Category Archives: Portuguese Royals

João IV, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

João IV, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

João IV was the first King of Portugal from the Portuguese House of Braganza. The Braganzas came to power in Portugal after deposing the Spanish Habsburg Philippine dynasty, which had reigned in Portugal since 1580, in a rebellion, resulting in João, 8th Duke of Braganza becoming King João IV of Portugal, in 1640. João IV was the father of Catherine of Braganza, the wife of Charles II, King of England and King of Scots.

João IV, King of Portugal was born on March 19, 1604, at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa in Vila Viçosa, Évora, Portugal, which had been the seat of the House of Braganza for centuries. He was the eldest of the four children and the eldest of the three sons of Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza and the Spanish noblewoman Ana de Velasco y Téllez-Girón. João’s mother died, aged 22, on November 7, 1607, after a long illness, when he was only three years old. Her death was deeply felt by her husband who did not marry again.

João had three younger siblings:

  • Duarte of Braganza, Lord of Vila do Conde (1605 – 1644), unmarried
  • Catarina of Braganza (1606 – 1610), died in childhood
  • Alexandre of Braganza (1607 – 1637), unmarried

In 1580, twenty-four years before João’s birth, the throne of Portugal was taken by the Spanish Habsburgs. In 1578, King Sebastian of Portugal from the House of Aviz was killed in battle without heirs, causing a succession crisis. He was succeeded by his elderly great-uncle Henrique, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and had no descendants because he had taken a vow of chastity as a priest. When Cardinal-King Enrique died two years later, three grandchildren of Manuel I, King of Portugal (1469 – 1521) claimed the Portuguese throne: King Felipe II of Spain (the son of Manuel I’s daughter Isabella of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress), António, Prior of Crato (the son of Manuel I’s son Luis, Duke of Beja), and João’s grandmother Catarina, Duchess of Braganza (the daughter of Manuel I’s son Duarte, Duke of Guimarães). Ultimately, the grandchild who was successful in his claim was Felipe II, King of Spain. The Iberian Union was the union of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal that existed between 1580 and 1640, under the Spanish Habsburg kings Felipe II, Felipe III, and Felipe IV who reigned as Filipe I, Filipe II, and Filipe III of Portugal.

João IV’s wife Luisa de Guzmán; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1630, upon the death of his father, Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza, João became the 8th Duke of Braganza. On January 12, 1633, João married Luisa de Guzmán, from the Spanish Ducal House of Medina Sidónia. Luisa was the daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose father had been the commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armada, and Juana Lorenza Gomez de Sandoval y de la Cerda, whose father was a favorite of Felipe III, King of Spain, also Filipe II, King of Portugal.

João IV and Luisa de Guzmán had seven children:

Filipe III, King of Portugal (1621 – 1640) also Felipe IV, King of Spain (1621 – 1665); Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign (1621 – 1640) of Filipe III, King of Portugal (also Felipe IV, King of Spain from 1621 – 1665), a different approach toward Portugal began. Taxes on Portuguese merchants were increased. Portuguese nobles began to lose their influence as government posts in Portugal were increasingly given to Spaniards. Finally, Filipe III tried to make Portugal a Spanish province and if that happened, Portuguese nobles stood to lose all their power.

The Acclamation of King João IV of Portugal in 1640. Detail from an 1823 mural by José da Cunha Taborda, Ajuda National Palace, Lisbon, Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

This situation eventually caused a rebellion organized by the Forty Conspirators, a Portuguese nationalist group composed of forty men of the Portuguese nobility. Their goal was to depose the House of Habsburg from the throne of Portugal. On December 1, 1640, taking advantage that Spain was fighting in the Thirty Years’ War and dealing with a revolution in the Catalonia region, the Forty Conspirators’ plot unfolded. Secretary of State Miguel de Vasconcelos was killed. Filipe III’s cousin Margaret of Savoy, the Habsburg Vicereine of Portugal who ruled in Filipe III’s place, was arrested. Within a few hours and with popular support and the support of his Spanish-born wife Luisa de Guzmán who said, “Rather Queen for a day than Duchess all my life,” João was proclaimed João IV, King of Portugal, claiming legitimate succession through his grandmother Catarina, Duchess of Braganza. João IV’s accession to the throne of Portugal caused the Portuguese Restoration War (1640 – 1648), periodic skirmishes between Portugal and Spain that lasted into the reign of João IV’s son and ended with Spain’s official recognition of the independence of Portugal in 1648.

During João IV’s reign, he made several alliances including important alliances with England and France. Although some colonial possessions were lost during his reign, João IV’s forces managed to retake Luanda in Portuguese Angola in Africa from the Dutch and recovered northern Colonial Brazil, which had been occupied by the Dutch. In 1549, João IV restructured the fifteen private and autonomous Captaincy Colonies of Brazil, which had been a colony of Portugal since 1500, into the Governorate General of Brazil in the city of Sao Salvador, which became the capital of a single and centralized Portuguese colony in South America. Brazil would remain a colony of Portugal until its independence in 1825.

Allegory of the Acclamation of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as Patroness of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1646, João IV placed the crown of Portugal on the head of the statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in the church at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa in Vila Viçosa, Évora, Portugal, the seat of the House of Braganza. João IV proclaimed the Virgin Mary to be the queen, the patron saint, and the protector of Portugal. After this, no Portuguese monarch would ever wear the crown. Instead, the crown was always placed on a cushion next to the monarch.

Tomb of João IV, King of Portugal; Credit – www.findagrave.com

João IV, King of Portugal died on November 6, 1656, aged 52, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He had suffered from gout and its side effects since 1648. He was interred in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. John IV of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_IV_of_Portugal> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luisa de Guzmán – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_de_Guzm%C3%A1n> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Ana de Velasco e Girón – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_de_Velasco_e_Gir%C3%B3n> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. João IV de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_IV_de_Portugal> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luísa de Gusmão – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%ADsa_de_Gusm%C3%A3o> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Teodósio II, Duque de Bragança – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teod%C3%B3sio_II,_Duque_de_Bragan%C3%A7a> [Accessed 22 May 2022].

Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, the church can be seen on the left; Credit – By Deensel – Lisbon, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69227699

The Roman Catholic Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal contains the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza that reigned in Portugal from 1640 until the monarchy was abolished in 1910. In 1640, the Braganzas came to rule the Kingdom of Portugal when the Portuguese Restoration War ended the sixty-year rule of Portugal by the Spanish Habsburgs. João II, Duke of Braganza became King João IV of Portugal. From 1640 – 1822, the Braganzas ruled Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. In 1822, Brazil, part of the Portuguese Empire, became independent and the Braganzas also reigned as rulers of the Empire of Brazil. The Braganzas lost their power when Emperor Pedro II of Brazil was deposed in Brazil in 1889 and when King Manuel II of Portugal was deposed Portugal in 1910.

The Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal was founded in 1147 as an Augustinian monastery by Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal (reigned 1139 – 1185). It was dedicated to São Vicente de Fora (Saint Vincent of Saragossa), patron saint of Lisbon, who was martyred by the Romans around 304. The monastery we see today is the result of a reconstruction project started by King Felipe II of Spain from the House of Habsburg, who also became King of Portugal (as Felipe I) after the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580.

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The Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora

The Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora; Credit – By Andreas Manessinger – Arriving at São Vicente, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46171873

The construction of the monastery church began in 1582 under the supervision of the Italian architect and engineer Filippo Terzi using designs by the Spanish architect Juan de Herrera. After they both died in 1597, Portuguese architect Baltasar Álvares (link in Portuguese) supervised the work on the monastery church until he was replaced by Pedro Nunes Tinoco in 1624. The monastery church was completed in 1627, however, the entire monastery reconstruction project was not completed until the 1700s.

The façade of the monastery church designed by Portuguese architect Baltasar Álvares in the Late Renaissance style known as Mannerism is simple and yet majestic. Below the two towers are several niches with statues of saints. The lower part of the façade has three arched doorways that lead to the entrance hall.

The nave looking toward the altar. The barrel-vaulted ceiling and the dome can also be seen; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24603843

The interior of the monastery church is a Latin cross building with a one-aisled nave with several side chapels. The ceiling is covered by barrel vaulting and has a large dome over the crossing.

The main altar; Credit – © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24603847

Joaquim Machado de Castro, one of Portugal’s most famous sculptors, is responsible for the main altar in the Baroque style. It is in the shape of a baldachin, the canopy of state placed over an altar or throne, and is decorated with several statues.

King Carlos I of Portugal and his elder son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal laying in state at the Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1908, after the assassination of King Carlos I of Portugal and his elder son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, called the Lisbon Regicide, their bodies lay in state in front of the main altar at the Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.

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Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza

Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza Credit – Wikipedia Commons

After the nationalization of the property of monasteries in 1834, the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora became the palace for the Archbishops of Lisbon. Fernando II, King Consort of Portugal (born Fernando of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), second husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal, had the monks’ old refectory, the dining room of a monastery, transformed into the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, a burial site for members of the House of Braganza. Originally, members of the House of Braganza had been interred in the Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. Their remains were transferred to the new pantheon in 1855.

Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza; Credit – Wikipedia

The majority of the tombs are located on the sides of the pantheon. Those tombs are simple marble boxes in groups of four tombs. If the tomb belongs to a monarch, a crown has been engraved in gold on the side of the tomb and a crown placed on top of the entire group of tombs. This can be seen in the photos above.

Tombs of Carlos I, King of Portugal and his son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Two tombs of the four in the center aisle of the pantheon belong to King Carlos I of Portugal and his son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, who were shot to death in 1908 by assassins sympathetic to republican interests. In 1933, a statue of a crying woman symbolizing the country crying for its martyrs was erected next to the tombs. The two other tombs in the center aisle belong to Amélie of Orléans, the last Queen Consort of Portugal, wife of King Carlos I, and her son Manuel II, the last King of Portugal.

Statue of a crying woman symbolizing the country crying for its martyrs was erected next to the tombs of Carlos I and his son; Credit – Wikipedia

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Burials at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza

Sign over the entrance to the Pantheon of the House of Braganza; Credit – By Bobo Boom – Igreja de São VincenteUploaded by tm, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78979281

Note: Unofficial Royalty articles for kings and queens from 1640 – 1826 will be published in the upcoming months and the links will be added below. Until then, their Wikipedia article links will be listed. Also note, that some listed below do not have Wikipedia articles.

The following members of the royal family of Portugal are buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza:

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Former Burials at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza

The Pantheon of the House of Braganza in the early 20th century, before the Lisbon Regicide of 1908; Credit – By Charles Chusseau-Flaviens – George Eastman Museum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38249250

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal (1798 – 1834) died in 1834, at the age of 35, from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. He was first buried at the Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1972, Pedro’s remains were transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil (1812 – 1873) was the second wife of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal. When her husband died, Amélie was left a widow at the age of twenty-two with a three-year-old daughter. Amélie remained in Portugal, never remarried, and devoted herself to the care and education of her daughter Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil (1831 – 1853). Sadly, Maria Amélia became ill with tuberculosis, the same disease that had killed her father, and died in 1853, at the age of twenty-one. She was first buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. In 1982, Maria Amélia’s remains were transferred to Brazil and buried in the Convento de Santo Antônio (Convent of Saint Anthony) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where some other Brazilian royals are also interred. When Amélie died at the age of 60 in 1873, she was first buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. In 1982, her remains were transferred to Brazil and placed in the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil next to her husband Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal and his first wife Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal (1797 – 1826).

Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (1825 – 1891), the son of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal, reigned for 58 years before he was deposed in 1889. He lived in exile in Paris, France for the last two years of his life. When he died, he was buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. His wife Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, Empress of Brazil (1822 – 1889) had predeceased her husband and was also initially buried in the Royal Pantheon. In 1920, the decree banning the former Brazilian Imperial Family was rescinded and in 1921 the remains of Emperor Pedro II and his wife were brought from the Royal Pantheon in Lisbon, Portugal to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where they were temporarily housed in the old Metropolitan Cathedral. In 1925, their remains were transferred to the Imperial Crypt of the Imperial Crypt at the newly completed Cathedral of St. Pedro of Alcantara in Petrópolis, Brazil

King Carol II of Romania (1893 – 1953), who had been deposed in 1940, died while in exile in Portugal. He was first buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. His former mistress and third wife Magda Lupescu (1899 – 1977) was also buried there when she died 24 years later. In 2003, their remains were brought back to Romania and buried in a chapel outside the Curtea de Argeş Monastery in Argeş, Romania.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Panteão da Casa de Bragança – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pante%C3%A3o_da_Casa_de_Bragan%C3%A7a> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Monastery of São Vicente de Fora – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_S%C3%A3o_Vicente_de_Fora> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Pantheon of the House of Braganza – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon_of_the_House_of_Braganza> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Portuguese Royal Burial Sites – House of Braganza. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/portuguese-royal-burial-sites/> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Igreja de São Vicente de Fora – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igreja_de_S%C3%A3o_Vicente_de_Fora> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Panteão da Dinastia de Bragança – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pante%C3%A3o_da_Dinastia_de_Bragan%C3%A7a> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

Maria Antonia of Portugal, Duchess of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as part of the unification of Italy. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.

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Maria Antonia of Portugal, Duchess of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal was the second wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma from 1854 – 1859 and titular Duke of Parma from 1859 until he died in 1907. As a not-quite-six-year-old, Roberto succeeded his father who was assassinated and then lost his throne five years later due to the Italian unification movement. Maria Antónia Adelaide Camila Carolina Eulália Leopoldina Sofia Inês Francisca de Assis e de Paula Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Gonzaga Gregória Bernardina Benedita Andrea was born at Schloss Bronnbach (link in German) in Bronnbach, Grand Duchy of Baden, now Wertheim am Main in the state of Baden-Württemberg, on November 28, 1862. She was the youngest of the seven children and the sixth of the six daughters of the deposed Miguel I, King of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Maria Antonia’s paternal grandparents were King João VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Hereditary Prince Konstantin of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and Princess Agnes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Maria Antonia’s paternal grandfather King João VI became King of Portugal in 1816 upon the death of his mother Queen Maria I of Portugal and reigned until he died in 1826. At that time, João VI’s elder son succeeded to the throne as King Pedro IV. Pedro was king for only two months, abdicating in favor of his daughter Queen Maria II of Portugal. Maria Antonia’s father Miguel served as regent for his niece Maria II. As regent, Miguel claimed the Portuguese throne in his own right. This led to a difficult political situation, during which many people were killed, imprisoned, persecuted, or sent into exile, finally culminating in the Portuguese Liberal Wars. Ultimately, Miguel was deposed in 1834 and lived the last thirty-two years of his life in exile.

Maria Antonia’s parents with her two eldest siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

During his exile in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Miguel met Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, who was twenty-nine years younger. They married in 1851, and made their home at Schloss Bronnbach in Bronnbach, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. When Maria Antonia was four years old, her father died while hunting on November 14, 1866. At the time of his death, all of Miguel’s children were under the age of fifteen. Maria Antonia’s mother Adelaide continued to raise her children and arranged some rather brilliant marriages for them despite their dubious status as children of a deposed monarch. Miguel and Adelaide are the ancestors of the current monarchs of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Liechtenstein, as well as pretenders to the thrones of Portugal, Austria, Bavaria, and Italy.

Maria Antonia (on the left) with her sisters Maria Ana and  Adelgundes: Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Antonia had six elder siblings:

Roberto I, titular Duke of Parma, circa 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Antonia and Roberto I, titular Duke of Parma, the son of Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Louise Marie Thérèse of France, were married on October 15, 1884, at Schloss Fischorn (link in German) in Zell am See, Austria. This was Roberto’s second marriage. His first wife Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies had died due to puerperal fever (childbed fever) in 1882, a week after the birth of her twelfth child, a stillborn boy. Upon her marriage to Roberto, Maria Antonia became the stepmother of his nine surviving children from his first marriage who ranged in age from four to fourteen. Six of the children were mentally disabled.

Roberto’s surviving children from his first marriage, the stepchildren of Maria Antonia:

  • Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870 – 1899), married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar), had four children including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria,
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Bourbon-Parma (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Titular Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Parma (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Titular Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias continued his role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma (1879 – 1946), married Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had four children
  • Elias, Titular Duke of Parma (1880 – 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had eight children, from 1907 to 1950, he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers, Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma

Maria Antonia and Roberto with their family in 1906; From left to right, first row: Maria Immacolata, Maria Antonia, Isabella, Roberto, Enrichetta, Luigi, Gaetano, Roberto’s second wife Maria Antonia, René, Zita. From left to right, second row: Francesca, Maria Pia, Luisa Maria, Maria Adelaide, Maria Teresa, Giuseppe, Xavier, Enrico, Sixto, Felix; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Antonia and Roberto had twelve children of their own:

Despite losing his throne and living in exile, Roberto had considerable wealth inherited from his maternal uncle Prince Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, Count of Chambord. He traveled in a private train of more than a dozen cars. He had several residences including  Schloss Schwarzau  (link in German) in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria, Villa Borbone delle Pianore (link in Italian) in Capezzano Pianore, Italy, and Château de Chambord in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France which he inherited from his maternal uncle Prince Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, Count of Chambord.

Roberto I, former Duke of Parma died, aged 59, at the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Kingdom of Italy, on November 16, 1907. He was buried in the chapel at the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy. After World War I, when her son-in-law Karl I, Emperor of Austria lost his throne and had to go into exile, Maria Antonia accompanied her daughter Zita, Karl, and their large family, living first in Switzerland and then on the Portuguese island of Madeira where Karl died in 1922 at the age of 34. After the outbreak of World War II, Maria Antonia and Zita moved to Quebec, Canada where they lived in modest circumstances.

Schloss Puchheim, where Maria Antonia is buried; Von Peterhauser at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17239377

After World War II ended, Maria Antonia lived at Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Her niece, the daughter of her sister Maria Ana, was Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, the wife of Maria Antonia’s son Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. In 1952, Maria Antonia celebrated her 90th birthday at Berg Castle. She survived her husband Roberto by 52 years, dying on May 14, 1959, aged 96, at Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. She was buried in the chapel at Schloss Puchheim (link in German) in Attnang-Puchheim, Austria. In 1982, restrictions on the Habsburgs entering Austria were eased and after sixty-three years, 90-year-old Zita, former Empress of Austria, could return to Austria for visits. One of the first things she did was to visit his mother’s burial site.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Infanta Maria Antónia of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Maria_Ant%C3%B3nia_of_Portugal> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King Miguel I of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-miguel-i-of-portugal/> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, S., 2021. Roberto I, Duke of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/roberto-i-duke-of-parma/> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Antonia di Braganza – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Antonia_di_Braganza> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.

Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile was the third wife of Manuel I, King of Portugal, and the second wife of François I, King of France. She was born on November 15, 1498, in Leuven, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Eleanor (Leonor in Spanish and Portuguese, Eléonore or Aliénor in French) was the eldest of the four daughters and the eldest of the six children of Philip (the Handsome), Duke of Burgundy and Joanna, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon.

Eleanor’s father Philip; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s mother Joanna; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Eleanor and her siblings were nieces and nephews of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, and first cousins of Henry VIII and Catherine’s daughter Queen Mary I of England.

Ferdinand, Charles, Eleanor, Isabella, Mary, and Catherine; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor had five younger siblings. Her two brothers were Kings and Holy Roman Emperors and Eleanor and her three sisters were all Queen Consorts.

Eleanor’s relatives from her father’s House of Habsburg unsuccessfully tried to negotiate marriages for her to King Henry VII and King Henry VIII of England, King Louis XII of France, and King Sigismund I of Poland. When Eleanor was eighteen years old, she wanted to marry Friedrich II, Elector Palatine. Eleanor’s brother Charles, then Duke of Burgundy and King of Spain, discovered her reading love letters from Friedrich. Eleanor and Friedrich had to legally swear that they were not secretly married, after which Charles expelled Friedrich from his court.

Eleanor’s first husband, Manuel I, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, Charles made a political marriage for his sister Eleanor with King Manuel I of Portugal to avoid the possibility of Portuguese assistance for any rebellion in Castile, part of the Kingdom of Spain. On July 16, 1518, 19-year-old Eleanor became Queen of Portugal when she married 49-year-old Manuel I. Manuel had been married twice before to two maternal aunts of Eleanor, Isabella of Aragon and Maria of Aragon. Isabella had died in childbirth giving birth to her first child who also died. Maria also died in childbirth giving birth to her tenth child who did not survive. However, eight of Maria and Manuel’s children survived including two Kings of Portugal, King João III and Cardinal-King Henrique I, and Isabella who married her first cousin and Eleanor’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The marriage of Eleanor and King Manuel I of Portugal lasted only three years. On December 13, 1521, Manuel died from the plague and was succeeded by his son with his second wife, King João III.

Eleanor and Manuel had two children:

Eleanor’s daughter, Infanta Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of King Manuel I of Portugal, Eleanor and her six-month-old daughter Maria returned to the court of her brother Charles, who had been elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. When Maria was nine years old, she was moved back to Lisbon, Portugal where she lived at the court of her half-brother King João III for the rest of her life. There were some considerations for her marriage but Maria never did marry.

François I, King of France and Eleanor; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1529, the Treaty of Cambrai was signed ending the Seventh Italian War, also known as the War of the League of Cognac, fought between Charles V’s Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Spain and François I’s Kingdom of France and his allies. To seal the treaty, François I, King of France, a widower for several years, agreed to marry Eleanor, the sister of Charles V. Eleanor and François were married on July 4, 1530, and Eleanor was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France on May 31, 1531. Eleanor was ignored by François who preferred his mistresses. Eleanor and François had no children.

Eleanor was useful as an intermediary between France and her brother’s Holy Roman Empire. She took an active role in the care and education of François’ two youngest daughters, eleven-year-old Madeleine and nine-year-old Marguerite. Their mother Claude of France had died seven years earlier, in 1524. Eleanor played her role as Queen of France on official occasions such as the marriage of François’ heir, the future King Henri II, and Catherine de’Medici in 1533. Eleanor’s second husband François I, King of France, aged 52, died on March 31, 1547, at the Château de Rambouillet. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris with his first wife Claude of France.

Eleanor’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

After being widowed, Eleanor received the Duchy of Touraine as her dower lands, and in 1548, she left France for the court in Brussels, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium, where her sister Mary served as the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. For many years, with the help of her brother Charles, Eleanor unsuccessfully sought the King of Portugal’s permission for her daughter Maria to live with her. Physically exhausted after forty years of ruling, Eleanor’s brother Charles abdicated in 1555 and retired to the peace of the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste in Cuacos de Yuste, Spain. In 1556, Eleanor and her sister Mary decided to follow their brother Charles into retirement in Spain in Jarandilla de la Vera, close to the monastery where Charles retired so they could visit him.

Eleanor had not seen her daughter Maria since 1528. Finally, in 1558, King João III of Portugal agreed to allow his half-sister Maria to visit her mother. Both mother and daughter traveled to the town of Badajoz, Spain, close to the Portuguese border. Eleanor asked Maria to live with her but Maria refused the request and remained with her mother for three weeks before returning to Lisbon. On the return trip from Badajoz, Eleanor died at Talavera la Real, Spain on February 18, 1558, at the age of 59. Her siblings Charles and Mary soon followed her into death. Charles died on September 21, 1558, and Mary died on October 18, 1558.

Eleanor was initially buried at the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major in Mérida, Spain. In 1574, on the order of her nephew King Felipe II of Spain, Eleanor’s remains, along with the remains of other members of the Habsburg family, were transferred to a temporary crypt at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain which was under construction. In 1586, the remains were transferred to the permanent crypts at El Escorial, which is now the traditional burial site of the Spanish royal family. Eleanor’s remains rest in the Pantheon of the Infantes – Chapel 9 at El Escorial.

Tomb of Eleanor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Eleanor Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Austria> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Manuel I Of Portugal. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_I_of_Portugal> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leonor De Austria. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_de_Austria> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. François I, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/François-i-king-of-france/> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Éléonore De Habsbourg. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89l%C3%A9onore_de_Habsbourg> [Accessed 15 June 2020].

Assassination of Carlos I, King of Portugal (1908)

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

On February 1, 1908, in what became known as the Lisbon Regicide, King Carlos I of Portugal was shot and killed by two gunmen while riding in an open carriage in the Terreiro do Paço (now Commerce Square) in Lisbon, Portugal. The king’s elder son and heir, Luís Filipe, Prince Royal, was also killed in the attack.

Carlos I of Portugal. source: Wikipedia

King Carlos I of Portugal

Carlos was born in Lisbon, Portugal in September 1863, the elder son of King Luís I of Portugal and Princess Maria Pia of Savoy. He married Princess Amelie of Orleans, daughter of the pretender to the French throne and had three children. Becoming King upon his father’s death in 1889, Carlos faced numerous crises during his reign. Giving in to British demands that he cede sovereignty of some land in Africa, Carlos began to quickly lose the loyalty of the Portuguese people. Despite this, the King was able to bring Portugal to the center of European diplomacy and developed close friendships and alliances with many of the crowned heads of Europe. However, the country also fell into bankruptcy twice during Carlos’s reign, spurring on the Republican movement. After appointing Joāo Franco as Prime Minister in 1906, the little support he had quickly diminished, as many felt that Franco was turning the country into a dictatorship.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: King Carlos I of Portugal

The Assassination

Embed from Getty Images 

On February 1, 1908, King Carlos, along with his wife and elder son Luís Filipe, were returning from a stay in Vila Viçosa. Upon their arrival in Lisbon, they were greeted by their younger son, Manuel, the King’s brother, and the Prime Minister. The King, his wife, and two sons got into an open carriage for their ride back to the Palace of Necessidades.

Manuel Buiça.  source: WIkipedia

Alfredo Costa. source: Wikipedia

While crossing the Terreiro do Paço, the royal family was soon attacked with gunfire. One of the shooters, Manuel Buiça, emerged in the square about 25 feet behind the carriage and fired a shot that struck the King in the neck killing him instantly. A second shot struck the King in the shoulder, forcing his body to slump over in the carriage. A second shooter, Alfredo Costa, jumped on the carriage step and fired two more shots into the King’s back – ensuring that he was dead. Then the two assassins took aim at Luís Filipe who had stood and drawn his revolver, firing at, and injuring, Costa. Buiça rushed to the carriage and fired, striking the Prince in the head. Amazingly, the Queen was unharmed, and Prince Manuel only suffered a gunshot to his arm. The carriage rushed to the nearby Naval Arsenal where Luís Filipe also died from his injuries. A soldier quickly moved in and fired on Buiça, injuring him in the leg and subduing him. Soon after, a police officer shot and killed Buiça on the spot. Costa was also subdued by the same soldier before the police apprehended him and took him to the police station. Upon arriving at the entrance to the station, Costa was shot and killed by an unidentified officer or member of the Municipal Guard.

What happened to Carlos?

Embed from Getty Images

King Carlos was killed instantly, and Luís Filipe died moments later at the Naval Arsenal.  The King and his son were buried together in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of Sāo Vicente de Fora in Lisbon. The King’s younger son took the throne as King Manuel II and would be the last King of Portugal. In October 1910, Portugal was declared a Republic, and the Portuguese monarchy was abolished.

Tomb of Carlos and Luís Filipe. source: findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie Auguste Eugénie Napoléonne was the third of the five daughters and the fourth of the seven children of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria. Her paternal grandparents were Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie, Empress Jospéhine, the first wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, and Joséphine’s first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais, Vicomte de Beauharnais who was guillotined during the French Revolution. Amélie’s maternal grandparents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his first wife Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. Amélie was born on July 31, 1812, in Milan in the Kingdom of Italy while her father was serving as Viceroy of Italy.

Amélie had six siblings:

After Napoleon lost power in 1814, Amélie’s family settled at the Palais Leuchtenberg in Munich, the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria, where her maternal grandfather reigned. In 1817, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria created Amélie’s father Duke of Leuchtenberg and Prince of Eichstätt. Amélie’s parents downplayed their connection to the defeated Napoleon. They knew that the connection might hurt their children’s marriage prospects. Their plan worked. In 1823, their eldest child Joséphine married the future King Oscar I of Sweden, and in 1835 their son Auguste, who had become the 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg upon the death of his father in 1824, married Queen Maria II of Portugal. However, Auguste died two months after the marriage.

Emperor Pedro I of Brazil in 1830; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1826, Maria Leopoldina of Austria, wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, died from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after the miscarriage of her eighth child. Pedro had flaunted his affair with his mistress. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress as her lady-in-waiting. After Leopoldina’s death, Pedro had remorse for how he had treated her, decided to become a better person, and remarry. However, eight European princesses refused his marriage proposals because of his bad reputation. Amélie’s mother knew that if she played her cards right, Amélie could be Empress of Brazil.

However, Leopoldina’s father Emperor Franz I of Austria tried to stop the search for a new bride for Pedro. Franz wanted to prevent possible sons from the second marriage of his former son-in-law from inheriting the Brazilian throne. After lengthy negotiations, the marriage contract was finally signed on May 30, 1829, in Canterbury, England, and Amélie’s guardian King Ludwig I of Bavaria ratified the marriage contract on July 25, 1829, in Munich.

A proxy wedding was held in the chapel of the Palais Leuchtenberg on August 2, 1829. The groom was represented by Amélie’s favorite uncle Prince Karl Theodor of Bavaria. Two days after the proxy wedding, Amélie left Bavaria to travel to her husband in South America. She was accompanied by her brother Auguste. During the journey, Amélie was prepared for life in Brazil by the scientist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, an expert on Brazil. von Martius taught Amélie interesting facts about Brazil, its customs, and traditions. Ana Romana de Aragão Calmon, Countess of Itapagipe familiarized Amélie with her husband’s personality and the customs of the Brazilian court and began to teach her Portuguese. 17-year-old Amélie arrived in Rio de Janeiro on October 15, 1829. Pedro and Amélie were married in person two days later at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. They had a happy marriage and Amélie’s relationship with her stepchildren was very positive.

The Emperor’s Second Marriage, painted by Jean-Baptiste Debret; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie and Pedro had one daughter:

Amélie and her daughter Maria Amélie in 1840; Credit – Wikipedia 

On April 7, 1831, after a political crisis that ended with the resignation of his ministers and in the middle of an economic crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his six-year-old son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro and his pregnant wife Amélie left for Europe. In Portugal, Pedro’s brother Miguel had been serving as Regent for Pedro’s daughter Queen Maria II. Maria had been sent to Vienna to continue her education. It was on this journey that Maria learned her uncle Miguel had deposed her and then declared himself King of Portugal on June 23, 1828. At that time Emperor Pedro had insisted that his daughter was the rightful Queen and demanded that she be treated as such. Maria traveled to the United Kingdom, hoping to garner the support of the British government, but they instead supported Miguel. She met up with her father in France, where they stayed with King Louis Philippe I, and Maria received her education. For several years, forces loyal to Maria and her father would try to force Miguel from the throne. Finally, on May 26, 1834, Miguel was forced to abdicate, and Maria was returned to the Portuguese throne.

On September 24, 1834, at the age of 35, Pedro died from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. Amélie was left a widow at the age of twenty-two with a three-year-old daughter. Amélie never remarried. She then retreated to the Palace of Janelas Verde in Lisbon, Portugal, and devoted herself exclusively to the care and education of her daughter Maria Amélie. In the mid-1840s, with the purpose of refining her education, Maria Amélie moved with her mother to Munich in the Kingdom of Bavaria, where many of her relatives lived. In 1850, Maria Amélie and her mother returned to Portugal and again lived in the Palace of Janelas Verdes.

Princess Maria Amélia, circa 1849; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie made arrangements to betroth her twenty-year-old daughter to Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. However, the official betrothal never took place. Maria Amélie was ill with tuberculosis, the same disease that had killed her father. In August 1852, Amélie and her daughter moved to the island of Madeira in Portugal because of the mild climate. Maria Amélie died on February 4, 1853, at the age of twenty-one. She was first buried in the Braganza Pantheon, located in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1982, Maria Amélie’s remains were transferred to Brazil and buried in the Convento de Santo Antônio (Convent of Saint Anthony) in Rio de Janeiro, where other Brazilian royals are also interred.

Maria Amélie’s last moments with her mother at the bedside; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie visited her daughter’s tomb on every anniversary of her death until her death. She financed the construction of a hospital to treat patients with lung diseases in Funchal on the island of Madeira called the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélie which is still in existence. When Amélie died, the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélia was handed over to her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden, and according to the terms of Amélie’s will, it is owned and administered by the Swedish Royal Family. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden have visited the hospital.

Amélie in her later years; Credit – Wikipedia

After her daughter’s death, Amélie returned to the Palace of Janelas Verdes in Lisbon, Portugal. Toward the end of her life, she was confined to the palace because of heart disease. One of the few distractions in the last years of her life was the 1871 reunion with her stepson Emperor Pedro II of Brazil who was on a European tour with his wife Teresa Maria Cristina of Naples-Sicily.

On January 26, 1873, Amélie died at the age of 60 in Lisbon, Portugal. Under the terms of her will, her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden was her primary heir. She received, among other things, the Braganza Tiara which is still in the possession of the Swedish royal family and is often worn by Queen Silvia, wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Amélie arranged fo documents pertaining to her husband Emperor Pedro I of Brazil to be willed to Brazil, where they are kept in the archives of the Imperial Museum of Brazil.

Amélie was first buried in the Braganza Pantheon, located in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1982, her remains were transferred to Brazil and placed in the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil next to her husband Emperor Pedro I and his first wife Maria Leopoldina of Austria.

Tombs of Pedro I and Amélia in the Imperial Chapel in São Paulo, Brazil: Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Portugal Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélie von Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie_von_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélie of Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie_of_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Am%C3%A9lia_of_Brazil [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/pedro-iv-king-of-portugal-pedro-i-emperor-of-brazil/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélia de Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lia_de_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal: Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal was born on October 12, 1798, at the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. Named in honor of St. Peter of Alcantara, his full name was Pedro de Alcantara Francisco António João Carlos Paula Xavier Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim. Pedro was the fourth of the nine children and the second but the eldest surviving son of King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain. He became the heir apparent to the throne upon the death of his six-year-old elder brother Francisco António in 1801.

Pedro had eight siblings:

Pedro around age 11; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1807, when Pedro was nine years old, the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil to escape the Napoleonic invasion and then remained in Brazil where Rio de Janeiro became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire. At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal. Pedro was instructed in mathematics, political economy, logic, history, and geography. He was fluent in Portuguese, Latin, and French, could translate from English, and understood German. As an adult, Pedro would devote at least two hours each day to studying and reading.

Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1816, negotiations began for a marriage between 18-year-old Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil, and 19-year-old Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria. Known as Leopoldina, she was fifth of the twelve children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Leopoldina and Pedro were married by proxy at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria on May 13, 1817, with Leopoldina’s uncle, Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen standing in for the groom. The bride left Vienna on June 3, 1817, and arrived in Livorno, Tuscany (now in Italy) on July 24, 1817, where she was to embark on a three-month voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On November 6, 1817, Leopoldina and Pedro were married in person in the chapel of the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher’s Palace) in Rio de Janeiro where the couple lived after their marriage. Leopoldina had to adjust to Brazil’s heat and humidity, tropical rainfall, and the ever-present insects.

Pedro and Leopoldina had seven children:

Leopoldina with some of her children;  Credit – Wikipedia

In 1821, after a series of revolutions and army mutinies, Pedro’s father King João VI, under pressure from the Portuguese parliament, departed Brazil for Portugal, leaving behind Pedro as Regent. Pedro discussed all government affairs with his wife Leopoldina and usually followed her advice. In January 1822, Pedro initiated an autonomous government for Brazil, a decisive step in the history of Brazil, which was definitely due to the influence of Leopoldina. This was done because it was known that Portugal intended to recall Pedro and relegate Brazil to the status of a colony.

In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent while he went on a political trip to the Province of São Paulo. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal was about to take action, and without waiting for Pedro’s return, met with the Council of State on September 2, 1822, and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil on October 12, 1822, his 24th birthday, and Leopoldina became Empress of Brazil. Pedro’s coronation was held on December 1, 1822, in what is today known as the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

The coronation ceremony of Emperor Pedro I; Credit – Wikipedia

When Pedro’s father King João VI of Portugal died in March 1826, it caused a succession crisis. Pedro was his eldest living son and heir but he had declared Brazil’s independence and was ruling as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. King João VI had appointed his daughter Isabel Maria to serve as regent until the “legitimate heir returned to the Kingdom” but he never specified who that should be. Pedro was ruling as Emperor of Brazil and King João VI’s younger son Miguel (the future King Miguel I of Portugal) had been exiled to Austria after leading several revolutions against his father and his liberal regime. While Pedro was the legitimate heir, the Brazilian people did not want the two thrones to be reunited. Pedro reigned as King of Portugal for only two months and then abdicated the Portuguese throne on May 2, 1826, in favor of his seven-year-old daughter Queen Maria II.

Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1822, Pedro began an affair with Brazilian noblewoman Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos. He had mistresses during his marriage to Leopoldina but was always careful to conceal his affairs. This time, Pedro flaunted the affair. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress Domitila as her lady-in-waiting. In November 1826, while Leopoldina was pregnant with her eighth child (she had given birth to seven children in six years), Pedro arranged a farewell reception before he left for a military trip. He demanded that his wife and his mistress attend the reception along with government, diplomatic, and church officials. Leopoldina refused to attend, causing a bitter argument with Pedro which remained unresolved when he left on his trip. Shortly thereafter, 29-year-old Leopoldina died at the Palacio de São Cristovão on December 11, 1826, from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage.

After Leopoldina’s death, Pedro had remorse for how he had treated her and decided to become a better person. In 1828, Pedro insisted that his mistress Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos leave Rio de Janeiro. However, after several European princesses refused his marriage proposals because of his bad reputation, Pedro allowed his mistress Domitila to return to court. It was not until after negotiations for a second marriage were successfully concluded that Domitila permanently left the court.

Amélie of Leuchtenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro’s second wife was 17-year-old Princess Amélie of Leuchtenberg, daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais Duke of Leuchtenberg, the only son of Napoleon’s first wife Empress Josephine and her first husband Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, and Princess Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria. A proxy marriage was held in the chapel of the Palais Leuchtenberg in Munich, Bavaria on August 2, 1829. Amélie arrived in Rio de Janeiro on October 15, 1829. Two days later, Pedro and Amélie were married in person at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. They had a happy marriage and Amélie’s relationship with her stepchildren was very positive.

The wedding of Pedro and Amélie, next to Pedro are his children from his first marriage: Pedro, Januária, Paula and Francisca; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie and Pedro had one daughter:

Amélie and her daughter Maria Amélia in 1840; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 7, 1831, after a political crisis that ended with the resignation of his ministers and in the middle of an economic crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his six-year-old son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro and his pregnant wife Amélie left for Europe. In Portugal, Pedro’s brother Miguel served as Regent for Pedro’s daughter Queen Maria II. Maria had been sent to Vienna to continue her education. It was on this journey that Maria learned that her uncle Miguel had deposed her and declared himself King on June 23, 1828. At that time Emperor Pedro insisted that his daughter was the rightful Queen, and demanded that she be treated as such. She traveled to the United Kingdom, hoping to garner the British government’s support, but they instead supported Miguel. Maria met up with her father in France, where they stayed with King Louis Philippe I, and Maria received her education. For several years, forces loyal to Maria and her father would try to force Miguel from the throne. Finally, on May 26, 1834, Miguel was forced to abdicate, and Maria was returned to the Portuguese throne.

Pedro on his deathbed; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 24, 1834, at the age of 35, Pedro died from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. He was first buried at the Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1972, Pedro’s remains were transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Pedro’s tomb in Braqzil; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Portugal Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I de Brasil y IV de Portugal. [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_de_Brasil_y_IV_de_Portugal [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].

Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Karoline Josepha Leopoldina Franziska Ferdinanda was born as an Archduchess of Austria on January 22, 1797, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Known as Leopoldina, she was fifth of the twelve children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily.

Leopoldina had eleven siblings:

Franz, Maria Theresa, and their older children, Leopoldina is the youngest daughter in the portrait; Credit – Wikipedia 

Leopoldina was educated with her sisters Marie Ludovica, Marie Clementina, and Marie Karoline. As a child Leopoldina was interested in botany, lepidopterology (the study of butterflies), and mineralogy. Leopoldina showed a talent for drawing and some of her pictures are preserved in the picture archive of the Austrian National Library. She was fluent in German, French, Italian, and Latin.

While pregnant with her twelfth child, Leopoldina’s mother Maria Theresa fell ill with the lung infection pleurisy. Her doctor bled her and this caused premature labor. Maria Theresa gave birth to her twelfth child, who lived only one day, and then she died on April 13, 1807, at the age of 34. Leopoldina’s father Franz was inconsolable and had to be forcibly removed from his wife’s body. The death of her mother greatly affected ten-year-old Leopoldina.

Maria Ludovica, Empress of Austria, with three of her stepchildren: Ferdinand, Maria Leopoldina, and Franz Karl; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Franz I consoled his grief with visits to his uncle and aunt, Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este, and fell in love with their beautiful and literate daughter and his first cousin Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este who was 19 years old, twenty years younger than Franz. Maria Ludovika and Franz were married on January 6, 1808. Their marriage was childless but Leopoldina dearly loved her stepmother and considered Maria Ludovica to be her “spiritual mother.” Sadly, Maria Ludovica died of tuberculosis just eight years later. Leopoldina’s father married for the fourth time to Caroline Augusta of Bavaria and that marriage was also childless.

Around the time of Maria Ludovica’s death, negotiations began for a marriage between 19-year-old Leopoldina and 18-year-old Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil. Pedro was the son of King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain, daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain. At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal. In 1807, when Pedro was nine years old, the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil to escape the Napoleonic invasion and remained in Brazil where Rio de Janeiro became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire. Emperor Franz was not a great supporter of this marriage because he knew about the immoral lifestyle and the epilepsy of the proposed groom. At the insistence of Prince Klemens von Metternich, Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire at that time, later Chancellor, Franz eventually gave his approval to the marriage.

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil by Simplício Rodrigues de Sá, 1822; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopoldina and Pedro were married by proxy at the Augustinian Church in Vienna on May 13, 1817, with Leopoldina’s uncle, Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen standing in for the groom. The bride left Vienna on June 3, 1817, and arrived in Livorno, Tuscany (now in Italy) on July 24, 1817, where she was to embark on a three-month voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On November 6, 1817, Leopoldina and Pedro were married in person in the chapel of the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher’s Palace) in Rio de Janeiro where the couple lived after their marriage. Leopoldina had to adjust to Brazil’s heat and humidity, tropical rainfall, and the ever-present insects.

Leopoldina and Pedro had seven children:

Leopoldina with some of her children by Domenico Failutti; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1821, after a series of revolutions and army mutinies, King João VI, under pressure from the Portuguese parliament, departed Brazil for Portugal, leaving behind Leopoldina and Pedro as Regent. Pedro was quite uneducated and the intelligent and well-educated Leopoldina quickly gained influence over her husband. Pedro discussed all government affairs with her and usually followed her advice. In January 1822, Pedro initiated an autonomous government for Brazil, a decisive step in the history of Brazil, which was definitely due to the influence of Leopoldina. This was done because it was known that Portugal intended to recall Pedro and relegate Brazil to the status of a colony.

In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent while he went on a political trip to the Province of São Paulo. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal was about to take action, and without waiting for Pedro’s return, met with the Council of State on September 2, 1822, and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil on October 12, 1822, his 24th birthday, and Leopoldina became Empress of Brazil. Pedro’s coronation was held on December 1, 1822, in what is today known as the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

Maria Leopoldina acting as regent on behalf of her husband during the September 2, 1822 meeting with the Council of Ministers by Georgina de Albuquerque; Credit – Wikipedia

When Pedro’s father King João VI of Portugal died in March 1826, it caused a succession crisis. Pedro was his eldest living son and heir but he had declared Brazil’s independence and was ruling as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. King João VI had appointed his daughter Isabel Maria to serve as regent until the “legitimate heir returned to the Kingdom” but he never specified who that should be. Pedro was ruling as Emperor of Brazil, and King João VI’s younger son Miguel (the future King Miguel I of Portugal) had been exiled to Austria after leading several revolutions against his father and his liberal regime. While Pedro was the legitimate heir, the Brazilian people did not want the two thrones to be reunited. Pedro reigned as King of Portugal for only two months and then abdicated the Portuguese throne on May 2, 1826, in favor of his seven-year-old daughter Maria.

Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil by Luís Schlappriz; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1822, Pedro had begun an affair with Brazilian noblewoman Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos. He had mistresses during his marriage to Leopoldina but was always careful to conceal his affairs. This time, Pedro flaunted the affair. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress Domitila as her lady-in-waiting.) In November 1826, Leopoldina was pregnant with her eighth child (she had given birth to seven children in six years). Pedro arranged a farewell reception before he left for a military trip. He demanded that his wife and his mistress attend the reception along with government, diplomatic, and church officials. Leopoldina refused to attend, causing a bitter argument with Pedro which remained unresolved when he left on his trip.

Shortly thereafter, 29-year-old Leopoldina died at the Palacio de São Cristovão on December 11, 1826, from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage. She was buried in the Ajuda Convent in Cinelândia Square in the center of Rio de Janeiro. When the convent was demolished in 1911, Leopoldina’s remains were transferred to the Convent of St. Anthony in Rio de Janeiro where a mausoleum was built for her and some other members of the Brazilian Imperial Family. Eventually, Leopoldina’s remains were transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Tomb of Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil; Credit – By Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64026646

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Works Cited

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  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Maria Leopoldina of Austria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leopoldina_of_Austria [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). Franz I, Emperor of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/franz-i-emperor-of-austria/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2013). Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-6-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Mehl, S. (2016). Queen Maria II of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/queen-maria-ii-of-portugal/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
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Maria Ana of Portugal, Princess Georg of Saxony

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Maria Ana of Portugal, Princess Georg of Saxony ;source: Wikipedia

 

Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal was the wife of the future King Georg of Saxony but she died before he became King of Saxony. She was born Infanta Maria Ana Fernanda Leopoldina Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Carlota Antónia Júlia Vitória Praxedes Francisca de Assis Gonzaga in Lisbon, Portugal on August 21, 1843, the daughter of Queen Maria II of Portugal and Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She had ten siblings:

Maria Ana, c1856. source: Wikipedia

Maria Ana was just ten years old when her mother died, and her elder brother Pedro became King of Portugal. Despite her young age, she served as the leading lady of the Portuguese court until Pedro married Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1858.

The following year, on May 11, 1859, Maria Ana married Prince Georg of Saxony at Belém Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He was the son of King Johann of Saxony and Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, and at the time was second in the line to the Saxon throne, behind his older brother Albert. The couple had eight children:

Prince Georg of Saxony, c1860. source: Wikipedia

Despite their large family, the marriage proved to be an unhappy one. Georg made little effort to support his wife in her new country and failed to live up to her expectations. Very pious and preferring private life to that of the court, Maria Ana’s primary focus was raising her family, and supporting several religious and social organizations.

Maria Ana died in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now Saxony, Germany, on February 5, 1884, after several months of caring for her youngest son Albert, who had been in poor health for some time. She is buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral, formerly known as the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony). She was survived by six of her children, and her husband who remained unmarried for the rest of his life. Eighteen years after Maria Ana’s death, Georg became King of Saxony, reigning just two years. Her eldest son then became King Friedrich August III, the last King of Saxony.

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Augusta Viktoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, wife of King Manuel II Portugal

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Augusta Viktoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen  source: Wikipedia

Augusta Viktoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was the wife of King Manuel II of Portugal from 1913 until he died in 1932.  As he had already been deposed, she was never actually Queen of Portugal, although she was often styled as such by courtesy.

Augusta Viktoria was born on August 19, 1890, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, the daughter of Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern and Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. For several years, her father had been the heir presumptive to King Carol I of Romania, his paternal uncle. However, he renounced his rights to the Romanian throne in 1886, and it eventually passed to his younger brother who became King Ferdinand of Romania. Augusta Viktoria had younger twin brothers, who married two sisters:

Wedding of Augusta Viktoria and the former King Manuel II of Portugal source: Wikipedia

In 1912, Augusta Viktoria met the former King Manuel II of Portugal while both were visiting Switzerland. Manuel had become King in 1908 following the assassinations of his father and elder brother but was deposed two years later when the Portuguese First Republic was declared. Augusta Viktoria and Manuel were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of Queen Maria II of Portugal. They married on September 4, 1913, at Sigmaringen Castle. in Sigmaringen, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Following a honeymoon in Munich, they settled at Fulwell Park, Manuel’s home outside London, England. Augusta Viktoria and Manuel had no children.

Manuel and Augusta Viktoria attending Wimbledon, 1930.

Manuel and Augusta Viktoria attending Wimbledon, 1930; Credit – Wikipedia

Manuel died July 2, 1932, at Fulwell Park, in Middlesex, England. Several years later, on April 23, 1939, Augusta Viktoria married Count Robert Douglas, head of the Swedish comital house of Douglas (a branch of the Scottish Clan Douglas). The couple lived at Langenstein Castle in Orsingen-Nenzingen   Baden, Germany, and had no children.

Widowed in 1955, Augusta Viktoria continued to live in Germany and died on August 29, 1966, at Eigeltingen, Baden-Württemerg, Germany. She is buried at Langenstein Castle.

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