Luís I of Portugal

Louis I (Portuguese Dom Luís Filipe Maria Fernando Pedro de Alcântara António Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis João Augusto Júlio Valfando de Saxe - Gotha e Bragança Coburgo - ) ( born October 31, 1838 in Lisbon, † October 19, 1889 in Cascais ) was King of Portugal from the House of Saxe -Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1861 to 1889. before his accession, he bore the titles of Duke of Porto.

Life

Ludwig was the second son of Queen Maria II of Portugal and whose husband Ferdinand II through the early death of his older brother Peter V., who died childless, in 1861 Louis came to the throne. The circumstances of his accession to the throne were not happy, because apart from his older brother, who had been very popular as a king by the people and impose a fever epidemic, and two younger brothers Louis died yet within a short time from the same disease.

Ludwig is the only king of Portugal who has ever commanded a ship in his military service. His resulting love for shipping he made with the establishment of the Museu de Marinha in Lisbon clearly.

Louis had with António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo, a capable head of government who promoted particularly the industrialization of Portugal. After this in 1886 but lost power and died the following year, the end of the reign of Louis of problems was overshadowed. With the UK, there was a momentous debate about the colonial policy in southern Africa. Portugal joined at that time with the plan to the public, his two colonies in West and East Africa to start to connect (the present Mozambique and Angola) as a large contiguous colonial empire. Unfortunately, the UK had a similar plan, wanted to merge its African colonies in north-south direction, from Egypt to South Africa. Given the real balance of power, Portugal could not economically or militarily compete with Britain, the Portuguese had no choice but to give in as the UK printing and to renounce their plan.

The plan was initiated in the Portuguese public great nationalist enthusiasm, according to great was the disappointment when he had to be abandoned. It was even blamed for the weakness in Portugal for the first time not only the government, but the king and the monarchy. In the final phase of the reign of Louis therefore grew for the first time republican currents. Although they were not yet strong enough to threaten the monarchy seriously, but it was the foundation for the development set, which should lead under Louis successor to disaster for the monarchy.

Marriage and descendants

King Ludwig I married in 1862 Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, a daughter of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. With this he had two children:

  • Charles I (* September 28, 1863; † February 1, 1908 )
  • Alfons Heinrich ( * July 31, 1865, † February 21, 1920 ), Duke of Porto
533365
de