by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016
Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal – source: Wikipedia
Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal and was created King Consort following the birth of their eldest son.
He was born Ferdinand August Franz Anton on October 29, 1816, in Vienna, Austria the eldest child of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág. Ferdinand had three younger siblings:
- Prince August (1818-1881) – married Princess Clémentine of Orléans, had issue including Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
- Princess Victoria (1822-1857) – married Louis, Duke of Nemours, had issue
- Prince Leopold (1824-1884) – married Constanze Geiger, had issue
Through his father, Ferdinand was a first cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert, as well as King Leopold II of Belgium and Empress Carlota of Mexico, born Princess Charlotte of Belgium.
Queen Maria II of Portugal, painted by John Simpson. source: Wikipedia
Ferdinand married Queen Maria II of Portugal at the Palácio das Necessidades in Lisbon, Portugal on April 9, 1836, and was created Prince Consort. The marriage, arranged by Ferdinand’s uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium, proved to be a happy one. Over the next seventeen years, they had eleven children:
- King Pedro V of Portugal (1837 – 1861) – married Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, no issue
- King Luís of Portugal (1838 – 1889) – married Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, had issue
- Infanta Maria (1840) – stillborn
- Infante João, Duke of Beja (1842 – 1861) – unmarried
- Infanta Maria Ana (1843 – 1884) – married the future King Georg of Saxony, had issue
- Infanta Antónia (1845 – 1913) – married Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern, had issue (including King Ferdinand of Romania)
- Infante Fernando (1846 – 1861) – died as a teen
- Infante Augusto, Duke of Coimbra (1847 – 1889) – unmarried
- Infante Leopoldo (1849) – stillborn
- Infanta Maria de Glória (born and died 1851) – died just after birth
- Infante Eugénio (born and died 1853) – died just after birth
In keeping with tradition, Ferdinand was elevated to King Consort following the birth of their eldest son, the future King Pedro V. Although titled as King, Ferdinand preferred to stay out of politics and left the affairs of state to his wife. He instead focused his attention on the arts. However, like his cousin Albert, Ferdinand often stood in for his wife during her numerous pregnancies. The Queen supported Ferdinand’s love of the arts and his interest in maintaining and restoring the architectural heritage of many buildings and monuments in Portugal. In the late 1830s, Ferdinand purchased the former monastery of Our Lady of Pena and its surrounding land, and the nearby Castle of the Moors, located in the Sintra Mountains. Having stood unused for some time, the buildings at the monastery were in desperate need of repair. Ferdinand restored them and built around them a stunning palace that would serve as a summer residence for the royal family. Today, the Pena National Palace is a national monument and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and is used for state functions.
King Ferdinand with his daughter-in-law, Queen Maria Pia, and his sons Infante Augusto, and King Luís, 1862. source: Wikipedia
On November 15, 1853, Queen Maria II died after giving birth to their last child. Ferdinand served as Regent for his eldest son King Pedro V until he came of age. In 1862, after the overthrow of King Otto of Greece, Ferdinand was named as a candidate for the Greek throne, which he quickly declined. Several years later, after the overthrow of Queen Isabella II of Spain, he was offered the Spanish throne. Again, he declined, preferring to enjoy his private life.
King Ferdinand and The Countess of Edla, c1885. source: Wikipedia
On June 10, 1869, in Lisbon, Ferdinand married again to Elise Hensler, a Swiss-born American actress. The couple first met in 1860 when Elise was performing in an opera in Lisbon. A relationship quickly began, as the two found their shared passion for arts and gardening. Just before they married, Ferdinand’s cousin, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, created Elise Countess of Edla in her own right. They had no children. Ferdinand and Elise lived at the Pena National Palace where they indulged their love of gardening and continued their unyielding support for the arts, including sponsoring several noted Portuguese artists and musicians.
King Ferdinand died at the Pena National Palace in Sintra, Portugal on December 15, 1885, survived by only three of his children. He is buried beside his first wife in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal.
Several years after Ferdinand’s death, his widow sold his estates, including the Pena National Palace and the Palace of the Moors, to Ferdinand’s grandson, King Carlos I. The Countess of Edla survived her husband by 44 years. She passed away in Lisbon on May 21, 1929, and is buried in the Prazeres Cemetery in Lisbon.
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