Podcast Summary: Todo Concostrina, "Cualquier tiempo pasado fue anterior | Bárbara y el rey" (6 August 2023)
Overview
In this gripping and irreverent episode, Nieves Concostrina and her team dissect the life and reign of King Fernando VI of Spain and his wife, Bárbara de Braganza. Through their unique, witty lens, they revisit the monarchy’s darker sides, spotlighting the king’s mental deterioration, the extravagance (and cunning) of his queen, and the forgotten or whitewashed atrocities—chiefly, the attempted extermination of the Spanish Roma people. Guest experts, sharp historical anecdotes, and memorable music segments create an immersive, candidly critical take on 18th-century Spain.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Decline of Fernando VI and the "Año Sin Rey"
- Fernando VI’s Final Year (1758–1759):
- Lived out his last year in profound physical and mental decline after the death of his beloved wife, Bárbara de Braganza.
- His erratic behavior—neglecting basic hygiene, attacking servants, refusing religious duties—was met with courtly denial and euphemisms instead of real concern.
- Memorable quote:
"El rey Fernando VI saltaba y corría como una cabra por el palacio de Villaviciosa de Odón. Se meaba y se cagaba encima. Se negaba a meterse en la cama, pero se acostaba entre dos sillas y un taburete..."
—Nieves Concostrina (01:00) - Though known as "el año sin rey," Nieves points out Fernando VI rarely ruled decisively during his 13-year reign, even at his best.
- Perceptions of Royal Lunacy vs. Commoner Madness:
- Behavior that would get a commoner institutionalized was downplayed for the king—ejemplo: only when Fernando VI stopped attending mass was his madness considered undeniable.
- Quote:
"...cuando se hizo público que el rey dejaba de oír misa los días de precepto, nadie dudó de su demencia. Que mordiera a los criados... no les hizo sospechar. Sólo cuando dejó de ir a misa se preocuparon. La madre que los parió."
—Jesús Pozo (02:47)
2. Family Intrigue, Royal Marriages, and Unwanted Destinies
- Bourbon Family Dynamics:
- Detailed genealogy and the relentless need to produce heirs. Multiple marriages, high child and maternal mortality, and strategic matchmaking defined Bourbon succession.
- Fernando VI’s Own Marriage:
- Discussed with dry humor: His marriage to Bárbara de Braganza was purely transactional, orchestrated by his calculating stepmother, Isabel de Farnesio.
- Neither bride nor groom cared to meet before the wedding ("los chiquillos ni se conocían, ni falta que hacía").
- Chilling Royal Rituals:
- Swapping princesses as diplomatic currency. Case in point: María Ana Victoria de Borbón sent to Portugal after a rejected engagement in France, treated "como quien devuelve en Amazon un producto que ya no le vale" (16:00).
3. Bárbara de Braganza: Fortune-Hunter and Builder of Her Own Monument
- Bárbara’s Calculations:
- Though genuinely attached to Fernando VI, she zealously accumulated wealth and assets for life's uncertainties, anticipating widowhood and royal exile.
- Quote:
"...Hizo buenos cálculos para hacerse con una fortuna que le asegurara su futuro. Si esperan al cuento final, van a alucinar con lo listas que salen las bárbaras reales."
—Jesús Pozo (18:39)
- The Salesas Reales:
- The convent-palace complex in Madrid exemplifies her grand designs; meant as a secure and opulent retirement home should she outlive Fernando.
- The Spanish public resented the extravagance and, after her death, were scandalized when Bárbara bequeathed her amassed fortune to her Portuguese brother, siphoning Spanish money abroad.
- Satirical copla:
"Bárbaro edificio, bárbara renta, bárbaro gasto. Bárbara reina."
(44:20) "...Bárbaramente comió, bárbaramente cagó, bárbaramente murió, bárbaramente testó."
(50:47)
4. The "Banal" Interlude: Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
- Art and Nobility:
- Art historian Ana Baltierra recounts the founding (in name) of the Royal Academy under Fernando VI—though the groundwork was done by his father, Felipe V.
- Transition from artists to nobles running the Academy, illustrating the king’s preference for aristocratic control over merit.
- Anecdotes:
- Early academy’s squatting at Casa de la Panadería in Madrid, sparking absurd territorial disputes with the city council—"el postureo" at its finest.
- Expansion plans blocked by entrenched interests of Church and nobility (29:06).
5. The Darkest Legacy: The "Gran Redada" and the Persecution of the Roma
- Interview with José Luis Gómez Urdáñez (31:48–43:43):
- Unveils the 1749 "Gran Redada" (Great Roundup), a massive, secret, state-engineered attempt at the ethnic extermination of Spain’s Roma population.
- Details logistical horror: families chained, forcibly relocated, women and children perishing on death marches, all under supposed “enlightened” administration.
- Brutal cooperation of Crown and Church—right down to the Pope suspending asylum rights in churches so no one could hide.
- Notable quote:
“La Ilustración parece que lo que quería era mano de obra gratis... la idea final sustentada en el racismo era la extinción de los gitanos de España.”
—José Luis Gómez Urdáñez (34:42)
- Wider Context:
- Ensenada (minister) rationalized the roundup as a way to supply cheap labor for shipyards and assert state authority. Some Roma survived due to local advocacy and corruption, but the campaign left decades-long trauma and set a precedent for systematic racism.
- Chilling note: Beheadings post-motin in Granada, heads displayed for 20 years as warning (38:48).
6. Closing Reflections: History, Truth, and Monarchy
- Critical Notes on Historical Memory and Manipulation:
- Gómez Urdáñez warns about the dangers of fake news and historical revisionism, foreseeing that future generations will have to rely on honest historians (“los historiadores serán valientes como para decirle a la gente qué es lo que ha pasado”—41:47).
- Razor-Sharp Satire of the Bourbons’ Legacy:
- The hosts ridicule the celebration of monarchs who did nothing but "comer, cagar y robar," and call out Spaniards’ misplaced monarchical admiration.
Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)
-
On Fernando VI’s decline:
“El rey Fernando VI saltaba y corría como una cabra por el palacio... se meaba, se cagaba encima...”
—Nieves Concostrina (01:00) -
On double standards for royal madness:
“Solo cuando dejó de ir a misa se preocuparon. La madre que los parió.”
—Jesús Pozo (02:47) -
On transactional royal marriages:
“Los chiquillos ni se conocían, ni falta que hacía. Esto solo era un mercadeo para sellar acuerdos entre casas reales.”
—Nieves Concostrina (14:00) -
Bárbara’s calculated greed:
“...hizo buenos cálculos para hacerse con una fortuna que le asegurara su futuro.”
—Jesús Pozo (18:39) -
On the Gran Redada:
“La Ilustración parece que lo que quería era mano de obra gratis... la idea final sustentada en el racismo era la extinción de los gitanos de España.”
—José Luis Gómez Urdáñez (34:42) -
History’s importance against disinformation:
“No creo que los que finalmente le den a la opinión pública la verdad sean los periodistas, ni los jueces... creo que van a ser los historiadores.”
—José Luis Gómez Urdáñez (41:47) -
Satirical coplas about Bárbara:
“Bárbaramente comió, bárbaramente cagó, bárbaramente murió, bárbaramente testó.”
—Nieves Concostrina (50:47)
Key Segments by Timestamp
- 00:32–02:29 – Description of Fernando VI’s final year, mental decline, and courtly reactions
- 02:47–14:00 – Royal family dynamics, marriage politics, and the childhood of Fernando VI
- 14:00–18:39 – Bárbara de Braganza’s entry into Spanish royalty and her strategic planning
- 22:42–31:08 – Ana Baltierra on the origin, politics, and soap opera of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes
- 31:48–43:43 – Interview with José Luis Gómez Urdáñez on the “Gran Redada” and anti-Roma racism
- 43:45–50:47 – The paradox of the Salesas Reales, Bárbara’s fortune, and epilogue on Bourbon rapacity
Style & Tone
- Candid, irreverent, and deeply critical—Concostrina and company use satire and dark humor to debunk historical whitewashing and challenge monarchical nostalgia.
- Rich in memorable expressions and popular wisdom, interspersed with biting coplas and sharply-worded asides.
For Listeners
This episode is a whirlwind tour of the ignoble facets of 18th-century Spanish royalty, offering sharp historical insight, uncovering repressed chapters (notably, the attempted extermination of the Roma), and serving side-splitting, merciless satire at the expense of Spain’s Bourbon monarchs. The critical spirit, focus on justice, and calls for historical honesty make it indispensable listening for anyone interested in the realities beneath monarchic mythmaking.