Maria Leopoldina of Austria

For the Holy Roman Empress, see Maria Leopoldine of Austria.

Maria Leopoldina of Austria
Leopoldina at age 18, 1815
Empress consort of Brazil
Tenure	12 October 1822 – 11 December 1826
Queen consort of Portugal
Tenure	26 March – 28 May 1826
Spouse	Pedro I of Brazil
among others... Issue
Maria II of Portugal Pedro II of Brazil Princess Francisca of Brazil Januária Maria, Princess Imperial of Brazil
Full name
Maria Leopoldina Josefa Carolina
House	House of Habsburg-Lorraine House of Braganza
Father	Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother	Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies
Born	22 January 1797 Vienna
Died	11 December 1826(1826-12-11) (aged 29) Paço de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro
Burial	1954 Museu Paulista, São Paulo

Maria Leopoldina of Austria (Portuguese: Maria Leopoldina de Áustria; German: Maria Leopoldine von Österreich) (Maria Leopoldina Josefa Carolina; 22 January 1797 – 11 December 1826) was an archduchess of Austria, Empress consort of Brazil and queen consort of Portugal.

She was born in Vienna, Austria, as the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, and his second wife, Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies. Among her many siblings were Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Marriage to Pedro I

In 1817 she sailed to Brazil to marry Pedro, crown prince of Portugal. The Portuguese royal family had been living there in exile for ten years as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. Leopoldina was highly cultured, fluent in six languages, and very interested in the natural sciences. In the years that followed she brought several researchers and biologists to her new homeland, starting with Johann Baptist von Spix, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, and Johann Natterer, who accompanied her in 1817.

When his father King John VI of Portugal, returned to Lisbon in 1821, Pedro chose to remain in Brazil with Leopoldina and their children. In 1822, Pedro headed Brazil's independence movement from Portugal, and he was crowned as the country's emperor.

Empress of Brazil

Maria Leopoldina became Brazil's first empress consort. She also played an important role in the process of issuing a Declaration of Independence. On 2 September 1822, a new decree with demands from Lisbon arrived in Rio de Janeiro, while Prince Pedro was in São Paulo. Leopoldina, advised by José Bonifácio, and using her power as Princess Regent, met on 2 September 1822 with the Council of Ministers. She decided to send her husband the news along with a letter advising him to declare Brazil's independence and warned him, "The fruit is ready, it's time to harvest." Prince Pedro declared the country's independence upon receiving the letter on 7 September 1822.

Portrait of Maria Leopoldina by Louis Schlappriz.

When his father died on 10 March 1826, Pedro inherited the Portuguese throne as King Pedro IV, while remaining Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. Maria Leopoldina thus became both Empress consort of Brazil and Queen consort of Portugal. However, two months later, Pedro was forced to give up the Portuguese throne to their seven-year-old daughter Maria.

Leopolinda herself died in Rio de Janeiro in 1826 after a miscarriage, the same year as her father-in-law, at the end of a very eventful year for the House of Braganza.

Children

Maria Leopoldina and Pedro had seven children before she died in 1826 following a miscarriage:

• Maria II of Portugal (1819–1853), following Pedro's devotion to Our Lady of Glória
• Miguel, Prince of Beira (1820).
• João Carlos, Prince of Beira (1821–1822).
• Januária Maria, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1822–1901), named after the city of Rio de Janeiro, married Prince Louis, Count of Aquila (1824–1897), son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies.
• Princess Paula Mariana of Brazil (1823–1833).
• Princess Francisca of Brazil (1824–1898) married François, Prince of Joinville (1818–1900), son of Louis-Philippe King of the French.
• Pedro II of Brazil (1825–1891), married Princess Teresa of the Two Sicilies (1822–1889), the youngest daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies.
• Miscarriage (11 December 1826).

Titles and styles

• 22 January 1797 – 11 August 1804 Her Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria
• 11 August 1804 – 6 November 1817 Her Imperial & Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria
• 6 November 1817 – 12 October 1822 Her Imperial & Royal Highness the Princess Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, Duchess of Braganza
• 12 October 1822 – 10 March 1826 Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Brazil
• 10 March 1826 – 28 May 1826 Her Imperial & Most Faithful Majesty the Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal and the Algarves
• 28 May 1826 – 11 December 1826 Her Imperial Majesty The Empress of Brazil

Bibliography

References

• Rodrigues, José Honório. Independência: revolução e contra-revolução (5 v.). Rio de Janeiro: F. Alves, 1975.

External links

• Article by Princess Michael of Kent about Leopoldine Retrieved 26 January 2006

Maria Leopoldina of Austria House of Habsburg-Lorraine Cadet branch of the House of Lorraine Born: 22 January 1797 Died: 11 December 1826
Brazilian royalty
New title Empire of Brazil established	Empress consort of Brazil 12 October 1822 – 11 December 1826	Vacant Title next held by Amélie of Leuchtenberg
Portuguese royalty
Preceded by Carlota Joaquina of Spain	Queen consort of Portugal 26 March – 28 May 1826	Succeeded by Auguste de Beauharnais as Prince consort