Leopoldina Brazilian

Youth

Leopoldina in 1853

Princess Leopoldina was born at 6:43 a.m. on July 13, 1847, at the Imperial Palace of Quinta da Boa Vista , Rio de Janeiro , Brazilian Empire . The newborn was the second daughter and third child in the family of the Emperor of Brazil Pedro II, and his wife, the Sicilian princess Teresa Cristina. Her father is the granddaughter of Pedro I , the emperor of Brazil and the king of Portugal, and his first wife, Maria Leopoldina of Austria , in whose honor the princess got her name. Maternal granddaughter of the King of Both Sicilies Francis I , and Mary Isabella of Spain . Belonged to the house of Braganca , who ruled Portugal for several centuries ^[2] .

The baptism took place in the chapel at the imperial palace, September 7, 1847, under the leadership of Bishop Manuel to Monte Rodriguez de Araujo. The princess’s successors were her uncle and aunt, Francois of Orleans, Prince de Joinville , and Francisco of Brazil ^[2] .

After the birth of two daughters, the imperial couple began to look for a governess suitable for them. Finally, they chose the Portuguese aristocrat, Louise Margarita de Barros, Countess Barral. She was recommended by Princess Francisco de Joinville , who was her close friend. Louise Margarita took up her duties in September 1855, along with several court teachers. The education of young princesses included a complex and rigorous curriculum, constantly monitored by the emperor ^[3] . Leopoldina and her older sister Isabella studied six days a week, from 7:00 to 21:00. They rested on Sundays and holidays. The list of their disciplines included the following subjects: Portuguese language and literature, French, English, Italian, German, Latin, Greek, algebra, geometry, chemistry, physics, botany, history, cosmography, drawing and painting, piano lessons, philosophy, geography, economics, rhetoric, zoology, mineralogy and geology ^[4] .

Marriage

When the princesses grew up, the emperor began to look for suitable spouses among representatives of the royal houses of Europe. He asked his sister Francisco to find suitable parties for the sisters. In his speech in May 1864, the emperor announced the upcoming marriages of his daughters, but did not say the names of the suitors ^[5] . Pedro II rejected two applicants, Prince and Prince Philip of Belgium, Count of Flanders , choosing instead of them Prince Ludwig Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Prince Gaston of Orleans . Both young men were cousins ​​and grandchildren of the ousted King of France Louis Philippe I ^{[6] [7]} .

At first it was agreed that Prince Gaston was to become the husband of Leopoldina's youngest daughter, and Ludwig Augustus would marry Princess Isabella. But the emperor decided that his daughters had the right to decide for themselves whom to marry ^[8] . On September 2, 1864, the princes arrived in Rio de Janeiro. Princess Isabella wrote: “By the will of the father, the princes came here to marry us. We assumed that Gaston would marry Leopoldin, and I would marry Ludwig August, but God and our hearts made their own choices and on October 15th I had great joy in marrying Gaston ” ^[9] .

The alliance of Leopoldina and Ludwig Augustus was enshrined in an agreement concluded between Emperor Pedro II and Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha . In accordance with it, Leopoldina and her children were in the line of inheritance of the Brazilian throne after the elder sister Isabella and her possible future heirs. Spouses were required to live for six months in Brazil, and their children should be born in the empire ^[10] . December 15, 1864 their wedding took place. The couple received a dowry of 300,000 reais, they had their own residence in Rio de Janeiro and land, which they later transferred to their four sons ^[11] . The new house in Brazil for spouses was the palace acquired in June 1865 near the imperial residence, which was named in honor of Leopoldina ^[12] .

The first pregnancy of the princess ended in a miscarriage. Nine months after him, on March 19, 1866, she gave birth to her first son, Prince , the emperor’s beloved grandson ^{[13] [14]} . Since that time, the couple lived between Brazil and Europe. The princess returned to her home when the time was right for the birth of a child. The next sons, Augustus Leopold and , were born in Brazil. The last son, Ludwig Gaston , was born in in Austria ^[15] .

Death

At the beginning of 1871, Leopoldina was constantly ill. She started having problems with her stomach and intestines, causing fever. Doctors diagnosed her with typhoid fever ^[16] . The disease progressed rapidly and soon she began to have delusions and convulsions. Near the princess, her sister and her spouse are constantly ^[17] . Leopoldina died in the afternoon of February 7, 1871. Her mother-in-law, Princess Clementine of Orleans , wrote to Francisco, Princess de Joinville about the death of her daughter-in-law:

All the will of the Lord, my dear Francisco, but for us it is an irreparable loss and great sorrow. I am worried about the condition of my dear Ludwig August, he is heartbroken, does not eat, does not sleep ... this is a terrible event in our family! He loved her so much! They were so happy together! But death destroyed their happiness at such a young age. Poor kids! I wrote to them on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but there was no answer, only silence. She [Leopoldina] didn’t open her eyes, but I heard that Isabella was whispering a few words in her ear and she recognized her sister’s voice because she answered a few words in Portuguese. On Monday, doctors said she was feeling better, and we began to hope that she would recover. The night was quiet, on Tuesday morning breathing problems began; at 10 a.m., the doctors said that there was no hope of recovery ... At 16 o'clock her breathing was barely audible, and the priest began to read prayers for the dying; we all knelt around her bed; her breathing stopped at 18 o’clock. She was even more beautiful with an angelic face. Now she is in a coffin, dressed in white silk clothes, covered with a white wedding dress. She has not changed, everything is still beautiful. Around the coffin are flowers and wreaths sent by many princesses. A religious ceremony will take place tomorrow, Gaston and Isabella will be present at it, both of them in complete despair. I hug and pray for you. Your Clementine.

- ^[18]

In tribute to the princess, the emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph declared official mourning in the country for 30 days. After a solemn funeral, led by Nuncio Falcinelli Antoniakkia Mariano, the body of Leopoldina was transported to Coburg and buried in the . The funeral was attended by representatives of almost all the ruling houses in Europe. Until 1922, a memorial service for the Princess took place in Vienna every year ^{[19] [20]} .

After her death, four sons moved to Brazil, where they were brought up by the emperor and empress. Both eldest sons received the title of Princes of Brazil from the emperor and occupied 2nd and 3rd place in the inheritance of the throne before Princess Isabella’s children. The eldest son had no children, and the third died at the age of 19. The other two married and founded the branch of the imperial house of ^{[21] [22] [23]} .

Children

From a marriage with Prince Ludwig Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha , the Duke of Saxony, four sons were born ^[24] :

• Prince (03/19/1866 - 07/07/1934) - Prince of Brazil and Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, at birth was the third in the line of inheritance of the Brazilian throne after his aunt and mother, he was not married, there were no children did not have;
• Prince August Leopold Philippe Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga (6/12/1867 - 10/11/1922) - Prince of Brazil and Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gothic, traveler; married with Archduke Caroline Maria of Austria , Princess of Tuscany , daughter of Karl Salvator of Austria , and Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Sicilian , had eight children;
• Prince (05.21.1869–13.08.1888) - Prince Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, died in his youth, did not leave descendants;
• Prince Ludwig Gaston Maria Clement Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga (09/15/1870 - 01/23/1942) - Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was first married to Princess Matilda of Bavaria , daughter of the King of Bavaria, Ludwig III , had a daughter, Ludwig III , and son; after her death, married with Countess Anna Trauttmansdorf-Weinsberg , had one daughter.

• Brazilian Order of the Rose , Big Cross ^[25]
• Austrian Noblest Order of the Star Cross ^[25]
• Spanish Order of the Queen Mary of Louise ^[25]
• Mexican Order of St. Charles , Big Cross
• Portuguese Order of St. Isabella ^[25]

• Leopoldina Teresa de Bragança, Infanta de Brasil (English) . - Profile on Thepeerage.com.