Editing Ferdinand VI (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Musée Fabre expo. Jean Ranc47 Ranc Jean infant Ferdinand.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Aged 10 as an Infante, by [[Jean Ranc]]]]
Born at the [[Royal Alcázar of Madrid]], Ferdinand was the last of the four sons that [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] had in his first marriage to [[Maria Luisa of Savoy]]. The young ''[[infante]]'' endured a sad and lonely childhood. When he was just five months old, his mother died from [[tuberculosis]], and seven months later, his father remarried the ambitious and domineering [[Elisabeth Farnese]], who had no affection except for her own children, and looked upon Ferdinand and her other stepsons as an obstacle to their fortunes. The [[hypochondria]] of his father left Elisabeth mistress of the palace.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Ferdinand VI. of Spain|display=Ferdinand VI.|volume=10|page=267}}</ref>

Philip, the second oldest of his three brothers, only lived for two weeks, dying before Ferdinand was born, while Philip Peter died at the age of 7, when Ferdinand was six years old. At the age of 10, Ferdinand became [[Prince of Asturias]] after his oldest brother, [[Louis I of Spain|Louis]], died of [[smallpox]] at the age of 17, after only seven months as King following the abdication of their father. But on Elizabeth's insistence, Philip returned to the throne. However, due to Philip V's declined mental condition, Elizabeth was the more proactive of the two.

Ferdinand, along with his brothers, the [[infante]]s, was tutored by the noble [[Giovanni Antonio Medrano]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marías |first=Fernando |date=2005 |title=Entre Sevilla y Napoles: Juan Antonio Medrano, Ferdinando Sanfelice y los Borbones de España de Felipe V a Carlos III. |url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=1403911 |journal=Atrio. Revista de Historia del Arte |issue=10–11 |pages=5 |issn=0214-8293}}</ref> Ferdinand was by temperament melancholic, shy and distrustful of his own abilities. When complimented on his shooting, he replied, "It would be hard if there were not something I could do." Shooting and music were his only pleasures, and he was the generous patron of the famous singer [[Farinelli]], whose voice soothed his melancholy.<ref name="EB1911" />

===Marriage===
Ferdinand was married on January 20, 1729, to [[Barbara of Portugal|Infanta Barbara of Portugal]], daughter of [[John V of Portugal]] and [[Maria Anna of Austria]]. He was sixteen and she was eighteen.<ref name="EB1911" /> The couple had no children.