Maria Carolina of Austria

The first time Maria Carolina of Austria saw Ferdinand she found him very ugly and she soon realized that he lacked the ability to rule. He relied on the counsel of his father Charles III of Spain and so she sought to gain his trust in order to get access to the Privy Council. Feigning an interest in hunting - Ferdinand's favorite activity - she obtained a back-door to the council but it was not until their son was born that she gained full access to it. The rejuvenation of the court life in led to her increased influence and political power, and she began to rebuild the land. Together with John Acton, commander-in-chief of the navy and the army, she revamped the our navy by commissioning 150 ships and opening four marine colleges. Trade pacts with Russia and Genoa augmented the merchant navy, the ban on Freemasonry was revoked and she patronizes many artist such as Angelica Kauffman and Jacob Philipp Hackert. The relations between and the Papal states has deteriorated but after a meeting with the Pope, where he presented Maria Carolina with a Golden Rose and ceded to the King the right of appointing bishops to vacant sees, it might not be too late to salvage the relationship.