View source for Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma

{{reference improve|date=September 2024}}
{{Short description|Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla from 1765 to 1802}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Ferdinand I
| succession   = [[Duke of Parma|Duke of Parma, Piacenza]] and [[List of rulers of Guastalla|Guastalla]]
| image        = Ferdinand I duke of Parma.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Johan Zoffany]], 1779
| reign        = 18 July 1765 – 9 October 1802
| predecessor  = [[Philip, Duke of Parma|Philip]]
| suc-type     = Successors
| successor    = {{plainlist|
*[[Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès|Jean-Jacques-Régis]] {{small|(Parma)}}
*[[Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance|Charles-François]] {{small|(Piacenza)}}
*[[Pauline Bonaparte|Pauline]] {{small|(Guastalla)}}
}}
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1751|01|20|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Parma]], [[Duchy of Parma]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1802|10|09|1751|01|20|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Fontevivo]], Duchy of Parma
| burial_place = [[Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma|Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria]]|1769}}
| issue        = [[Princess Carolina of Parma|Carolina, Princess Maximilian of Saxony]]<br />[[Louis I of Etruria|Louis I, King of Etruria]]<br />[[Princess Maria Antonia of Parma|Princess Maria Antonia]]<br />[[Princess Maria Carlotta of Parma|Princess Maria Carlotta]]<br />Prince Philip Maria<br />Princess Antonietta Luisa<br />Princess Maria Luisa
| full name    = [[Italian language|Italian]]: Ferdinando Maria Filippo Lodovico Sebastiano Francesco Giacomo di Borbone<br/> [[French language|French]]: Ferdinand-Marie-Philippe-Louis-Sébastien-François-Jacques de Bourbon
| house        = [[House of Bourbon-Parma|Bourbon-Parma]]
| father       = [[Philip, Duke of Parma]]
| mother       = [[Louise Élisabeth of France]]
| religion     = [[Roman Catholicism]]
| signature    = Signature of Ferdinando I of Parma in 1778.jpg
}}

'''Ferdinand I''' (''Ferdinando Maria Filippo Lodovico Sebastiano Francesco Giacomo''; 20 January 1751 – 9 October 1802) was [[Duke of Parma|Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla]] from his father's death on 18 July 1765 until he ceded the duchy to [[First French Republic|France]] by the [[Treaty of Aranjuez (1801)|Treaty of Aranjuez]] on 20 March 1801. He was a member of the Spanish [[House of Bourbon]].

==Early life==
Born at the [[Ducal Palace of Colorno]] as the second child and the only son of [[Philip, Duke of Parma]] and Princess [[Louise Élisabeth of France]], he was considered to be the favorite grandson of his maternal grandfather King [[Louis XV of France]] and his popular wife Queen Marie Leczinska. As a grandson in the male line of King [[Philip V of Spain]], he was created an ''[[infante]]'' of Spain upon his father's death.  
As the heir to one of the largest collection of sovereign duchies, Ferdinand was an attractive candidate for many royal ladies of Europe. 

Possible candidates included [[Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este|Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda of Modena]], daughter of [[Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena|Ercole III d'Este]] and (like Ferdinand) an in law of [[Marie Antoinette]]. She was, through her [[Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa|mother]], heiress to the [[Duchy of Massa and Carrara]], but despite being the last descendant of the Este, she was not also the heiress to the [[Duchy of Modena and Reggio]] due to the [[Salic law]] that was in force there. Ferdinand's marriage to Princess Maria Beatrice, however, was probably little more than a wishful thinking of Parma's minister, [[Guillaume du Tillot]], considering that she had been engaged from early childhood to the third-born heir of the [[House of Habsburg-Lorraine]].<ref>At first [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Archduke Leopold of Austria]], later on his younger brother [[Ferdinand Karl, Archduke of Austria-Este|Archduke Ferdinand]], following the change in the internal order of Habsburg-Lorraine succession that had resulted from the sudden death of [[Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (born 1745)|another older brother]].</ref> Another candidate was [[Bathilde d'Orléans|Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans]] who offered a very large dowry; she was the only surviving daughter of [[Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans]] and the sister of [[Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans|Philippe Égalité]].

The decision of who his future spouse would be was sealed by his mother's close correspondence with the powerful Empress [[Maria Theresa]] of Austria, who had promised Ferdinand's parents the throne of the Netherlands, which had been returned to Austrian rule under the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]]. This never occurred and, as a result, an alliance with the Austrian Empire was used to cement the two nations. 

At the age of nine, Ferdinand began taking [[harpsichord]] lessons with the composer [[Giuseppe Colla]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Sven Hansell|author2= Rebecca Green|date=2001|entry=Colla, Giuseppe|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06099}}</ref>

==Reign==
Guillaume du Tillot was again used during Ferdinand's reign when he lost his father in 1765 at age 14. Negotiations and ideas were passed from Vienna to Parma, and in 1769 Ferdinand was to marry [[Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma|Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria]]; the eighth child of the Empress and elder sister of the [[Maria Carolina of Austria|Queen of Naples and Sicily]] and the future [[Marie Antoinette|Queen of France]]. Maria Amalia had a marriage by proxy in Vienna on 27 June and left her home on 1 July. The future duchess would meet her husband at [[Mantua]] on 16 July. His wife was with her brother [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor]] and Ferdinand with members of the Sforza family. On 19 July there was a formal ceremony for all at the [[Ducal Palace of Colorno]] where Ferdinand had been born. During many festivities, the couple made their official entrance to Parma on 24 July. They had nine children in just under twenty years.
[[File:Ferrari - Ferdinand I of Parma.jpg|alt=A portrait of Ferdinand (c. 1765-1769). The portrait is formally attributed to Giuseppe Baldrighi, however, it was painted by Pietro Melchiorre Ferrari|left|thumb|A portrait of Ferdinand (c. 1765-1769). The portrait is formally attributed to [[Giuseppe Baldrighi]], however, it was painted by [[Pietro Melchiorre Ferrari]]]]
Expelling the Jesuits, abolishing the jurisdiction of the Inquisition within his domains, and suppressing many redundant monasteries, Ferdinand has sometimes been classed among the more minor exponents of [[Enlightened absolutism]].

Ferdinand ceded the Duchy of Parma to France in the [[Treaty of Aranjuez (1801)]]. The Treaty of Aranjuez was signed on 21 March 1801 between France and Spain. The overall accord confirmed the terms presented in the [[Third Treaty of San Ildefonso|Treaty of San Ildefonso]]. Moreover, Ferdinand agreed to surrender the Duchy of Parma (with Piacenza and Guastalla) to France. Ferdinand's son Louis received the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, which became the Kingdom of Etruria. [[Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Ferdinand III]], the Habsburg [[Grand Duke of Tuscany]], was compensated with the secularized territories of the [[Archbishop of Salzburg]].

He died in Parma at age 51, suspected to be poisoned although French authorities cited another reason for his death, and was buried in the church of [[Fontevivo Abbey]]. On his deathbed, however, he named a regency council with his wife Maria Amalia as its head, clearly still opposing the terms of the Treaty of Aranjuez regarding his duchy. The regency lasted only for days and the Duchy of Parma was annexed to France.

==Issue==
Ferdinand and his wife Maria Amalia had nine children:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carrai|first=Guido|title=Maria Amalia, duchessa di Parma e Piacenza 1746-1804|year=2018|isbn=978-80-270-3974-6}}</ref>
# [[Princess Carolina of Parma|Princess Carolina]] (22 November 1770 – 1 March 1804); married in 1792 to [[Maximilian, Crown Prince of Saxony]] and had eight children.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carrai|first=Guido|title=Maria Amalia, duchessa di Parma e Piacenza 1746-1804|year=2018|isbn=978-80-270-3974-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Stanga|first=Idelfonso|title=Maria Amalia di Borbone duchessa di Parma 1746-1804|year=1932}}</ref>
# [[Louis, King of Etruria|Prince Louis]] (5 July 1773 – 27 May 1803); married in 1795 to his cousin, [[Maria Luisa, Duchess of Lucca|Princess Maria Luisa of Spain]], and they had two children.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stanga|first=Idelfonso|title=Maria Amalia di Borbone duchessa di Parma 1746-1804|year=1932}}</ref> Louis became the first King of Etruria.
# [[Princess Maria Antonia of Parma|Princess Maria Antonia]] (28 November 1774 – 20 February 1841); she was engaged to a prince of the House of Savoy but he died<ref>{{Cite book|last=Botti|first=Ferruccio|title=La Principessa Maria Antonia di Borbone suora orsolina}}</ref> and she became a Ursuline nun in 1803 with the name of ''Sister Luisa Maria''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Botti|first=Ferruccio|title=La Principessa Maria Antonia di Borbone suora orsolina}}</ref>
# [[Princess Maria Carlotta of Parma|Princess Maria Carlotta]] (1 September 1777 – 6 April 1813); she became a Dominican nun in 1797 with the name of ''Sister Giacinta Domenica''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Spiazzi|first=Raimondo|title=Cronache e fioretti del monastero di San Sisto all'Appia|year=1993}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Stanga|first=Idelfonso|title=Maria Amalia di Borbone duchessa di Parma 1746-1804|year=1932}}</ref>
# Prince Philip Maria (22 May 1783  – 2 July 1786); died at the age of three years due to [[scurvy]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stanga|first=Idelfonso|title=Maria Amalia di Borbone duchessa di Parma 1746-1804|year=1932}}</ref><ref name="Vovk">Justin C. Vovk: In Destiny's Hands: Five Tragic Rulers, Children of Maria Theresa (2010)</ref>
# Princess Maria Antonietta Luisa (21 October 1784 – 22 October 1785); died at the age of one year due to [[smallpox]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stanga|first=Idelfonso|title=Maria Amalia di Borbone duchessa di Parma 1746-1804|year=1932}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Carrai|first=Guido|title=Maria Amalia, duchessa di Parma e Piacenza 1746-1804|year=2018|isbn=978-80-270-3974-6}}</ref>
# Princess Maria Luisa (17 April 1787 – 22 November 1789); died at the age of two due to [[pleurisy]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stanga|first=Idelfonso|title=Maria Amalia di Borbone duchessa di Parma 1746-1804|year=1932}}</ref><ref name="Vovk"/><ref>{{Cite book|last=Carrai|first=Guido|title=Maria Amalia, duchessa di Parma e Piacenza 1746-1804|year=2018|isbn=978-80-270-3974-6}}</ref>
# Stillborn son and daughter (21 May 1789).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stanga|first=Idelfonso|title=Maria Amalia di Borbone duchessa di Parma 1746-1804|year=1932}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=<ref>{{cite book|title=Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans| trans-title=Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA96|year=1768|publisher=Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel|location=Bourdeaux|language=fr|page=96}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Ferdinand, Duke of Parma'''
|2= 2. [[Philip, Duke of Parma]]
|3= 3. [[Louise Élisabeth of France]]
|4= 4. [[Philip V of Spain]]
|5= 5. [[Elisabeth Farnese]]
|6= 6. [[Louis XV of France]]
|7= 7. [[Marie Leszczyńska]]
|8= 8. [[Louis, Grand Dauphin|Louis, Dauphin of France]]
|9= 9. [[Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria]]
|10= 10. [[Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma]]
|11= 11. [[Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg|Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg]]
|12= 12. [[Louis, Duke of Burgundy]]
|13= 13. [[Marie Adélaïde of Savoy]]
|14= 14. [[Stanisław Leszczyński|Stanisław I Leszczyński]]
|15= 15. [[Catherine Opalińska|Katarzyna Opalińska]]
}}

==References==
{{refimprove|date=September 2019}}
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Bourbon-Parma|Bourbon of Parma]]|20 January|1751|9 October|1802|[[House of Capet]]}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Philip, Duke of Parma|Philip]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Parma|Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla]]|years=1765&ndash;1802}}
{{s-vac|reason=Annexed by [[First French Republic|French Republic]]|next=[[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Marie Louise]]|as=sovereign duchess}}
{{s-end}}

{{Princes of Parma}}
{{House of Bourbon (House of Bourbon-Parme Arms)}}
{{Infantes of Spain}}
{{Dukes of Parma}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand I, Duke Of Parma}}
[[Category:1751 births]]
[[Category:1802 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century dukes of Parma]]
[[Category:19th-century dukes of Parma]]
[[Category:House of Bourbon-Parma]]
[[Category:Princes of Bourbon-Parma]]
[[Category:Dukes of Guastalla]]
[[Category:Princes of Parma and Piacenza]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Burials at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata]]