John VI of Portugal

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John VI

Portrait by Domingos Sequeira, c. 1802-1806

King of Portugal
Reign 20 March 1816 – 10 March 1826
Acclamation 6 February 1818
Predecessor Maria I
Successor Peter IV
King of Brazil
Reign 20 March 1816 – 12 October 1822
Acclamation 6 February 1818
Predecessor Maria I
Successor Peter I (as Emperor of Brazil)
13 May 1767
Born
Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal
10 March 1826 (aged 58)
Died
Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal
Burial Pantheon of the House of Braganza
Carlota Joaquina of Spain
Spouse
(m. 1785)
Issue Infanta Maria Teresa
Francisco António, Prince of Beira
 Maria Isabel, Queen of Spain
Pedro I and IV, Emperor of Brazil and King of Portugal
Infanta Maria Francisca
Infanta Isabel Maria
Miguel I, King of Portugal
Infanta Maria da Assunção
Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria
Names
Portuguese: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael
House Braganza
Father Peter III of Portugal
Mother Maria I of Portugal
Religion Roman Catholicism
Signature

Dom John VI (Portuguese: João VI;[1][2] 13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826), nicknamed "the
Clement", was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves from 1816 to
1825. Although the United Kingdom of Portugal ceased to exist de facto beginning in 1822, he
remained its monarch de jure between 1822 and 1825. After the recognition of the independence
of Brazil under the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro of 1825, he continued as King of Portugal until his
death in 1826. Under the same treaty, he also became titular Emperor of Brazil for life, while his
son, Emperor Dom Pedro I, was both de facto and de jure the monarch of the newly independent
country.

John VI was born in Lisbon in 1767, and he was the second son of Queen Dona Maria I and
King Dom Peter III of Portugal. He became heir to the throne when his older brother Dom José,
Prince of Brazil, died of smallpox in 1788 at the age of 27. Before his accession to the
Portuguese throne, John bore the titles Duke of Braganza, Duke of Beja, and Prince of Brazil.
From 1799, he served as prince regent due to the mental illness of his mother. In 1816, John
succeeded his mother as monarch of the Portuguese Empire, with no real change in his authority,
since he already possessed absolute powers as regent.

One of the last representatives of absolute monarchy in Europe, John VI lived during a turbulent
period; his reign never saw a lasting peace. Throughout his period of rule, major powers, such as
Spain, France and Great Britain, continually intervened in Portuguese affairs. Forced to flee to
South America across the Atlantic Ocean into Brazil when troops of the Emperor Napoleon I
invaded Portugal, he found himself faced there with liberal revolts; he was compelled to return to
Europe amid new conflicts. His marriage was no less conflictual, as his wife Carlota Joaquina of
Spain repeatedly conspired against her husband in favor of personal interests or those of her
native Spain. John lost Brazil when his son Pedro declared independence, and his other son
Miguel (later Dom Miguel I of Portugal) led a rebellion that sought to depose him. According to
recent scholarly research, his death may well have been caused by arsenic poisoning.
Notwithstanding these tribulations John left a lasting mark, especially in Brazil, where he helped
to create numerous institutions and services that laid a foundation for national autonomy, and
many historians consider him to be a true mastermind of the modern Brazilian state. John's
contemporaries viewed him as a kind and benevolent king, although later generations of
Portuguese and Brazilians have made him the subject of frequent caricature.

Contents
 1 Early life
o 1.1 Marriage and succession
 2 Regency
o 2.1 Flight to Brazil
o 2.2 Colonial Transformation
 3 Accession to the throne
o 3.1 Road to rule
o 3.2 Reign
o 3.3 Final years
 4 Private life
 5 Legacy
o 5.1 Controversies
 6 Marriage and descendants
 7 Titles, styles, and honours
o 7.1 Titles and styles
o 7.2 Honours
 8 Ancestry
o 8.1 Patrilineal descent
 9 Notes
 10 Bibliography
 11 References

Early life

Infante John, Lord of the Infantado

João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael was born 13 May
1767 during the reign of his grandfather, King Dom Joseph I of Portugal. He was the second son
of the King's eldest daughter and heir, Dona Maria, Princess of Brazil (later Queen Dona Maria
I), and Infante Dom Peter of Portugal (later King Dom Peter III). Peter was not only Maria's
husband, but also her paternal uncle.

John was ten years old when his grandfather died and his mother ascended to the throne. His
childhood and youth were lived quietly in the shadow of Queen Maria I's older son and heir
apparent, Dom José, Prince of Brazil and Duke of Braganza. Folklore has Infante John as a
rather uncultured youth, but according to Jorge Pedreira e Costa, he received as rigorous an
education as his brother José did. Still, a French ambassador of the time painted him in
unfavorable colors, seeing him as hesitant and dim. The record of this period of his life is too
vague for historians to form any definitive picture.[3] Little is known of the substance of his
education. He surely received instruction in religion, law, French, and etiquette, and would
presumably have learned history through reading the works of Duarte Nunes de Leão and João
de Barros.[4]

Marriage and succession