Maria Pia of Savoy
Maria Pia of Savoy ( born October 16, 1847 in Turin, † July 5, 1911 at Stupinigi in Turin) was descended from the house of Savoy and was Princess of Italy, as well as the wife of King Ludwig I a queen of Portugal.
Life
Maria Pia was the daughter of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Piedmont-Sardinia (later first king of Italy) and the Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. She had seven siblings, including King Umberto I of Italy and Amadeus of Savoy, King of Spain. Pope Pius IX. was her godfather.
At the age of seven years, Maria Pia lost her mother. When she was only a 14- year-old girl, King Ludwig I of Portugal had to stop by emissaries for her hand. After their marriage by proxy on 27 September 1862 in Turin, she went immediately to Portugal, arrived there on 5 October and married the next day, October 6, 1862, in Lisbon the nine years older than Louis I. As a result, she became queen of Portugal. She gave birth in 1863 the future King Charles I of Portugal and 1865 Prince Alfons Heinrich, Duke of Porto.
As Queen Maria Pia wore a penchant for luxury, parties and costume balls on display. In particular, they demonstrated their elegant clothes, what do you of the Portuguese monarchy earned massive criticism in recent years because of their exorbitant spending on fashion by the anti-monarchist press. Supposedly it is to the repeated allegations in Portugal with the famous quote: " Who wants queens, they should pay " ( Quem across Rainhas paga -as) be met.
Maria Pia but was also charity work and campaigned for the abolition of slavery in 1868 actually took place in the Portuguese colonies. They also conducted successful relief operations in the major floods of 1876, which was applauded by even the political opposition. In politics, however, they rarely interfered. She was Grand Master of the Order of Saint Isabella.
After the death of her husband Ludwig I on October 19 in 1889 and the subsequent accession to the throne of her son as Charles I, Maria Pia devoted himself intensely to their social projects which had been crucial to her as King 's wife. She took a dominant position at the court, and served as regent during the absence of the new royal couple.
On February 1, 1908 Charles I and the Hereditary Prince Ludwig Philipp died in an assassination attempt. The violent death of her son and her grandson had deeply shaken Maria Pia. During her last years in Portugal showed her signs of senility and it presented itself only rarely in public.
Deeply angered by the dismissal of her other grandson Manuel II and the dissolution of the monarchy on October 5, 1910 Maria Pia went with the rest of the royal family into exile in Italy. There - in their original home country - she found refuge with her sister Margaret. The moody become, laborierende from arteriosclerosis Queen Dowager died on 5 July 1911 at the age of 63 years from a heart condition and was, like most late members of the House of Savoy, buried in the royal mausoleum in the Basilica of Superga in Turin.
Progeny
Maria Pia of Savoy had with Ludwig I of Portugal two sons:
- Charles I (* September 28, 1863; † February 1, 1908 )
- Alfons Heinrich, Duke of Porto ( * July 31, 1865, † February 21, 1920 )