Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal
Isabella Maria of Portugal (Portuguese: D. Isabel Maria da Conceição Joana Gualberta Ana Francisca de Assis Xavier de Paula de Alcântara Antónia Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Bragança Joaquina ) ( 4 * July 1801 in Lisbon, † April 22, 1876 ibid ) was a Portuguese infanta of the House of Braganza. From 1826 to 1828 she was regent of Portugal, first for their staying in Brazil brother, King Peter IV, then for their underage niece Maria II
Life
Isabella Maria was a younger daughter of King John VI. and his wife Queen Charlotte Johanna born. Her brother Peter, the Portuguese Crown Prince, had declared 1822 the Brazilian independence and himself as Peter the Great proclaimed Emperor of Brazil. As John VI. 1826 died, Peter inherited next to the Brazilian also the Portuguese throne. However, he was not ready to leave Brazil to take up the rule in Portugal. Therefore he appointed there Isabella Maria as regent.
As regent Isabella pursued a reactionary policy. Major issue of political debate in Portugal was whether the country should be governed absolutist or constitutional monarchy. Isabella was a follower of absolutism and surrounded himself with advisers and ministers who were of the same opinion.
In Portugal, a first attempt to introduce the constitutional monarchy had failed, as John VI. 1824 revoked the first constitution of the country in 1821 had (see Liberal Revolution). Since then, the country had no constitution. 1826 issued by Peter IV, therefore, a new constitution, called the Charter and related documents sent from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon with the order to Isabella, to let this come into force in Portugal. Isabella and their advisers, who were all of the opinion that Portugal would also get along very well without a constitution, decided to try to prevent the entry into force of the document. Only when the liberal General, later Duke of Saldanha sat the Regent Porto out under pressure, this finally gave in and sworn the government on the new constitution. Those of her ministers who refused to swear the oath to the new constitution, resigned. The regent had to then start Saldanha as Minister of War in their government, he formed a kind of liberal counterpoint in the run of Isabella regency. After a short time the reactionary forces, however, had regained the upper hand, Saldanha could not oppose this development because it was weakened in the crucial moments by disease.
On May 5, 1826 Peter thanked after only two months as a rule from the Portuguese king in favor of his daughter Maria II. Peter moved so that the consequence of the fact that it was not possible to rule Brazil and Portugal simultaneously and the Portuguese would not tolerate living abroad king. Maria II, however, was at that time still a child, so that continues to be a regency was necessary, which was also initially led by Isabella.
Isabella had another brother, Prince Michael, who in 1824 unsuccessfully against John VI. Itself had made and since then stayed in exile in Austria. Politically informed Michael Isabella's views, was thus also a supporter of absolutism. Peter IV had intended to unite the two lines of the House of Braganza again. To this end, his daughter Maria II was later, when she was of marriageable age to marry her uncle Michael. Even before Michael should lead the regency for her. Michael swore the Charter and his niece as Queen faithfulness and returned to Lisbon. There he allied himself with Isabella, convened a traditional national assembly a, proclaimed himself king of this 1828 and thus dethroned his niece and fiancee Mary.
With the accession of King Michael ended the reign of the Infanta Isabella. This withdrew from the Portuguese policy completely back.
Your reign is assessed largely critical. The regent was obviously overwhelmed with her role in Portugal. Through its one-sided support of the reactionary and conservative forces in the kingdom, they admitted that the contrast worsened to the Liberals. Since they did not do anything against the takeover of her brother Michael, she carries the blame for the consequent later evolving sequence, the Miguelistenkrieg.
Isabella Mary was never married and had no children. She died in 1876 Benfica in Lisbon.