I would like to receive suggestions on relatively obscure characters who could have had a significant impact if things had turned out differently.
Let's start with Carlota Joaquina, the wife of João VI of Portugal. She is relatively unknown outside Brazil, and even in her native Spain, she is not well-known.
I find her story fascinating because she had the potential to achieve great things if she had been more diplomatic or politically astute. Unfortunately, her impossible temper and terrible relationship with her husband, the king, as well as her absolutist views, worked against her. The only admirable trait she had was her ambition, I'll give her that.
She was the first Spanish royal to ever travel to the Americas. She went there at a time when Spanish control over the region was crumbling. She even had local support to rule the former Viceroyalty of La Plata. The circumstances were exceptional; however, nothing came out of Carlota's ambitions, Carlotism, the case for Carlota as Queen of La Plata, or custodian of Spain’s possessions in the continent, never worked out because of Carlota…
Everything seems so clear in retrospective, yet I can't help but notice the many mistakes she made along the way. She remained loyal to her Spanish family, yet they never provided any meaningful help. She should have come to an arrangement with the British, who were the only ones in a position to assist her, but she despised them. She should have been more civil with her husband and the Portuguese court, instead of alienating everyone, which left her with no supporters. She took sides with her second son instead of the heir, Pedro. The list goes on. Can’t say if all these changes could have been possible without a personality switch or just receiving better advice, this can be left to debate.
I believe that if she had played her cards right and compromised, she could have secured her throne in Buenos Aires. However, whether it would have lasted is another matter. History would have drastically changed, at least in that part of the world, and she would have become a chapter in a history book instead of the footnote she is now.
Let's start with Carlota Joaquina, the wife of João VI of Portugal. She is relatively unknown outside Brazil, and even in her native Spain, she is not well-known.
I find her story fascinating because she had the potential to achieve great things if she had been more diplomatic or politically astute. Unfortunately, her impossible temper and terrible relationship with her husband, the king, as well as her absolutist views, worked against her. The only admirable trait she had was her ambition, I'll give her that.
She was the first Spanish royal to ever travel to the Americas. She went there at a time when Spanish control over the region was crumbling. She even had local support to rule the former Viceroyalty of La Plata. The circumstances were exceptional; however, nothing came out of Carlota's ambitions, Carlotism, the case for Carlota as Queen of La Plata, or custodian of Spain’s possessions in the continent, never worked out because of Carlota…
Everything seems so clear in retrospective, yet I can't help but notice the many mistakes she made along the way. She remained loyal to her Spanish family, yet they never provided any meaningful help. She should have come to an arrangement with the British, who were the only ones in a position to assist her, but she despised them. She should have been more civil with her husband and the Portuguese court, instead of alienating everyone, which left her with no supporters. She took sides with her second son instead of the heir, Pedro. The list goes on. Can’t say if all these changes could have been possible without a personality switch or just receiving better advice, this can be left to debate.
I believe that if she had played her cards right and compromised, she could have secured her throne in Buenos Aires. However, whether it would have lasted is another matter. History would have drastically changed, at least in that part of the world, and she would have become a chapter in a history book instead of the footnote she is now.
