Early Life
The eldest surviving son of Charles IV, King of Spain, and of his wife Maria Luisa of Parma, Ferdinand was born in the vast palace of El Escorial near Madrid. Some historians argue that Ferdinand wasn't actually a son of King Charles IV but son of Manuel Godoy, Prime Minister and rumored lover of the queen.
In his youth he occupied the painful position of an heir apparent who was jealously excluded from all share in government by his parents and the royal favorite Manuel de Godoy. National discontent with a feeble government produced a revolution in 1805. In October 1807, Ferdinand was arrested for his complicity in the The El Escorial Conspiracy in which liberal reformers aimed at securing the help of the emperor Napoleon. When the conspiracy was discovered, Ferdinand betrayed his associates and grovelled to his parents.
Read more about this topic: Ferdinand VII Of Spain
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