Empress Leopoldina of Austria

Maria Leopoldina of Austria was an archduchess of Austria, Empress consort of Brazil and Queen consort of Portugal.

She was born in Vienna, Austria on the 22nd of January 1797. She was one of twelve imperial children. Among her many siblings were Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was raised in accordance with the educational principles laid down by her grandfather, Emperor Leopold II. Among these was the habit of exercising her handwriting by writing the following text:

“Do not oppress the poor. Be charitable. Do not complain about what God has given you, but improve your habits. We must strive earnestly to be good.”

In addition, she and her sisters were taught how to speak French and Latin. They were also educated in drawing, piano, riding and hunting. Her mother died when she was ten years old and her father went on to remarry. Her passions included natural sciences, especially botany and mineralogy. She was formed according to the three Habsburg principles: discipline, piety and a sense of duty.

On September 24, 1816, Leopoldina was announced by her father that Pedro of Bragança wished to take a Habsburg princess as his wife. On 13 May 1817 Leopoldina was married to Dom Pedro by proxy in Vienna. After an adventure-filled voyage lasting 81 days, Leopoldina arrived in Rio de Janeiro on 5 November and finally met her husband. From a distance Pedro initially appeared to Leopoldina to be a perfect, well-educated gentleman, but the reality was very different. Dom Pedro was a year younger than Leopoldina and sadly rarely measured up to the descriptions given by the matchmakers. His temperament was impulsive and choleric, and his education but modest. Even spoken communication between the young married couple proved difficult, as Pedro spoke very little French and his Portuguese could only be described as vulgar.

Pedro of Braganza was principally interested in horse racing and love affairs, but in 1817 (the year of his marriage to Leopoldina) he was living as if in wedlock with French dancer Noemie Thierry, who was finally removed from the court by his father a month after Leopoldina's arrival in Rio de Janeiro.

The young married couple took up residence in six relatively small rooms in the Quinta Boa Vista in São Cristóvão.

When Pedro’s father died in 1826, Pedro inherited the Portuguese throne as King Pedro IV, while remaining Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. Maria Leopoldina became Empress consort of Brazil and played an important role in the process of issuing a Declaration of Independence. She also became Queen consort of Portugal although Pedro was forced to give up the Portuguese throne to their seven-year-old daughter Maria a couple of months after attaining it.

Maria Leopoldina and Pedro had seven children before she died on the 11th of December 1826 following a miscarriage.