Carlota Joaquina of Spain

Doña Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830) was Queen of Portugal and Brazil as the wife of King Don John VI. She was the daughter of King Don Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. Despised by the Portuguese court, where she was often referred to as "the Shrew of Queluz" (Portuguese: a Megera de Queluz), Carlota Joaquina gradually earned the animosity of the public, who accused her of promiscuity and of using her influence over her husband to further the interests of the Spanish crown. After the escape of the Portuguese court to Brazil, she began conspiring against her husband, claiming that he lacked the mental capacity to govern Portugal and its territories, and sought to establish a regency. She also harbored ambitions to usurp the Spanish throne, which was held by Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte. Following the 1817 marriage of her son, Pedro, to Archduchess Leopoldina of Austria, and the eventual return of the royal family to Portugal in 1821, Carlota Joaquina supported her son Miguel in his efforts to seize the throne. However, their relationship soured over time. Ultimately, Carlota Joaquina was confined to the Palace of Queluz, where she died on 7 January 1830, abandoned by both her children and political allies.

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