| Maria Antonia Ferdinanda | |||||
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_by_Jacopo_Amigoni_(Prado).jpg) Portrait byJacopo Amigoni, 1750 | |||||
| Queen consort of Sardinia | |||||
| Tenure | 20 February 1773 – 19 September 1785 | ||||
| Born | (1729-11-17)17 November 1729 Alcázar of Seville,Spain | ||||
| Died | 19 September 1785(1785-09-19) (aged 55) Castle of Moncalieri,Turin,Kingdom of Sardinia | ||||
| Burial | September 1785 Basilica of Superga, Turin | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue Detail |
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| House | Bourbon | ||||
| Father | Philip V of Spain | ||||
| Mother | Elisabeth Farnese | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain (María Antonia Fernanda; 17 November 1729 – 19 September 1785[1]) wasQueen of Sardinia by marriage toVictor Amadeus III of Sardinia. She was the youngest daughter ofPhilip V of Spain andElisabeth Farnese.[2] She was the mother of the last three mainlineKings of Sardinia.
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She was born at theRoyal Alcázar of Seville inSeville and was the youngest daughter ofPhilip V of Spain and of his second wifeElisabeth Farnese. She was born in Seville during the signing of theTreaty of Seville which ended theAnglo-Spanish War.[3] She spent her infancy in the city of her birth before moving toMadrid in 1733.[4] She was baptised with the namesMaría Antonia along withFernanda in honour of her half brother, then the heir to the throne. Variations in her name range from "Antonia Fernanda" and "Antonietta Ferdinanda".[5] As a daughter of theKing of Spain, she held the title ofInfanta of Spain and style of Royal Highness.
In a double marriage plan she would marryLouis, Dauphin of France, and her brother,Infante Philip, would marry the Dauphin's sisterLouise Élisabeth of France. Her mother consented to the latter union, but insisted on waiting for Maria Antonia Ferdinanda to reach a more mature age. The Infanta's hand was also sought by theElectoral Prince of Saxony.[6] The marriage between Infante Philip and Louise Élisabeth occurred in 1739 and eventually her older sisterInfanta Maria Teresa Rafaela married the Dauphin in 1745. However, in 1746, two weeks after Philip V died, Maria Teresa Rafaela died giving birth to a daughter.[7] Her half-brotherFerdinand VI, who had just taken the throne, tried to engage Maria Antonia Ferdinanda, his only half-sister that was still unmarried, to the Dauphin, but the idea was snubbed byLouis XV as "incest". Instead, he chose Polish princessMaria Josepha of Saxony, who was Maria Antonia's sister-in-law: her brother, the futureCharles III, had married Maria Josepha's older sister,Maria Amalia.
Having married by proxy inMadrid on 12 April 1750, she was married in person atOulx on 31 May 1750[8] toVictor Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, the eldest son ofCharles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and his late wifePolyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg. The marriage had been arranged by Maria Antonia Ferdinanda's half brother to strengthen relations betweenMadrid andTurin, as the two courts had fought on opposing sides during theWar of the Austrian Succession, and Charles Emmanuel III was Ferdinand's uncle, as he was his mother's brother. TheTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war.[2] As a wedding gift, the apartments of the new Duchess of Savoy at theRoyal Palace of Turin were remodelled by the architectBenedetto Alfieri. Maria Antonia Ferdinanda was given adowry of three-and-a-half millionPiedmontese lires as well as Spanish possessions inMilan.[9] In Italy she was known asMaria Antonietta Ferdinanda. Operas byBaldassare Galuppi were specially composed for her marriage to the Duke of Savoy.
The match was seen as unpopular,[10] but the two remained close until her death. From marriage until her husband's accession she was styled as theDuchess of Savoy.[11] The couple surrounded themselves with modern thinkers and various politicians. The first lady of the land, she brought a rigidetiquette from her native Spain to the court of Savoy.[12] She was very religious and was said to have a cold, shy personality.[12] She was the mother of twelve children, three of whom died in childhood. Two of her children had issue.
At the death of her father-in-lawCharles Emmanuel III of Sardinia in 1773, her husband succeeded him asVictor Amadeus III. She was the first queen of Sardinia in over thirty years since the death ofElisabeth Therese of Lorraine in 1741.
Her oldest sonCharles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont marriedMarie Clotilde of France, sister ofLouis XVI in 1775. Marie Clotilde and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda would become very close.[13]
Queen Maria Antonia Ferdinanda died in September 1785 at theCastle of Moncalieri.[14] She was buried at theRoyal Basilica of Superga. Her husband outlived her by eleven years.
| Ancestors of Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain[15] |
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Media related toMaria Antonia of Spain at Wikimedia Commons
Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain Cadet branch of theCapetian dynasty Born: 17 November 1729 Died: 17 September 1785 | ||
| Italian royalty | ||
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| Vacant Title last held by Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine | Queen consort of Sardinia 20 February 1773 – 19 September 1785 | Vacant Title next held by Marie Clotilde of France |
