Maria Leopoldina of Austria

Maria Leopoldine Josepha Caroline of Austria (born 22 January 1797 in Vienna, † December 11, 1826 in Boa Vista Palace in Rio de Janeiro ) was a member of the House of Habsburg- Lorraine by marriage Empress of Brazil and Queen of Portugal.

Childhood and Youth at the Viennese court

Archduchess Leopoldine, known by the Viennese affectionately Poldy, was born in 1797 in Vienna. She was the fifth child, the fourth daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria (1768-1835) and his second wife, Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily ( 1772-1807 ). Maria Leopoline was educated with her sisters Marie Louise (1791-1847), Marie Clementine (1798-1881) and Marie Caroline (1801-1832) at the Viennese court. Her mother Maria Theresa 's early death after a premature birth in April 1807 met the ten-year Leopoldine very. After the emperor had married a year later, she joined very intimately to her young stepmother Maria Ludovica Beatrix of Modena (1787-1816), which they gladly accompanied them on their travels. In the summer of 1810 met the Empress and her step-daughter Leopoldine who were staying at the spa in Karlovy Vary, on Goethe. This revered the highly educated empress several poems.

Even as a child Leopoldine was interested in many things. Her employment covered included botany, butterfly customer and mineralogy. Already in his early youth, she received lessons in drawing; some images are preserved in the image archives of the Austrian National Library. French, Italian and Latin dominated them perfectly. Your feeling for language facilitated their later learning of Portuguese.

After her favorite sister, Marie Louise was married in 1810 with Napoleon ( 1769-1821), Leopoldine wrote letters eagerly. Even Napoleon recognized the special relationship with his young wife to Leopoldine and wrote:

The fifteen year old Leopoldine is described as genuine Habsburg: Blonde, blue-eyed and with the great " Hapsburg lip ", which made ​​her much grief. When the Archduchess Marie Louise of once received a magnification mirror, she replied:

When Marie Louise decided to her young son Franz (1811-1832), the Duke of imperial city to leave for training in Vienna, Leopoldine looked after with great joy to her little nephew. On July 9, 1816 she told Marie Louise with:

Engagement and Marriage

1816 began negotiations with respect to a marriage of the Crown Prince of Portugal Dom Pedro ( 1798-1834 ) Archduchess Leopoldine with. Franz was not a big proponent of this compound, as he knew about the immoral lifestyles and the epilepsy of the Crown Prince. At the urging of Metternich, who had the emperor completely in hand, but he finally relented.

Leopoldine wrote enthusiastically to her sister Marie Louise to Parma:

Archduke Ludwig, an uncle of the bride, wrote to Marie Louise:

Much more critical and anticipatory commented Archduke Rainer (1783-1853), another uncle, the events:

On May 13, 1817 Leopoldine in St. Augustin, the wedding church of the Habsburgs, was married by proxy in Vienna with Dom Pedro. As deputy served her uncle Archduke Charles.

Crown Princess of Brazil

The nunmehrige Crown Princess went on now to Rio de Janeiro, where they solemnly found its way after three months' trip in November 1817. On November 6, 1817, the marriage of Pedro and Leopoldine was held in the Royal Chapel of the City Palace with great pomp.

Since Dom Pedro was plentiful uneducated, won Leopoldine rapidly growing influence on her husband. Pedro talked to the Declaration of Independence of Brazil all government affairs with Leopoldine and was usually followed their advice. In January 1822 led Pedro, the Brazilian government had been left by his father, a high degree of autonomy in Brazil, a - a crucial step in the history of this country, which is definitely due to the influence Leopoldine.

When Pedro decided during the year 1822 for a trip to São Paulo, he let Leopoldine back as regent. In September 1822 announced Pedro - summoned by Leopoldine - Brazil's independence from Portugal.

Empress of Brazil

On 1 December 1822 coronation followed the Emperor of Brazil. From Leopoldine is reported at this time that she had "a clear, unerring judgment about the situation in our country ."

Leopoldine pulled Austrian naturalist and painter to Brazil. They also prompted scholarly expeditions that provided valuable results. In recognition of her service to science, for example, the palm genus Leopoldinia Mart. been named after her. In their old home Vienna, she promoted the formation of the Brazilian museum.

About the initially relatively harmonious marriage of Pedro and Leopoldine lay down from 1822 a gloomy shadow. The Emperor had on the trip to Sao Paulo woman, Dona Domitilia, to know that he officially introduced his mistress at court. To make Leopoldine ridiculous, she was appointed to Pedro's instigation to the first lady in waiting to the Empress. Leopoldine had to relive that Domitilia gave an illegitimate daughter of the Emperor, and was elevated to the nobility. The daughter was educated as a matter of course with his half- siblings.

The personal struggles of the imperial couple escalated such that Pedro also not shied away from beating Leopoldine and abuse. He also took advantage of every opportunity to humiliate her in front of the court and to ridicule. Severely depressed, she wrote in her last year at Marie Louise to Parma:

On December 1, 1826 to have so much kicked in the stomach of the pregnant Pedro Leopoldine during an argument that by doing a premature baby was thrown. Leopoldine died just ten days later, on December 11, 1826 in Boa Vista Palace in Rio de Janeiro. It is believed that the ill-treatment of Pedro and the problems it miscarriage extinguished the lives of the not yet 30 years of Leopoldine.

Three days after her death Leopoldine was buried in the Ajuda Convent. Since the monastery was demolished later transferred to Leopoldine 's remains in 1911 in the Santo Antônio - Monastery.

On September 7, 1954, the anniversary of the Brazilian Declaration of Independence, the Empress her final resting place in the mausoleum of the Ipiranga monument in Sao Paulo.

The municipality of Santa Leopoldina (originally Cachoeiro de Santa Leopoldina ) was named after Leopoldine.

Progeny

Leopoldine had seven children with her husband Pedro, but died in 1826 at the consequences of miscarriage:

• Maria da Glória (1819-1853), later Queen Maria II of Portugal
• Miguel (* / † 1820)
• Januaria Maria (1822-1901) ∞ Luigi Carlo, Count of Aquila (1824-1897)
• Paula Mariana (1823-1833)
• Franziska Carolina (1824-1898) ∞ François d' Orléans, prince de Joinville
• Pedro (1825-1891), later Emperor Peter II (1831-1889)
• Miscarriage (1826 )