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Spanish
Bust Ferdinand VI ~ 1746-1759
Obverse:
FERDINAND.VI.D.G (DG= Dei Gratia = By the grace of God) around bust of
Ferdinand VI, date below.
Reverse: HISPANIARUM.REX. (=King of Spain) around crowned shield,
mintmark, denomination and assayer identification.
The second son of Philip V and his first wife, Mana Luisa, Ferdinand was
married to Barbara of Portugal to whim he was devoted. She shared
his love of music and opera. Ferdinand has won greater praise from
foreign historians than from his own countrymen. He was a
repository of most of the duller virtues such as honesty, honor, thrift,
and fidelity to his beloved Barbara. As a result, he failed to
inspire the imagination of his people. Ferdinand's policy of
"peace to all men" was unlikely to appeal to a nation to which
"conquistador" was still a much respected word. This deficit of
spirit may possibly be linked to impotence from which he is said to have
suffered. Whatever its origin, Spain was the beneficiary as the
country. Its people were materially better off at the end of his
13 years on the throne than half a century of Carlos I or 42 years of
Philip II.
Upon his accession at 33 years of age, Ferdinand's first action was to
remove his stepmother from court. His second action was to
surround himself with a competent, cosmopolitan group of advisers drawn
from a cross section of the community. He relied considerably on
his father's minister, Marques de la Ensaneda to oversee the
administrative and financial matters of state. Attached to a
policy of peace, Ferdinand directed his attention to internal reforms
and curbed the excesses of the Inquisition, (the tribunal for
suppressing heresy and heretics). Additionally, he was a patron of
the arts and learning, founding the Academy of San Fernando for fine
Arts in 1752.
After the death of Barbara in August 1758, Ferdinand suffered from
melancholy bordering on madness. It is said he would shut himself
in his room and prowl around like a caged animal or sit motionless for
hours on end. He refused to bathe or change clothes, alternating
between gorging and starvation, amid attempts to hang himself. His
death in August of the following year was a merciful release, and the
crown passed to his half brother Carlos III.
Coinage for Ferdinand was minted in New Spain in denominations of 8, 4,
2, 1 and 1/2 silver Reales, and 8, 4, 2 and 1 go Escudos. In old
Spain, silver coinage was minted only in 2, 1, and 1/2: silver Reales.
Gold Escudos were common only in 1/2 Esc denomination, while a few
examples of 8, 4, and 2 Escudos exist; however, they are very rare. |
