisca | 22 April 1800 | 4 September 1834 | Married Carlos, Infante of Spain Infante Carlos, Count of Molina The Infante Carlos of Spain was the second surviving son of King Charles IV of Spain and of his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma. As Carlos V he was the first of the Carlist claimants to the throne of Spain... (his first marriage). |
| Infanta Isabel Maria Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal (or of Braganza and Borbón; ; Queluz, July 4, 1801 – Benfica, then Belém, April 22, 1876 was a Portuguese infanta (princess) daughter of King John VI of Portugal and his wife Carlota Joaquina of... |
4 July 1801 | 22 April 1876 | served as regent of Portugal from 1826 to 1828; died unmarried |
| Miguel I Miguel of Portugal Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain.... |
26 October 1802 | 14 November 1866 | Known by the Liberals as the Usurper, he was King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834. He was forced to abdicate after the Liberal Wars Liberal Wars The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834... . |
| Infanta Maria da Assunção Infanta Maria da Assunção of Portugal Infanta Maria da Assunção of Portugal Infanta Maria da Assunção of Portugal Infanta Maria da Assunção of Portugal (or of Braganza and Borbón; was a Portuguese infanta (princess) daughter of King John VI of Portugal and his wife Carlota Joaquina of Borbón.She died unmarried when she was just 28... |
25 June 1805 | 7 January 1834 | died unmarried |
| Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Duchess of Loulé | 23 October 1806 | 22 June 1857 | Married Nuno José Severo de Mendoça Rolim de Moura Barreto, Marquis and then Duke of Loulé Duke of Loulé Duke of Loulé is a Portuguese title that was originally granted to the family of Moura Barreto.The dukedom was created by a royal decree of King Luis I of Portugal, dated from October 3, 1862, to his grand-uncle Nuno José Severo de Mendoça Rolim de Moura Barreto, 2nd Marquis of Loulé and 9th Count... and had issue. |
Ancestry
In popular culture
A fictionalized version of much of his life is depicted in the Brazilian movie Carlota Joaquina - Princesa do Brasil.See also
- War of the Two BrothersLiberal WarsThe Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
- History of PortugalHistory of PortugalThe history of Portugal, a European and an Atlantic nation, dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's "Age of Discovery" as it built up a vast empire including possessions in South America, Africa, Asia and...
- History of BrazilHistory of BrazilThe history of Brazil begins with the arrival of the first indigenous peoples, thousands of years ago by crossing the Bering land bridge into Alaska and then moving south....