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FERDINAND (SPAIN) 13T whim, or perhaps through the trouhles cre- ated by the archduke Philip, Ferdinand had been estranged from his grandson Charles, afterward emperor under the title of Charles V. ; and he thought of depriving him of part at least of his inheritance. He had conse- quently married in 1505 Germaine de Foix, a niece of Louis XII. of France ; but the child he had by her died, and he was thus disap- pointed in his hopes. In 1513 .he took a phil- tre for the purpose of restoring his exhausted vigor ; but the potion produced a lingering ill- ness which ended in death. Ferdinand was the founder of the greatness of Spain ; he con- solidated the whole peninsula, with the excep- tion of Portugal, into a single political body ; gained for the crown a power which it had never possessed before ; extended its influence beyond the peninsula, and gave it weight in the general affairs of Europe. To reach the aim of his ambition he was far from being over scrupulous in his means ; a crafty politician and avaricious in every respect, he did not hesitate to break his word, or even his oath, when in- terest or bigotry commanded. But notwith- standing his perfidy and treachery, his memory has been held in great reverence. in Spain; and the severity shown toward him by some his- torians cannot prevent posterity from regard- ing him as one of the ablest princes of his age. A just appreciation of his life and times may be found in Prescott's " History of Ferdinand and Isabella." (See ISABELLA.) FERDINAND VI., surnamed the Wise, king of Spain, born Sept. 23, 1713, died Aug. 10, 1759. He was the son of Philip V. and Louisa Maria of Savoy, and ascended the throne in 1746. His government was one of justice, prudence, and peace. He encouraged manufactures, arts, and literature. He was one of the signers of the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748). He was succeeded by his half brother Charles III. FERDINAND VII., king of Spain, born in San Ildefonso, Oct. 13, 1784, died in Madrid, Sept. 29, 1833. He was the eldest son of Charles IV. and Louisa Maria of Parma. In 1789 he was declared prince of Asturias and heir apparent to the crown. Under the influence of his pre- ceptor, the canon Escoiquiz, he early felt a strong aversion to Godoy, prince of the peace, the favorite of both his parents. This was ag- gravated by Maria Antonietta of Naples, whom he married in 1802, and kindled into hatred in 1806 upon the sudden death of his wife, whom he asserted without sufficient proofs to have been poisoned. Henceforth two hostile fac- tions openly divided the cgurt : that of Godoy, supported by the king and queen, and that of the prince of Asturias, comprising the great majority of the nation, who shared in his hatred of the favorite. The dissensions between the son and the father, who was but a tool in the hands of his queen and Godoy, grew into scandalous quarrels. The crown prince, at the instigation of Escoiquiz and others, addressed a letter to Napoleon, complaining of Godoy's conduct, and proposing to place himself under his protection, and to marry a member of his family. He also copied a memorial to the king against Godoy, which he was to have read to him in person; but Charles had him arrest- ed and kept in close confinement. A royal proclamation issued Oct. 30, 1807, denounced Ferdinand as having laid a plot against the power and even the life of his father. In a vague but humble letter, Ferdinand confessed that he had sinned against his father and king, implored forgiveness, and was publicly par- doned. These transactions were soon followed by more serious events. The royal family, who acted under the advice of Godoy, having at- tempted to leave Aranjuez with the ultimate view of embarking for America, a sedition broke out, March 18, 1808; the departure was prevented, and the people, infuriated against Godoy, stormed his palace, seized, wounded, and would have murdered him, had not the prince of Asturias, moved by the tears of his mother, used his influence over the crowd to save his life. The king was so much frighten- ed that he abdicated the next day in favor of his son. Two days later he attempted a re- traction, maintaining that his abdication had been forced; but the prince, who had been active in all these transactions, assumed the title of king, and made his solemn entry into Madrid, March 24. The peninsula was already invaded by Freneh troops, and Murat soon marched into the capital. Ferdinand hoped to conciliate Napoleon by submission; he went as far as Bayonneto meet him ; here, notwith- standing the empty honors which were paid to him, he found himself a prisoner, and was made to understand that he must restore the crown to his father. The old king, his queen, her favorite, and the infantes had also been brought to Bayonne ; and yielding to a pres- sure which he was unable to resist, Ferdinand assented to the surrender of his royal title. But this title, and all the rights it conferred, had already been resigned (May 5) by Charles into the hands of Napoleon. The emperor de- clared that "the house of Bourbon had ceased to reign in Spain," and placed his brother Joseph on the vacant throne. Ferdinand was immediately transferred to the castle of Va- lencay, where he remained nearly six years. At length Napoleon, in the hope of diverting Spain, which Joseph had lost, from the co- alition against him, liberated his captive; by the treaty of Dec. 11, 1813, he restored to him the Spanish crown, on condition that he would make the English evacuate the peninsula, se- cure a large income to his parents, and keep in their offices and immunities all the Spaniards who had been in the service of King Joseph. On March 10, 1814, Ferdinand left Valencay ; and on his arrival in Spain he was welcomed by popular acclamations. He did not abide by the terms of the treaty with Napoleon, but .expelled at once the afrancesados (supporters of the French government), annulled the pro-