Marquesa de Santos was the title she became known for Domitila de Castro Canto e Melo. The marquise had her life marked by having been the emperor's mistress d. Peter I for seven years, during which time she gained titles and wealth. The emperor's love affair with Domitilla was very famous at the time and had a direct influence on the political scene in Brazil.
During Domitila's romance with d. Peter I, the Empress Leopoldine she showed her dissatisfaction with him. Years after the death of the empress, d. Pedro I decided to get away from his mistress so that he could marry again. The marquise also acquired a second marriage, in 1842, and spent the last years of her life in charity.
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First years
![Domitila de Castro Canto e Melo married twice and was marked in history for having been d. Pedro I for seven years.[1]](/f/488a4dd3fb341b3c2abc1a94ec2254bf.jpg)
Domitila de Castro Canto e Melo was born in São Paulo on December 27, 1797. She was the daughter of a traditional and influential family in that city. Her father,
João de Castro do Canto e Melo, she was a respectable career military, and her mother was called Scholasticism Bonifácia de Oliveira and Toledo Ribas.In all, Domitila had five brothers: João, José, Francisco, Maria Benedita and Ana Cândida. She also had another sister, Fortunata, but she did not survive childhood. Domitilla, like her sisters, had a traditional education, but no details are known about this phase of his life.
first marriage
At the age of 15, Domitila's father arranged for her to marry an officer of the Corps of Dragons of Vila Rica, the ensign Felicio Pinto Coelho from Mendonça. The union took place on January 13, 1813, when she was still the same age. At the time, her husband was 22 years old.
This marriage was important to Domitila's family, as Felicio held an important position as a military man and had chances to rise in the hierarchy. Besides, he had money and social prestige. Their marriage, however, was a complete disaster, as Felicio was alcoholic, addictedingames and violentwithyourwife.
After getting married, Domitila moved to Vila Rica, Minas Gerais, with her husband. In this marriage she had three children: Francisca Pinto Coelho de Mendonça e Castro, Felício Pinto Coelho de Mendonça e Castro, and João Pinto Coelho de Mendonça e Castro, the latter died in childhood.
Her husband's constant abuse and aggression made Domitila abandonrich village, returning to your parents' house, in São Paulo, with their two children. This happened in 1816, and the following year, her husband arranged a transfer to Santos, where he could be close to his children.
In 1818, she was persuaded to return to her husband under the promise that he would improve her behavior. However, Felicio continued to be addicted to the drink, continued to spend all his money on games, and the attacks quickly happened again. As Domitila demonstrated that she wanted a divorce, Felicio tried to kill her by stabbing her twice: one on the thigh and one on the belly. He also claimed that he committed the act because he suspected he was being betrayed, which was not true.
Domitilla took almost two months to heal of her wounds, and then definitively abandoned her husband, opening a divorce filing process. This request was taboo at the time, but she had the support of her family, and five years later, in 1824, she was granted, largely due to the emperor's interference in the case.
Also access:Five fun facts about the independence of Brazil
Romance with d. Peter I
![Throughout his reign, the emperor d. Pedro I gave titles and riches to the Marquise de Santos, his lover. [1]](/f/77ef9d630b84b5dd4d1a4591676f7395.jpg)
When Domitila met Pedro de Alcântara, he had not yet been crowned Emperor of Brazil. Our country hadn't even become independent yet, but the meeting of the two took place a few weeks before Ipiranga's scream, when d. Peter proclaimed independence, on September 7, 1822.
They met in São Paulo, in August 1822, in a complicated context: the future emperor of Brazil was going to put an end to this city in the disagreements that existed with her government regarding the disobedient posture of its regent towards the orders sent from Lisbon. On that occasion the meeting between the future lovers took place, with d. Pedro, known for his womanizer fame, becoming interested in Domitila.
Exist record of one of the first encounters between d. Pedro e Domitila brought by researcher Paulo Rezzutti. This record, written by the husband of a cousin of Domitilla, speaks of the flirtations of d. Peter and his attempts to impress her. Paulo Rezzutti also explains that, during the trip in which the cry for independence took place, Domitila was already present as the emperor's lover.|1|.
When d's love affair. Pedro and Domitilla started up, he was already married to d. Leopoldina (they were married in 1817) and had four children with her. The extramarital relationship was reasonindisgustforLeopoldine for the rest of your life. The empress, according to records left, was in love with the emperor and was put on the back burner during his involvement with Domitilla.
There are dozens of cardswritten by d. Peter I to Domitilla, with him affectionately calling her Titília and exaggerating the intimate details, always signing them as Demon or Fire Fire. In them, the emperor also drew his own sexual member and sent his pubic hair.
Domitila's relationship with d. Peter I generated five illegitimate children, and of these one was stillborn and two died in infancy. The two daughters who reached adulthood were Isabel Maria de Alcântara Brasileira, known as the Duchess of Goiás, and Maria Isabel II of Alcântara Bourbon, known as the Countess of Iguaçu. The noble titles of both were granted by d. Peter I.
Domitila moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1823, and her affair with d. Peter surrendered to him titles and riches. She became first lady of the empress, something seen as a great humiliation by d. Leopoldina, once her husband's mistress had conquered such an important job. In 1825, Domitila received the title of Viscountess of Santos, and the following year, she became gurneyinsaints.
In addition, her family also benefited from her influence with the emperor. He gave large sums of money to his daughters with his mistress, in addition to having given titles and important positions to relatives of the Marquise de Santos. When Domitilla's father died in 1826, the emperor covered all the funeral expenses. Her father was also presented with a noble title, he was Viscount de Castro.
It wasn't all flowers in the case of Domitilla with the emperor. The empress's misfortune and her untimely death in 1826 damaged the image of the marquise de Santos. She was frowned upon at Court and even had his properties stoned. The emperor himself came into disrepute on account of the way the empress died, and this made him look for a second wife.
Thus, d. Pedro I married Amelia of Leuchtenburg, and to safeguard his new marriage, the emperor ended his relationship with Dometila in 1829. she then returned to São Paulo, acquiring, years later, a property that became known as Marquesa Manor.
Accessalso: The life of d. Pedro II, son of Maria Leopoldina with d. Peter I
Last years
After the end of your affair with d. Pedro I, the marquise, settled in São Paulo and, years later, had a second marriage. She got into a relationship with the military Rafael Tobias de Aguiar in 1833, and married him in 1842. Tobias de Aguiar was a man of great wealth and who assumed important positions in the politics of Sorocaba.
From this marriage, Domitila had six children, of which four have reached adulthood. Over her lifetime, she has had 14 children, with eight of them reaching adulthood. Her biographers tell that, in old age, she tried to use part of her fortune to help those in need and was well known for helping students at the Faculty of Law in São Paulo. Is it over there died on November 3, 1867, at 69 years of age.
Note
|1| REZZUTTI, Paulo. Domitilla: the true story of the Marchesa de Santos. São Paulo: Editorial Generation, 2012.
Image credit
[1] commons
By Daniel Neves
History teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/marquesa-santos.htm