Ferdinand VI
(Madrid, 1713 - Villaviciosa de Odón (Madrid), 1759)
The fourth and last son of Philip V (1683-1746) and his first wife, Queen Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy (1688-1714), the future Ferdinand VI lost his mother when he was less than five months old. As was customary at the time, he spent his early years being cared for by a group of palace maidservants until Philip V ordered that he be placed "in a separate room to be served and attended by men only”, in 1721. That same year, the Count of Salazar and Carlos Arizaga were respectively appointed caretaker and assistant caretaker to the Infante, while the Jesuit priest Ignace de Laubrussel was appointed his tutor. From then on, the Infante Ferdinand’s training would be stricter and more planned,...