Summers at the Spa, Bullfights with Friends and the First Stone of the Park Pavilions: King Carlos I and Caldas da Rainha

King Carlos I and Caldas da Rainha: the man behind the crown.

Related: Best natural spaces in Caldas da Rainha

King Carlos I and the spa town of Caldas da Rainha

Although he was not born here, King Carlos I (1863–1908) played an important part in the history of Caldas da Rainha. He was one of the monarchs with the strongest local impact, a great enthusiast of the town and a regular visitor, especially during the bathing season.

Born in Lisbon, the future king came to the Caldas spa from an early age with his parents, King Luís and Queen Maria Pia, and his younger brother, Prince Afonso.

Later, alone or with Queen Amélia and their sons, Crown Prince Luís Filipe and Prince Manuel, he kept coming back. He was probably the member of the Portuguese royal family who visited the town most often, and his close, warm relationship with it is only comparable to that of Queen Leonor, five hundred years earlier!

King Carlos I of Caldas da Rainha

Carlos came to the throne at the end of 1889. Soon afterwards he faced the fallout of the British Ultimatum, which fuelled a growing republican movement that became even stronger when João Franco was appointed head of government.

Events led to the assassination of the king and of Crown Prince Luís Filipe in the Regicide of 1 February 1908, and to the proclamation of the Republic on 5 October 1910. The serious financial crisis the state was going through also added to the national instability.

Despite this difficult context, his bond with Caldas da Rainha was good for the town. After becoming king he kept up his visits and interest, helped by his friendship with Rodrigo Berquó, administrator of the Thermal Hospital from 1888 to 1896. The king admired Berquó’s plans for the spa and honoured him with the Order of Saint James, as an Officer in 1892 and as a Commander in 1893.

The birth of local traditions

His local friendships also mattered. One was with Vitorino Fróis, a legend of bullfighting in Caldas, which helps explain the king’s enthusiasm for the sport. He attended bullfights in the town and on one occasion gave a horse to the local horseman Joaquim Alves, a pupil of his friend Vitorino Fróis.

He was also a close friend of Father António, a local priest who, according to the chronicles, cooked divine dishes with fish from the Óbidos Lagoon. These made the king’s mouth water: he was known as a great lover of Portuguese food and never missed a chance to taste Father António’s cooking.

His relationship with Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro was a different story. The artist often mocked him in the satirical papers he founded, such as A Lanterna Mágica, Pontos nos ii, António Maria and A Paródia.

Despite Bordalo’s jibes, the king respected him as an artist and even bought one of his most famous works, the Talha Manuelina, in 1893.

King Carlos I and life in Caldas

King Carlos was a sociable man who enjoyed spending time with friends, and many of them came with him to visit the town.

He was therefore key to promoting the cosmopolitan life and the prestige of Caldas as a spa town. He also mixed easily with noblemen, fado singers and bullfighters, which helped him fit into the local community and made people feel he was one of them.

The king had many hobbies, including hunting, riding, painting and producing wine, cork and olive oil. He was also a keen sportsman who swam, rowed, played tennis and sailed.

He was one of the first people in Portugal to practise all these sports regularly, which made him one of the first and best-known sportsmen of his time.

There is no record of him practising sports or painting in Caldas, as he regularly did in Cascais, Vidigal or Vila Viçosa. Here he stood out above all as a bullfighting fan, one of the most popular pastimes of the local bathing season and an important part of social life in Caldas.

King Carlos I and a cosmopolitan town

The town prepared his visits with great pomp and ceremony, as they brought not only social prestige but also an economic return that was not to be overlooked.

One example was his visit in 1893 to open the Santo Isidoro Hospital, designed by Rodrigo Berquó, and to lay the first stone of the future D. Carlos Hospital (the Park Pavilions). The local press reported more than five thousand people at the event, at a time when the town itself had around four thousand six hundred inhabitants.

Beyond his visits, King Carlos was a popular figure in the local community. This was confirmed when he was chosen, certainly at the suggestion of his friend Berquó, as the patron of Parque D. Carlos I and of the future hospital, which was never completed.

King Carlos I was a source of prestige for the town and a social magnet at a time when mixing with the elite and sharing their habits were key to the life of tourist resorts, and helped draw visitors to them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the park called Parque D. Carlos I?

The king was chosen as the park’s patron at the initiative of his friend Rodrigo Berquó, administrator of the Thermal Hospital, whose plans for the spa he admired.

Did King Carlos I often visit Caldas da Rainha?

Yes. He came to the spa from childhood with his parents and kept visiting after he became king in 1889, especially during the bathing season.

What is the king’s link to the Park Pavilions?

In 1893 he came to Caldas to lay the first stone of the future D. Carlos Hospital, today’s Park Pavilions, in front of more than five thousand people.

More history of Caldas da Rainha

• Queen Leonor, the founder
• Rodrigo Berquó, the man of the waters
• José Malhoa, the naturalist painter
• Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro in Caldas da Rainha
• Francisco Grandella and Foz do Arelho
• Caldas da Rainha ceramics

This article was put together by the GoCaldas team, the local travel guide to Caldas da Rainha.