Person:Maria Leopoldina of Austria (1)
Maria Leopoldina of Austria
b.22 Jan 1797
d.11 Dec 1826
Parents and Siblings
(edit)
  1. Marie Louise _____, Duchess of Parma1791 - 1847
  2. Ferdinand I of Austria _____1793 - 1875
  3. Marie Caroline of Austria1794 - 1795
  4. Caroline Ludovika of Austria1795 - 1799
  5. Maria Leopoldina of Austria1797 - 1826
  6. Archduchess Clementina _____, Princess of Salerno1798 - 1881
  7. Joseph Franz of Austria1799 - 1807
  8. Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria1801 - 1832
  9. Archduke Franz Karl of Austria1802 - 1878
  10. Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria1804 - 1858
  11. Archduke Johann Nepomuk of Austria1805 - 1809
  12. Amalie Theresa of Austria1807 - 1807
Spouse and Children
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  1. Maria II of Portugal1819 - 1853
  2. Miguel of Beira1820 - 1820
  3. João Carlos of Beira1821 - 1822
  4. Januária Maria _____, Princess Imperial of Brazil1822 - 1901
  5. Paula of Brazil1823 - 1833
  6. Infanta Francisca of Brazil1824 - 1898
  7. Pedro II of Brazil1825 - 1891
Add another spouse & children
Facts and Events
Name Maria Leopoldina of Austria
Gender Female
Birth[1] 22 Jan 1797
Marriage to Pedro I of Brazil
Death[1] 11 Dec 1826
Reference Number? Q84239?


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Maria Leopoldina of Austria (22 January 1797 – 11 December 1826) was the first Empress of Brazil as the wife of Emperor Dom Pedro I from 12 October 1822 until her death. She was also Queen of Portugal during her husband's brief reign as King Dom Pedro IV from 10 March to 2 May 1826.

She was born in Vienna, Austria, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Among her many siblings were Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The education Maria Leopoldina had received in childhood and adolescence was eclectic and broad, with a higher cultural level and more consistent political training. Such education of the little princes and princesses of the Habsburg family was based on the educational belief initiated by their grandfather Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, who believed "that children should be inspired from an early age to have high qualities, such as humanity, compassion and the desire to make people happy". With a deep Christian faith and a solid scientific and cultural background (which included international politics and notions of government) the Archduchess had been prepared from an early age to being a proper royal consort.

In the 21st century, it has been proposed by some historians that she was one of the main articulators of the process of Independence of Brazil that took place in 1822. Her biographer, historian Paulo Rezzutti, maintains that it was largely thanks to her that Brazil became a nation. According to him, the wife of Dom Pedro "embraced Brazil as her country, Brazilians as her people and Independence as her cause". She was also adviser to Dom Pedro on important political decisions that reflected the future of the nation, such as the Dia do Fico and the subsequent opposition and disobedience to the Portuguese courts regarding the couple's return to Portugal. Consequently, for governing the country on Dom Pedro's trips through the Brazilian provinces, she is considered the first woman to become head of state in an independent American country.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Maria Leopoldina of Austria. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maria Leopoldina of Austria, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
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