1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,080 Speaker 1: to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy be Wilson. Tracy. 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: There's a little bit of housekeeping to be done, a 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 1: little exciting housekeeping. Yeah, we're going to go on tour again. 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: We heard the folks who ask if we could come 7 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: somewhere that didn't have the word coast as part of 8 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: the name, and that's what we're doing. Yes, So brace 9 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: middle of the country for fall, because we will be 10 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: a Denver, Colorado October, Chicago, Illinois October, Austin, Texas November, Dallas, 11 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: Texas November, and Houston, Texas November sixteen. So for our 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: super fans who listen to this show as soon as 13 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:50,879 Speaker 1: it comes out, we have a pre sale happening. The 14 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: pre sale is going to start on the seventeen of July. 15 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: The pre sale password is make History. And then if 16 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: you're listening and it's after the seventeenth, don't worry, you 17 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: can still get tickets. The tickets will be on sale 18 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: to the general public on July nine. Come to our website, 19 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: which is Missed in History dot Com click on Live 20 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,119 Speaker 1: shows up at the top of the page to get 21 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: links to all of the places that you can buy 22 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: tickets or go to missed in History dot com slash tour. 23 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: We are very excited to see everyone, me too, you 24 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: said we. I'm just gonna be also me, I partent, 25 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: me myself and I the royal we which is a 26 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: good way to transition into this episode because it's about royals, 27 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: but outside the royals you often hear me talk about 28 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: because they are my favorites. Uh, this is neither French 29 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,279 Speaker 1: royalty nor anything having to do with Queen Victoria, although 30 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: there is some French relations in the mix, and it's 31 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: sort of a sad royal childhood's mad Monarchs combo in 32 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: that both of those things of the case, and there 33 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: are two people involved. I know that I've been leaning 34 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: a lot into French history brace because there is more 35 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: of that comeing. In fact, I was already working instead 36 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: for today on an episode that was related to Versailles 37 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: when I discovered another book that I wanted for that episode. 38 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: But I have to order that book I have and 39 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: it is not here yet. So this episode is happening 40 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: in that episode will come later. But I have also 41 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: been wanting to look at some other European countries because 42 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: they have been a little neglected in my in my work. Uh, 43 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: the early Bourbon rule in Spain is one that I 44 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: find fascinating because it's often boiled down to a little 45 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: bit of a degree of sensationalism owing to the sexual 46 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: appetites of some of the Bourbons, and how much people 47 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: like to write about that. But of course there's a 48 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: whole lot more to the whole thing than that, and 49 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,119 Speaker 1: it isn't a very important family line because Bourbon descendants 50 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 1: ruled in so many places, starting with the descendants of 51 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: lou the ninth of France and Margaret of Provence in 52 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: the twelve hundreds, right up into the modern era. But 53 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: today we're just gonna look at one little slice and 54 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: it is centered primarily around one couple that ruled Spain, 55 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: Ferdinand and Barbara. They ruled from seventeen forty six to 56 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: seventeen fifty nine, and there's is a partnership um at 57 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: turns that is sweet and sorrowful, it is ultimately tragic. 58 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: Both of them displayed behaviors that would undoubtedly be recognized 59 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: today as likely mental health conditions or just in need 60 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: of some mental health attention. UM heads up for anyone listening. 61 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: There are some brief discussions of attempted suicide in this episode. 62 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: But one of the things that I find really interesting 63 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: about them is that despite the fact that they ascended 64 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: to power in a court that was filled with intrigue, 65 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: and they were pulled in two directions by those who 66 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: had interests in Britain and others who had interest in France, 67 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: which was a big conflict that was playing out. Uh, 68 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: Ferdinand turned out to be someone of a surprising ruler 69 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: and to have a pretty prosperous reign, and that is 70 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: in no small part due to his wife Barbara. So 71 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: I thought it would be fun to tell their story. 72 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: Ferdinand and six was born on September thirteen. He was 73 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: a Bourbon. His parents were Philip the fifth of Spain 74 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: and Maria Louisa of Savoy. Then on his father's side, 75 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: Ferdinand was also the great grandson of King Louis the 76 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: four of France and his first wife, Maria Theresa of Spain. 77 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: Philip the fifth had taken the throne of Spain upon 78 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: the death of King Charles the Second, who was also 79 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: Maria TRACE's half brother. It's a little complicated because Philip 80 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: the Fifth had grown up at Versailles. His court often 81 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 1: contained a lot of nobles and advisers from outside of Spain, 82 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: and that led to a lot of suspicion and intrigue 83 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: and friction. And that also meant that Ferdinand was born 84 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: into a fairly high drama court and at the end 85 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: of the War of the Spanish Succession, which was catalyzed 86 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: by Charles the Second Death. So we're gonna give you 87 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: kind of the quick and dirty version of that conflict. 88 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 1: Of course, it is much more drawn out and nuanced 89 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: than what you're getting here, because that is not the 90 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: focus of this episode. But leading up to Charles the 91 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 1: Second Death, the first Treaty of Partition was signed in 92 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 1: to get in front of a potential conflict about who 93 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: should succeed him, and per that agreement, Prince Joseph Ferdinand 94 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: of Bavaria would inherit Spain its colonies and the Spanish Netherlands. 95 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: The Italian interests of Spain that was Milan, Naples and 96 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 1: Sicily would be split between France and Austria. But Prince 97 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: Joseph Ferdinand died when that treaty was just months Old, 98 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: so a new treaty had to be negotiated. Essentially, the 99 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: treaty was the same, but instead of Prince Joseph Ferdinand, 100 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: the Spanish throne was going to go to the Archduke Charles. 101 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: He was the son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold. But 102 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: Leopold wanted his son to get everything. He didn't want 103 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: these various holdings to be split up, so he refused 104 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: to sign it. And then that was why Charles the 105 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: Second named Philip the Fifth as a successor in his will, 106 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 1: and then that set off a fresh round of disagreement 107 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: and claimants to the throne. All that culminated in the 108 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: conflict known as the War of Spanish Succession. Ferdinand was 109 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: Philip and Maria Luis's fourth born son, although one of 110 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: their previous children had died in infancy, so he was 111 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 1: the third surviving child when he was born. And while 112 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: he did survive, his mother, Maria Louisa, had some pretty 113 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: serious health issues that were worsened by her fourth pregnancy 114 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: and delivery. She died only five months after Ferdinand was born. 115 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: Ferdinand was in a pretty unique position when he was 116 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: a child. For one, Spain had lost some of its 117 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: power At the conclusion of the War of Spanish Succession, 118 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 1: the alliance between Spain and France had been weakened, as 119 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: the territories that had originally been planned for them to 120 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: split were instead distributed among a wider field of world powers. 121 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 1: Philip the Fifth retained his position as King of Spain, 122 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: but he also lost a great deal, and the unification 123 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: of Spain and France was abandoned, so he was a 124 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: prince in a country that was kind of regrouping. As 125 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 1: the third of Philip's sons from his first marriage, Ferdinand's brothers, 126 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: Lewis and Philip were much more important to the monarchy, 127 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: and when Philip married Elizabeth Farnese, Princess of Parma, after 128 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: Maria Louise's death, Elizabeth busied herself with her own children 129 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: and even encouraged to valry between Ferdinand and her eldest son, 130 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: particularly after the deaths of Louis and Philip, which left 131 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 1: Ferdinand as Philip the Fifth Air. Additionally, Philip had his 132 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: own problems with mental health. He is often described as 133 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: a sad Soberman who had very few pleasures in life, 134 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: and his devotion to his first wife could be described 135 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: as obsession and could be its own show. After she died, 136 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: he was such a mess that everyone in the know 137 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: was busy trying to find that second wife, Elizabeth A 138 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: s a p. So Ferdinand was really an outsider. He 139 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: had suddenly become important to the monarchy after spending his 140 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: life thinking that one of his brothers would be the 141 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: one leading the country. He'd also been treated really maliciously 142 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: by his stepmother, so understandably he had become an introverted 143 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: and pretty anxious teenager and it's very stressful royal household. 144 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: In seventy five, when Ferdinand was just twelve, his father 145 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: arranged for his marriage that the actual wedding was planned 146 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: for several years later, when the prince and his intended 147 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: were both bit older, and that intended was Barbara of Braganza, 148 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: who was fourteen when this marriage was arranged, and this 149 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: was actually part of a package deal arranged by Philip 150 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: the Fifth and Portugal's King John the Fifth. In addition 151 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: to the union of Ferdinand and Barbara, the deal was 152 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: also brokered for the marriage of Barbara's brother Joseph to 153 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: Ferdinand's sister Maria Anna Victoria, and this tightly aligned Spain 154 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: with Portugal, which was kind of an effort to create 155 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: a better relationship with Britain, which had very good relations 156 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: with Portugal. Seventive was also the year that Ferdinand's second 157 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: older brother died, and that made him the heir to 158 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: the throne. So while he was just an awkward, shy kid, 159 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: his life had two major shifts in one year, although 160 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: the actual practical effects of those shifts wouldn't be felt 161 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: for some time, and just as an aside, Philip the 162 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: Fifth had actually abdicated to his son Louis in seventeen 163 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: twenty four. There are two different schools of thought on 164 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: this move. One suggests that he gave up the throne 165 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: because his mental state had reached a point where he 166 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: had neither the strength nor desire to continue h there 167 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: were also lots of times where he kind of let 168 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: Elizabeth run things. But the other school of thought is 169 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: that in putting his son Louis on the throne, he 170 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: could circumvent the Treaties of Utrecht, which had ended the 171 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: War of Spanish Succession, and he could get around the 172 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 1: terms that he agreed to within it, thus opening up 173 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: a possible avenue to regaining some of Spain's lost territory. 174 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: But his motivations mattered little in the end, because Louis 175 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: died just seven months into his reign, and with Ferdinand 176 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: still a child, Philip the fifth once again became king. 177 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: We're going to talk about Ferdinand's betrothed in just a moment, 178 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 1: but first we will pause for a word from one 179 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: of the sponsors that keeps our lights on. Maria Madelena 180 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: Barbara Javier Leonard Teresa Antonia Josepha de Braganza, known more 181 00:09:54,840 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: commonly as Barbara of Portugal or Barbara of Braganza, was 182 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: the daughter of Portugal's King John the Fifth and Austria's 183 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:07,199 Speaker 1: Marie Antonia. She was born on December four, seventeen eleven. 184 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 1: She was a really smart, well educated girl. She was 185 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:12,319 Speaker 1: multi lingual. I think I read somewhere. She spoke six 186 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:16,480 Speaker 1: languages fluently. She was very spirited. She loved the arts, 187 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: particularly music. She actually trained under the composer scar Lottie, 188 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 1: and she could compose music as well as sing and 189 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: play harpsichord. Barbara was not considered attractive, particularly by the 190 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: standards of the Spanish court, and initially Ferdinand's reaction to 191 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 1: seeing her was allegedly kind of unkind and childish, but 192 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: that quickly changed. And also it's worth mentioning that, similar 193 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: to how we mentioned on our episode on hot Chepst 194 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: and the Voyage to Punt, that the Queen of Punt 195 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: is consistently described in kind of gross terms regarding her appearance. 196 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: Even in modern scholarly articles. The same can be said 197 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: of most of the accounts of Barbara. They talk about 198 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: her skin not being very pretty and her being overweighted, 199 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: and there it's just unkind. There are some reports that 200 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: Spain felt like Ferdinand was making this great sacrifice in 201 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,200 Speaker 1: marrying her. In January of seventeen twenty nine, the slightly 202 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: older teenagers were finally married. They became Prince and Princess 203 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: of Asturious in a festival style series of events that 204 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: included both of the marriages that had been agreed to 205 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: back in seventeen. The two weddings were conducted at a 206 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: palace and the Spanish Portuguese border that was built just 207 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 1: for the occasion, and then another palace was built by 208 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 1: the Portuguese monarchist sort of an overnight stopping point for 209 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,079 Speaker 1: the guests traveling back to Lisbon after the wedding gala 210 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:35,320 Speaker 1: was over. Definitely no expense spared on celebrating these two weddings, 211 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: and as a married couple, Ferdinand and Barbara realized in 212 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: pretty short order that they actually had a lot in common, 213 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: in particular their love for music, and they seem to 214 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,559 Speaker 1: have very genuinely fallen in love. They were very devoted 215 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:50,479 Speaker 1: to each other for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, 216 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 1: they also shared some similar problems with anxiety and melancholy, 217 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: which today might be categorized as some form of depression. 218 00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: As we've said many times, it's always a little bit 219 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: tricky to try to retroactively, uh, apply labels of mental 220 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: health to people that lived in the past, and we 221 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:08,679 Speaker 1: don't have a full sense of everything that was going on. Yeah, 222 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: they're not here for anyone to examine, right. Uh. Unlike 223 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 1: his father, Ferdinand's mental health ran in cycles of melancholy 224 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: and mania, and at times it seemed like he had 225 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 1: very little confidence. There's a lot of discussion in any 226 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: biography of him about both his wife and his adviser 227 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: sort of constantly having to prop him up in terms 228 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: of his confidence and be like, no, you can do it. 229 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:31,719 Speaker 1: He needed a lot of encouragement. Uh. He was a 230 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: quiet man and very gentle for the most part, but 231 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: he did have some pretty angry outbursts in his mormonic periods. 232 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 1: It really didn't help that the Spanish court looked on 233 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: Ferdinand and Barbara with suspicion and distrust. This was because 234 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: of the influence of Ferdinand's stepmother, Elizabeth Farnese, who wanted 235 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: to keep both of them as far away from having 236 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: any kind of influence as possible. The young couple were 237 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 1: confined to their apartments a lot of the time, then 238 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: they would be trotted out for various big events. It's 239 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,680 Speaker 1: certainly possible that this isolation might have strengthened their bond 240 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: to each other. Spain's relations with Portugal had hit rocky 241 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: times despite this double marriage that was intended to smooth 242 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: things out, and both Philip and Elizabeth seemed reluctant to 243 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: trust Ferdinand and his Portuguese wife. This situation continued. There 244 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 1: was a little sort of blipping in in seventeen thirty 245 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: two when Philip had a particularly bad episode during which 246 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,320 Speaker 1: he refused to speak except on occasion, to his wife 247 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 1: Elizabeth or to his son Ferdinand, and during this time 248 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:37,080 Speaker 1: Ferdinand was put on a regency council and he tried 249 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: to encourage his father to once again assume his duties 250 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: as king, and eventually the son's efforts did have some effect. 251 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: He was able to get his father to bathe and 252 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: change clothes and start taking on his duties and being 253 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 1: king once again. But it wasn't as though Philip was 254 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 1: magically cured just from getting cleaned up, and he still 255 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 1: had a lot of periods of deep melancholy that alternated 256 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: with manic phases. Although this did seem to get him 257 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 1: over the hump of this particular episode, this was a 258 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:06,520 Speaker 1: particularly difficult period, and afterward Philip remained on the throne 259 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 1: for another thirteen years. Spain did expand its military and 260 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,680 Speaker 1: land holdings under him, but it also fell into bankruptcy. 261 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: At times, he'd spend long stretches of time in bed, 262 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 1: and sometimes he would only get up at night to eat. 263 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: Philip the Fifth died on July ninety six after having 264 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: a stroke. Ferdinand's coronation was August ten, and initially Ferdinand's 265 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: stepmother stayed in the Spanish court and made efforts to 266 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 1: retain some level of influence, but before long Barbara urged 267 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: the new king to show Elizabeth Farnesi the door and 268 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: to help bolster her cause, Barbara also allied herself with 269 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 1: three men of the court who were very influential. That 270 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 1: was Jose de Calvaja, the Marketa and Sonata, and Fernando 271 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: da Silva Alvarez de Toledo. And these men, while they 272 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: all had their own political leanings and alliances with other countries, 273 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: were united in wanting to rid the Court of Spain 274 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:02,840 Speaker 1: of Elizabeth and her friends and their influence. So by 275 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: July of see Elizabeth and her supporters were exiled from court. 276 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 1: Ferdinand was not prepared to rule, though he had been 277 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 1: kept away from any sort of political events, so he 278 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: pretty much had no idea how anything worked. Barbara, on 279 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: the other hand, was a lot savvier. He started to 280 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: defer to her, and this has led to some conclusions 281 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: that like his father, he had married a controlling woman 282 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: and then knocked in to just let her take over. 283 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: But Elizabeth's moves I had always seemed to be motivated 284 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 1: by her own desire for power, but Barbara seemed to 285 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: really want to foster diplomacy and do it was best 286 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: for the country. One thing that often comes up in 287 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: discussions of this transition of power is the phrase it's 288 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: rather Barbara who succeeds Elizabeth than Ferdinand succeeding Philip, which 289 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: is apparently a statement that the French ambassador to Spain 290 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: made at the time. And Barbara, who was also kind 291 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 1: of shy like her husband, managed to overcome that part 292 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: of herself to rise to the accase Asian and helped 293 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,480 Speaker 1: Ferdinand in any way possible. And Ferdinand was very much 294 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,119 Speaker 1: in line with Barbara when it came to matters of regencies, 295 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 1: so even though he was deferring to her, they were 296 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 1: very like minded, so it was kind of like he 297 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: was letting her do a little more lifting uh and 298 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: his trust in her and in his ministers turned out 299 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: to be very very well founded. The country's debt turned around, 300 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 1: and Spain was able to stand in a neutral position 301 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,320 Speaker 1: between France and Britain, who were forever at odds and 302 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: trying to learn lure Spain into their conflict. Ferdinand was, 303 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: because of the country's improved fortunes, able to make some 304 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: magnanimous decisions at times. He earned the trust of the 305 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: people this way. During particularly difficult times of strife, he 306 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: would suspend taxation so that the population could recover. He 307 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: also gave generously to charities, and through all of it, 308 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: Barbara was often consulted before the king when the ministers 309 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: had matters to discuss, and much of the work that 310 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: was done during ferdinand the Sixes reign, particularly in the 311 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: seventeen forties, was made possible through the work of the 312 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 1: marquis event Snata, who we mentioned earlier, and the king 313 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 1: had inherited him as prime minister from the period of 314 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: his father's reign. Ensenada was an important part of the 315 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 1: growth of Spain's economy under Ferdinand, and he stayed in 316 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 1: his position for quite a number of years until a 317 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,480 Speaker 1: disagreement with Queen Barbara and a court scandal led to 318 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 1: his dismissal in seventeen fifty four. That is also a 319 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:22,679 Speaker 1: whole other story, but during his time, Ensenada restructured the 320 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: banking system by establishing a system that kept currency exchanges 321 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 1: in the Royal treasury, and he helped funnel more funds 322 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: to the Royal Navy for both expansion and fortification of 323 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 1: the existing fleet. Ferdinand and Barbara continued to patronize the 324 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 1: arts and their roles as the leaders of Spain, and 325 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,480 Speaker 1: while Ensenada it was instrumental to some of these efforts, 326 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,159 Speaker 1: it was a cause near and dear to both the 327 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: monarchs as well. Under their reign, the Royal Academy of 328 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: Fine Arts and Madrid was formally founded, although the seeds 329 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: of that organization were planted during the reign of Philip 330 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 1: the Fifth, and they both continued to patronize the singer Farinelli, 331 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: who had been popular and fill up the Fifth court 332 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: as well. Barrinelli would often travel down the river on 333 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:06,840 Speaker 1: a boat with the royal couple, singing as Barbara played 334 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,119 Speaker 1: along on her harpsichord. After a fire in the summer 335 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 1: Palace in Ferdinand made sure that the plans for the 336 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: rebuild included a space where Farinelli and other opera singers 337 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: could perform. But even as the royal couple found ways 338 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,679 Speaker 1: to settle into and seemingly even enjoy their lives as 339 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: King and Queen, both of them did struggle with their 340 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 1: mental health, and as they aged, their issues manifested more 341 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:34,400 Speaker 1: and more severely. Ferdinand continued to have very wide mood 342 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,800 Speaker 1: swings and sometimes just paralyzing self doubt, and Barbara seemed 343 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 1: consumed by anxiety. We're going to get into the ways 344 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: that the failing mental health of both Barbara and Ferdinand 345 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,359 Speaker 1: played out and how impacted their lives in just a moment. 346 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,439 Speaker 1: But first we will take a quick breather and have 347 00:18:50,480 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: a little sponsor break. So we mentioned before the break 348 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: that both Barbara and Ferdinand dealt with a lot of 349 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: mental health issues, and and one of those ways that 350 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: it manifested was that they were constantly petrified, each of 351 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,400 Speaker 1: them that they might die suddenly. And in Barbara's case, 352 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 1: she had put on a great deal of weight as 353 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:18,719 Speaker 1: she aged, which made movement a little more tricky, and 354 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: her asthma had gotten progressively worse, and her anxiety about 355 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: dying deepened as both of these things happened, and she 356 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:29,919 Speaker 1: also became completely terrified that Ferdinand would die first and 357 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: that in the aftermath she would be left destitute. To 358 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,920 Speaker 1: try to prepare for that eventuality, Barbara amassed a lot 359 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:38,119 Speaker 1: of wealth, so much that she didn't need to worry 360 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: about ever losing her fortune, but she still did. Picturing 361 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: herself as an impoverished widow, she decided to have a 362 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: convent built so that she'd have a place to live 363 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,679 Speaker 1: if this greatest fear of hers did come to pass. 364 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 1: This convent was called Silesis realist and it was designed 365 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 1: by Renee Carliger, who was a French architect. It also 366 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 1: served as a girl's school. It still exists in Madrid, 367 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: although it went from being a convent to being the 368 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: Palace of Justice in eighteen seventy, and then it became 369 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 1: the Church of Santa Barbara in eighteen ninety one. It's 370 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:11,680 Speaker 1: quite pretty based on pictures. I have not been there 371 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 1: in person. Barbara, as it turned out, though, did not 372 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:18,160 Speaker 1: have to prepare for widowhood. In the fall of seventeen 373 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,720 Speaker 1: fifty seven, her health took a really severe downturn. She 374 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,159 Speaker 1: had a chronic cough already, but it just got worse 375 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: and worse and never improved, and over the next year 376 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: she really just died a slow and painful death. She 377 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,679 Speaker 1: became bedridden and she wasted away, and she struggled to 378 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 1: breathe due to her asthma's progression, and the King stayed 379 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: with her at all times until she died on August 380 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 1: seventeen fifty eight. She was buried in the chapel of 381 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,479 Speaker 1: that convent that she founded. Barbara left everything to her brother, Joseph, 382 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:49,919 Speaker 1: the First of Portugal, and this was something of a 383 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: shock to the Spanish public, because it was a much 384 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: larger fortune than anyone had anticipated, and she was sending 385 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: all that prosperity out of the country. Yeah, Barbara had 386 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,439 Speaker 1: been a fairly below loved queen, and apparently in the 387 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: reading of her will, like immediately people kind of turned 388 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 1: on her because they were not happy with this. This 389 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: series of events um for Ferdinand's part, despite having known 390 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: that the queen was dying during that time. To be frank, 391 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,439 Speaker 1: he was a mess. When she finally passed, his grief 392 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: was pronounced and prolonged, and at times any suggestion of 393 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,399 Speaker 1: taking a second wife made him furious. Barbara had been 394 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: everything to him, his love, his partner, his closest friend, 395 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: and his most trusted guide and adviser in life. Without 396 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,640 Speaker 1: her was something he was just unable to even contemplate. 397 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: For the next twelve months, there was just a long 398 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 1: series of progressively more troubling behavior from the king. He 399 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: retreated to a monastery at Villaviciosa. He essentially refused to 400 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:51,120 Speaker 1: fulfill his duties as monarch any longer. He vacillated between 401 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: silent stillness and a kind of manic rage, and he 402 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: just refused to be comforted even when his favorite singer 403 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,159 Speaker 1: Farinelli came to sing to him. That was something that 404 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 1: had often calmed him and even his worst episodes of 405 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:07,200 Speaker 1: mania before. Yeah. Allegedly, when Fairinelle arrived and started singing, 406 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 1: the king just clapped his hands over his ears and 407 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: was like, I don't want any of this. Um. Ferdinand's 408 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,160 Speaker 1: behavior was, of course, very, very troubling, and it only 409 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: got worse. He attempted suicide, first with a pair of 410 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,359 Speaker 1: scissors and then by trying to hang himself in the 411 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 1: monastery's draperies. Alternately, he became so manic and afraid of 412 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: dying that he would refuse to lie down. Sometimes he 413 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,880 Speaker 1: would walk around allegedly for like ten and eleven days 414 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 1: at a time he was completely certain that if he 415 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: were to lie down, he would never get up again. 416 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: He stopped dressing, he stopped eating everything but soup at first, 417 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 1: and then he started denying any food at all. Naturally, 418 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: this was not a healthful way to live. He wasted away, 419 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,320 Speaker 1: and he died on August tenth, seventeen fifty nine, at 420 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: the age of forty six. That was just a little 421 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: less than a year after Barbara died, and he too, 422 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: was buried in the convent chapel with her. There's a 423 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:01,480 Speaker 1: passage in the nineteen ten edition of Encyclopedia Britannica that reads, quote, 424 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: the memoirs of the Count of Ferdinand Nunez give a 425 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: shocking picture of his deathbed. So out of curiosity, Holly 426 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:13,160 Speaker 1: tried to look into that. What did you find there, Holly? Well, 427 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,200 Speaker 1: first of all, it's in Spanish, which I do not read. Um. 428 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 1: I ran it through Google Translate, and it did indeed 429 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: offer up some fairly horrific imagery of a man who 430 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 1: very clearly had lost all connection to any sense of 431 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:27,919 Speaker 1: royal propriety, of course, but also just normal life. But 432 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,120 Speaker 1: I also do not trust that translation enough to quote it. 433 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: It was pretty clunky in some places because it was 434 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: written in kind of an old school style. It is 435 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: also a little bit rambolly in its structure. It kind 436 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: of jumps from talking about one person to another without 437 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: a lot of warning involved. So sometimes the pronouns he's 438 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: still using pronouns even though he's actually referencing like a 439 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: different royal. Uh. It can be a little bit hard 440 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,119 Speaker 1: to follow, and I will put the link to the 441 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:55,439 Speaker 1: Spanish language one in the show notes, which is online 442 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 1: and digitized. But if anybody wants to look at it themselves, 443 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: but just know that at the end Ferdinand was in 444 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:05,720 Speaker 1: a really, really bad state, both mentally and physically. Nothing 445 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 1: you would want for even your worst enemy. Ferdinand and 446 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: Barbara had had a pretty passionate marriage, but they never 447 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: had children. So when Ferdinand died, Elizabeth Farnese's wishes came true. 448 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,119 Speaker 1: Her eldest son from her marriage to Philip the Fifth, 449 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,080 Speaker 1: which was Charles the Third, took the throne. This was 450 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:23,480 Speaker 1: the wish of King Ferdinand, who had left Madrid for 451 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:27,119 Speaker 1: his self imposed exile at the monastery in December of 452 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:30,879 Speaker 1: seventeen fifty eight. Just before leaving, he had named Charles 453 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,919 Speaker 1: the Third as his air presumptive. And what's truly unique 454 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 1: to me about the reign of Ferdinand and Barbara is 455 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:40,560 Speaker 1: not that they had mental health issues, or that, despite 456 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 1: being an arranged marriage that other people did not understand, 457 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: they felt in love and were so deeply devoted to 458 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:51,440 Speaker 1: one another. Um it is, in fact, the surprising thing 459 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 1: to me is in fact that they were both, particularly Ferdinand, 460 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,359 Speaker 1: incredibly earnest. They really wanted to do their best and 461 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,160 Speaker 1: be good rulers, and they were are also kind of 462 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,880 Speaker 1: almost naively trusting sometimes of their advisors, and they could 463 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: have really been exploited terribly and things could have gone 464 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 1: very badly. But for the most part, during Ferdinand's time 465 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: on the throne, Spain was prosperous and recovered from a 466 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: lot of problems and avoided any dramatic political entanglements. Uh. 467 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 1: To me, that's what surprising, even though a lot of 468 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,640 Speaker 1: other parts of their their life and their rule is sensationalized. 469 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: That's kind of what I tend to come away with thinking, Yes, 470 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:32,400 Speaker 1: but they really really did want to do their best job, 471 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,000 Speaker 1: and in many ways they did, uh, which is sort 472 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:39,280 Speaker 1: of a happy ending to a fairly tragic story. I'm 473 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: going in a way different direction on listener mail today. Okay, 474 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about some evolutionary biology. Uh. This is 475 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,160 Speaker 1: a reference back to our episode on France. Nope, check 476 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 1: it came. It comes from our listener Adrian shrites Hi, Holly, 477 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:56,359 Speaker 1: and Tracy. Thank you so much for your work on 478 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 1: the podcast. I listened to it every day during my 479 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:01,640 Speaker 1: commute lab work and while reading assignments. I'm a PhD 480 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 1: candidate studying geology and evolutionary biology. A K. A paleontology 481 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 1: and the podcast helps get through those slower parts of 482 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: my day. I recently listened to your episode on Baron 483 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: Frantz Noche. Not only do I love learning about the 484 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 1: history of paleontologists that came before me, this episode in 485 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 1: particular caught my attention due to his work involving island animals. 486 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: I am studying the evolutionary history of some island lizards 487 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 1: for my dissertation. It is true that's some and maybe 488 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:33,400 Speaker 1: most question mark cases uh island ecosystems support dwarfed animals. However, 489 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:37,359 Speaker 1: in some cases there is island gigantism. I just read 490 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:40,679 Speaker 1: a paper about an island that supports giant iguanas. It 491 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: is thought that in the case of gigantism, the presence 492 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 1: of marine birds and their guano can fertilize the plant 493 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,640 Speaker 1: life and boost the nutritional value of those plants, which 494 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,120 Speaker 1: trickles up the food chain. A fun historical tidbit, part 495 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: of the push for colonization of Pacific islands was to 496 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: gain control of islands that had large deposits of guano. 497 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 1: Up until the advent of the haber Bosch process, a 498 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:05,440 Speaker 1: major source of fertilizer was bird guano. Unfortunately, the mining 499 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:08,119 Speaker 1: of guano was often very disruptive to the ecosystem, and 500 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 1: island ecosystems are often viewed as particularly fragile. In good news, 501 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: the conservation and restoration of these bird rich islands is 502 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,879 Speaker 1: being pushed by biologists. Adrian, thank you so much for 503 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: sharing your scientific knowledge of this. Uh yeah, I had 504 00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: not thought about gigantism. If anybody needed a refresher. There's 505 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:30,199 Speaker 1: a lot of debate during Baron Franz Nopea's time about 506 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: some of the discoveries he was making in a lot 507 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: of theorizing about why animals were smaller, including that he 508 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: was only ever finding immature animals. So if you would 509 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,119 Speaker 1: like to write to us le's share your expertise, you 510 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:45,320 Speaker 1: can do that at History Podcast at House of Works 511 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:47,959 Speaker 1: dot com. You can also find us pretty much everywhere 512 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: on social media. As Missed in History and Missed in 513 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 1: History dot com is our website. You are l You 514 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,680 Speaker 1: can come there and check out every episode of the 515 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,400 Speaker 1: show that has ever existed, including those that came well 516 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:01,040 Speaker 1: before Tracy and I were ever involved. If you would 517 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:02,919 Speaker 1: like to subscribe to the podcast, we would not like 518 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 1: you to do that, as well, you can do that 519 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:06,919 Speaker 1: on the I heart Radio app, at Apple Podcasts, or 520 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 1: wherever it is you listen to podcasts. Stuffy Missed in 521 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 1: History Class is a production of I heart Radios How 522 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:20,359 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit 523 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:23,280 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 524 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.