Maria Leopoldine she is one of the great characters in Brazilian history and had an important role in conducting the independence of Brazil, in 1822. Archduchess of Austria, Maria Leopoldina married d. Peter I, at the time a Portuguese prince. Despite her importance in the process of independence in Brazil, Leopoldina had her role diminished in the following generations.
Despite the great influence she had on d. Pedro at independence, his marriage to the first emperor of Brazil was not a happy one. She had seven children, and historians claim that in addition to d. Pedro treat her badly, her betrayals were famous. There are indications that she was attacked by the emperor, and, in 1826, she died from complications of a miscarriage.
Accessalso: 5 fun facts about the independence of Brazil
Childhood
Carolina Josefa Leopoldina Fernanda Francisca de Habsburgo-Lorena was born on the day January 22, 1797in vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire. She was the fifth child of Maria Theresa by the Austrian Emperor Francis I and the fourth female. There is a small dispute about the order of her name, in which some historians claim to be Leopoldina Carolina Josefa.
Altogether, Leopoldine had 11 brothers, of which she was closer to Fernando, Maria Clementina, Francisco Carlos and Maria Luisa, who, in addition to her older sister, was the closest person to her. There are several records of correspondence between the two, and Leopoldina told Maria Luísa details of their intimacy.
As a daughter of Austrian royalty, your education was exemplary and heavily influenced by Prince Metternich and Goethe. Throughout her childhood, Leopoldina, like all Archduchesses, was accompanied by a handmaiden who taught her “good manners, ceremony and etiquette”, as stated by researcher Marsilio Cassotti|1|.
As part of her education, Leopoldina learned three languages: German, French and Italian, and throughout her life she studied English and Portuguese. One of the main points of this training was to grow up learning that it should indisputably obey your father's wishes and cherish for guarantee of Austria's interests.
In addition, throughout her childhood and adolescence, she showed great interest in issues related to mineralogy and botany.
Her childhood was also marked by conflicts between Austria and France as consequences of the French Revolution. At certain points in this war, French troops arrived within a few kilometers of Vienna, which forced the Austrian royal family to flee the city. In this sense, historian Clóvis Bulcão mentions that, at the age of 18, the archduchess followed the developments of the Congress of Vienna, held in 1815 after the definitive defeat of Napoleon|2|.
Marriage with d. Peter
![Leopoldina married d. Pedro, in 1817, and had a very unhappy marriage. [1]](/f/aca3e1938e99d05310340a454997fc42.jpg)
The factor that definitely marked Leopoldina's life, however, was her marriage to a Portuguese prince named d. Peter. Negotiations began during the Congress of Vienna, and, in the case of the Portuguese, the marriage of d. Peter was the way thought to end the sexual adventures of the son of the Portuguese emperor d. John VI.
The wedding of d. Pedro with Leopoldina was also diplomatically important for both countries (Austria and Portugal). For the Portuguese, it increased Portugal's influence in one of the most traditional European and opened the way to reduce their dependence on the English, for the Austrians, it increased their influence in the America.
After extensive negotiations, the marriage of Leopoldina and d. Pedro was agreed and performed, by proxy, in May 13, 1817, at the Church of the Augustinians in Vienna. Such as real family Portuguese was installed in Rio de Janeiro at the time, Leopoldina was prepared to move to Brazil.
See more:Johannine period - period that began with the move of the Portuguese royal family to Brazil
Historians mention her great interest in being able to study the mineral and botanical wealth of Brazil, and that is why she was joined by a large group of Austrian scientists. After 85 days of travel, Leopoldina arrived in Brazil on November 4, 1817, and the reception she received, in Rio de Janeiro, was pompous.
Historian Isabel Lustosa reports two initial impressions of Leopoldina regarding Brazil and her husband, d. Peter. From the country, she mentions her enchantment with the natural beauty of Rio de Janeiro, and of d. Pedro, she highlights the immediate appreciation she felt for the Portuguese prince |3|.
Leopoldina's first impressions of her husband were recorded in letters she sent to her father and sister, Maria Luísa. In them she mentioned that, on the first night, d. Pedro did not let her sleep (a reference to the sexual appetite of the future emperor of Brazil) and that he was frank, spoke everything he thought and, at times, was rough with her | 4 |.
In the years that followed, her marriage weighed heavily on her and openly contributed to her unhappiness. From the relationship between Leopoldina and Pedro were born seven children, one of which was Pedro de Alcântara, better known as d. Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil between 1840 and 1889.
Leopoldina's influence on independence
Something that few people know is the importance of Leopoldina in consolidating Brazil's independence. This is because, until 1822, the influence of the future empress of Brazil about her husband was great, and she frequently advised him, while the Portugal-Brazil relationship soured, between 1820 and 1822.
Historians mention Leopoldina's good ability to make a political reading of the situation in Brazil at the time of the crisis with Portugal. Remembering that the crisis between Brazil and Portugal broke out in 1820, when the Portuguese, through the Porto Revolution, defended the recolonization of the country.
Realizing that this explosive situation could bring serious consequences, Leopoldina started to analyze, directly with d. John and d. Pedro, ways to resolve the situation. According to the education she received, Leopoldina placed the State's interests above its own. At the end of 1820, she wanted to return to Europe, but stayed in Brazil to, together with d. Peter, resolve the situation.
Also access:First reign - period of the Brazilian monarchy beginning in 1822
She realized that if the Portuguese insisted on attempts to recolonize Brazil, the possibility of a revolt of a liberal and republican nature was great. So she went to convince your husband of the importance of him leading an independence movement. that would transform Brazil into a monarchy under his leadership.
The future empress played an essential role in convincing d. Pedro to stay in Brazil, despite pressure from the Portuguese Cortes for him to return to Lisbon. Leopoldina's actions were always aimed at preventing the realization of a liberal revolution in the colony. Her idea was always to preservation of the monarchy, concept learned throughout their education.
Leopoldine and JosephBoniface signed a letter informing them of the need to declare independence from Brazil in September 1822. This letter was urgently sent to d. Pedro while he was in São Paulo. On that occasion, Leopoldina was even as regent of Brazil, having been appointed by the d. Peter. With this, we can see that she had a direct role in convincing d. Pedro to remain in Brazil (official act on Fico Day) and to declare independence (official on September 7th).
Last years
The journey of d. Pedro a São Paulo fulfilled Leopoldina's desire for Brazil's independence, but ended up starting an extremely troubled period of their marriage. On this trip, d. Peter met Domitila de Castro, named marquise of saints and that, for years, she was concubine of the Brazilian Emperor.
For years, d. Pedro I (crowned in late 1822) publicly humiliated his wife to a point where the entire city of Rio de Janeiro knew (and rejected) the emperor's treachery. He didn't make a point of hiding from his wife and from public opinion his affair with Domitila, who ended up getting rich and gaining benefits from him.
The humiliation that Leopoldina suffered was so great that, in 1825, d. Peter named Domitilla as first lady of his wife, the Empress of Brazil. In this role, Domitila was entitled to accompany Leopoldina wherever she went and was entitled to participate in public court events. Domitilla and her family received noble titles from the emperor.
Lookalso: Facts about Princess Isabel, granddaughter of Maria Leopoldina
Historians have recorded the the empress's unhappiness with her situation in the last years of her life. Leopoldine was mistreated by d. Peter publicly, the empress's servants abused her, and her access to the allowance to which she was entitled was restricted by the emperor. Apart from personal records made in letters, the empress has never publicly shown her dissatisfaction.
The continuity of this situation caused Leopoldina to suffer from depression, and reports of the empress's carelessness with her appearance suggest this. Her health then began to deteriorate. The situation was further aggravated because the emperor, in fits of fury, attacked her.
In October 1826, Leopoldina became pregnant, and some accounts say that, in an argument with the emperor, she was kicked. In December of the same year, she lost her son in a miscarriage, and the worsening of her health status due to this abortion made her died on December 11, 1826.
Historians debate the extent to which the heartaches (in addition to the physical attacks) caused by d. Pedro in the last years of Leopoldina's life contributed to the Austrian's death.
Grades
|1| CASSOTTI, Marsilio. Leopoldina's intimate biography: the empress who achieved the independence of Brazil. São Paulo: Planet, 2015.
|2| BULCÃO, Clovis. Leopoldina, the Austrian who loved Brazil. In.: FIGUEIREDO, Luciano. History of Brazil for the busy. Rio de Janeiro: House of the Word, 2013, p. 236.
|3| LUSTOSA, Isabel. D. Peter I: a hero with no character. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2006.
|4| BULCÃO, Clovis. Leopoldina, the Austrian who loved Brazil. In.: FIGUEIREDO, Luciano. History of Brazil for the busy. Rio de Janeiro: House of the Word, 2013, p. 238-239.
Image credit
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By Daniel Neves
History teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/maria-leopoldina.htm
