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Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil

Dona Isabel[a] (29 July 1846 – 14 November 1921), nicknamed "the Redemptress",[1] was the Princess Imperial (heir presumptive to the throne) of the Empire of Brazil and the Empire's regent on three occasions. Born in Rio de Janeiro as the eldest daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and Empress Teresa Cristina, she was a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza (Portuguese: Bragança). After the deaths of her two brothers in infancy, she was recognized as her father's heir presumptive. She married a French prince, Gaston, Count of Eu, in an arranged marriage and they had three sons.

Isabel
Portrait by Insley Pacheco, c. 1870
Head of the Imperial House of Brazil
Tenure5 December 1891 – 14 November 1921
PredecessorEmperor Pedro II
SuccessorPrince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza
Born(1846-07-29)29 July 1846
Palace of São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died14 November 1921(1921-11-14) (aged 75)
Château d'Eu, Eu, France
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1864)
Issue
Names
Portuguese: Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga
HouseBraganza
FatherPedro II of Brazil
MotherTeresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies
ReligionRoman Catholic
Signature

During her father's absences abroad, Isabel acted as regent. In her third and final regency, she actively promoted and ultimately signed a law, named Lei Áurea or the Golden Law, emancipating all slaves in Brazil. Even though the action was broadly popular, there was strong opposition to her succession to the throne. Her gender, strong Catholic faith and marriage to a foreigner were seen as impediments against her, and the emancipation of the slaves generated dislike among powerful planters. In 1889, her family was deposed in a military coup, and she spent the last 30 years of her life in exile in France.

Early life edit

Birth edit

 
Isabel around age 5, c. 1851. This is likely the first photograph ever taken of the princess.[2]

Isabel was born at 6:30 p.m. on 29 July 1846 in Rio de Janeiro's Paço de São Cristóvão (Palace of Saint Christopher).[3] She was the daughter of Brazil's Emperor Pedro II and his wife Teresa Cristina.[4] On 15 November the infant princess was baptized in an elaborate ceremony in Igreja da Glória (Church of Glory).[5][6] Her godparents, both represented by proxy, were her uncle, King Ferdinand II of Portugal, and her maternal grandmother María Isabella of Spain.[6][7][8] She was christened Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga. Her last four names were always bestowed upon the members of her family, and Isabel and Cristina honored Isabel's maternal grandmother and mother, respectively.[7]

She was a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza through her father, and from birth was referred to using the honorific Dona (English: Dame or Lady).[9][10] She was the granddaughter of Brazil's Emperor Pedro I (who also briefly reigned as Portugal's King Pedro IV), and the niece of Queen Maria II of Portugal (wife of Ferdinand II).[11] Through her mother, she was a granddaughter of Francis I and niece to Ferdinand II, both kings of the Two Sicilies in turn.[b]

At the time of her birth, she had an elder brother named Afonso who was heir apparent to the Brazilian throne.[12][13][14] Two other siblings followed: Leopoldina in 1847 and Pedro in 1848.[12][13][15] Afonso's death in 1847, at the age of 2+12, propelled Isabel to the position of Pedro II's heir presumptive.[13][16] She briefly lost the position with the birth of Prince Imperial Pedro. After his death in 1850, Isabel became the definitive heir as Princess Imperial, the title given to the first in the line of succession.[17][18] Isabel's early years were a time of peace and prosperity in Brazil. Her parents provided a happy and healthy upbringing. She and her sister "grew up in a stable, secure environment dramatically different from the one her father and aunts had known, and light years away from the childhood chaos of Pedro I."[19]

Heir to the throne edit

 
Isabel at age 12, 1858

The early death of both of his sons had an enormous impact on Pedro II. Aside from his personal grief, the loss of his sons affected his future conduct as monarch and would determine the fate of the Empire. In the Emperor's eyes, the deaths of his children seemed to portend an eventual end of the Imperial system. The future of the monarchy as an institution no longer concerned him, as he increasingly saw his position as being nothing more than that of Head of State for his lifetime.[20]

The Emperor's words revealed his inner conviction. After learning of the death of his son Pedro in 1850, he wrote: "This has been the most fatal blow that I could receive, and certainly I would not have survived were it not that I still have a wife and two children whom I must educate so that they can assure the happiness of the country in which they were born."[21][22][23] Seven years later, in 1857, when it was more than clear that no more children would be born, the Emperor wrote: "As to their education, I will only say that the character of both the princesses ought to be shaped as suits Ladies who, it may be, will have to direct the constitutional government of an Empire such as Brazil".[22][24]

Although the Emperor still had a legal successor in his beloved daughter Isabel, the male-dominated society of the time left him little hope that a woman could rule Brazil. He was fond and respectful of the women in his life, but he did not consider it feasible that Isabel could survive as monarch, given the political realities and climate.[25] To historian Roderick J. Barman, the Emperor "could not conceive of women, his daughters included, playing any part in governance. [...] In consequence, although he valued D. Isabel as his daughter, he simply could not accept or perceive her in cold reality as his successor or regard her as a viable ruler."[26] The main reason for this behavior was his attitude toward the female gender. "Pedro II believed, as did most men of his day", says Barman, "that a single woman could not manage life's problem on her own, even if she possessed the powers and authority of an empress."[26]

Upbringing edit

Education edit

 
Princesses Leopoldina (left) and Isabel (center) with an unidentified friend, c. 1860

Isabel began her education on 1 May 1854, when she was taught how to read and write by a male instructor, who was openly republican.[27][22][28] As the Portuguese (and later Brazilian) court tradition demanded, the heir of the throne was supposed to have an aio (supervisor, tutor or governess) in charge of his education once he achieved the age of seven.[29] After a long search, Pedro II chose the Brazilian-born Luísa Margarida Portugal de Barros, the Countess of Barral, daughter of a Brazilian noble and wife of a French noble.[24][30] Barral assumed her position on 9 September 1856, when Isabel was ten years old.[31][32][33] The 40-year-old Countess was a charming and vivacious woman who soon captured the heart of Isabel and became a kind of role model to the young princess.[34][35]

In Pedro II's own words, his daughters' education "should not differ from that given to men, combined with that suited the other sex, but in a manner that does not distract from the first."[24][22][36] He "provided his daughters with a broad, democratic and rigorous education, through both its curriculum and the teachers who taught it."[37] For over nine and a half hours per day and six days per week, Isabel and her sister were in class.[38] Subjects were broad and included Portuguese and French literature, astronomy, chemistry, the history of Portugal, England and France, drawing, piano, dancing, political economy, geography, geology, and the history of philosophy.[38][39] As an adult, beyond her native Portuguese, Isabel became fluent in French, English and German.[40]

Among her teachers were Barral, others who had taught her father as a child, and even Pedro II, who gave lessons in Latin, geometry, and astronomy.[41][42] The education provided to Isabel was lacking, however. All she assimilated were abstract ideas which did not teach her "how to integrate" them "with practical application".[43] Her tutors and parents did not prepare her to rule Brazil, nor to understand its political and social issues. A way of preparing her for a role as future Empress "would have been to give her from an early age personal experience of the tasks she would face and to relate it to what she learned in the classroom."[44] That did not happen. Pedro II "showed her no state papers. He did not discuss politics with her. He did not take her with him on his constant visits to government offices. He did not include her in the despacho, the weekly meetings with the cabinet members, nor did he allow her to attend the public audiences that took place twice a week."[45][46] She might have been officially heiress to the throne, "but by his treatment of her Pedro II deprived the honor of any meaning."[45]

Domestic life edit

 
Isabel around age 19, c. 1865 (photograph by Augusto Stahl)
 
Isabel (right) around age 29 with her parents and husband, c. 1875

Pedro II's behavior as a father was completely different as an emperor. A "man remarkable for his self-control, was at his most affectionate and most outgoing with children, above all his daughters."[47] His daughters, "whom I love deeply", as Pedro II wrote in his diary in 1861,[47] "both loved and admired him."[48] He "was a strict father who demanded obedience",[48] but who, at the same time, was very kind and concerned with his children.[47] However, Pedro II "found difficult if not impossible" to grant intimacy to not only Isabel, but "to any member of his family."[49]

During her upbringing Isabel "absorbed from her instructors conformity to traditional gender roles. She accepted women as dependent and obedient, and indeed her mother's and her governess's behavior did not justify anything else."[50] She "did not lack powers of observation and a certain shrewdness, but she was very accepting of existence as it was and certainly not given to pondering the justification of existence for the established order."[50] All this meant that Isabel would not attempt "a position in life autonomous of her father", even less rival him.[51]

That happened because the Princess Imperial was "at an essential disadvantage with her father. She had a strong personality but she could not turn it to account. As a child she did not share Pedro II's seriousness, his single mindedness, or his interest in the larger world. The coming of adolescence did not improve matters."[50] In fact, she lacked introspection and had a "tendency to take a cheerful view of life".[52] Also, Isabel "did not naturally possess much patience or notable powers of endurance. She moved from one interest to another as each in turn caught her fancy. She was not afraid to speak her mind, and she held strong views. However, when she encountered something she did not like, she found it difficult to focus and organize her resistance so as to make her view prevail. She tended to flare up and then to submit or to lose interest."[29] Isabel's mother, Teresa Cristina, "lived for her family and found fulfillment in making her spouse and her daughters happy."[47] She "created for her family a home life that was secure, safe and predictable."[53] Isabel and her sister "loved their gentle mother and worshipped their demanding but emotionally distant father."[33] From both parents, Isabel inherited a lack of racism.[37] Pedro II surrounded himself with men "regardless of their race."[54] Historian James McMurtry Longo said that as "her father's student, daughter, and heir Princess Isabel followed his example. Race never played a role in her social life, political relationships, alliances or disagreements." And concludes: "It may have been the most important lesson learned from him."[54]

The Imperial family lived in São Cristóvão palace but during the summer (from December to April) went to Pedro II's palace in Petrópolis (nowadays the Imperial Museum of Brazil).[55][56] Isabel lived an almost completely secluded life from the outside world, far away from the eyes of the Brazilians. She and her sisters had a few friends. Three of them would remain lifelong friends of Isabel: Maria Ribeiro de Avelar (whose mother was a childhood friend of Pedro II's sisters), Maria Amanda de Paranaguá (daughter of João Lustosa da Cunha Paranaguá, the 2nd Marquis of Paranaguá, a member of the Liberal Party and later Prime Minister) and Adelaide Taunay (daughter of Pedro II's former teacher Félix Émile Taunay and sister of Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay, Viscount of Taunay).[57] The sole male child who was part of Isabel's all female group was Dominique, the only son of the Countess of Barral, who was regarded by the Princess Imperial and her sister as "the younger brother they never had".[58]

Marriage edit

 
The wedding of Gaston of Orleans and Dona Isabel of Braganza at the Imperial Chapel

Isabel was short, had blue eyes, blond hair,[59] was a little overweight[60] and lacked eyebrows.[61] Her father sought a match among the royal house of France, and initially Pierre, Duke of Penthièvre, the son of the Prince of Joinville, was considered.[62] His mother was Isabel's aunt Princess Francisca of Brazil. Pierre, however, was not interested and declined.[63] Instead, Joinville suggested his nephews, Gaston, Count of Eu, and Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as suitable choices for the imperial princesses.[63] The two young men travelled to Brazil in August 1864 so that the prospective brides and grooms could meet before a final agreement to the marriage. Isabel and Leopoldina were not informed until Gaston and August were mid-Atlantic.[64] Arriving in early September, Gaston described the princesses as "ugly", but thought Isabel less so than her sister. For her part, Isabel in her own words "began to feel a great and tender love" for Gaston.[65] Gaston and Isabel, and August and Leopoldina, were engaged on 18 September.[66]

On 15 October, Gaston and Isabel were married at the Imperial Chapel in Rio by the archbishop of Bahia.[67] Although Gaston encouraged his wife to read broadly, and the Emperor took her on tours of government offices, her outlook remained one of narrow domesticity. She led a life typical of aristocratic women of her generation.[68] For the first six months of 1865, she and her husband toured Europe.[69] As Brazil had broken off diplomatic relations with Britain, and her French relations had been deposed in France, they travelled as private citizens and met Queen Victoria as relatives not as official state guests.[70] On their return to Brazil, Gaston was called to the battle front of the Paraguayan War by the Emperor, leaving Isabel lonely at Rio.[71] After the conclusion of the war in 1870, Gaston and Isabel again toured Europe. In early 1871, they were in Vienna, where her sister Leopoldina fell fatally ill and died, leaving Isabel the sole surviving child of her parents.[72]

Regent edit

First regency edit

 
The oath of the Princess Imperial as regent of the Empire of Brazil, c. 1870

Gaston and Isabel returned to Brazil on 1 May 1871, just three weeks before the Emperor and Empress embarked on their own tour of Europe. Isabel was appointed regent with full powers to govern Brazil in the Emperor's absence, though prime minister José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco, and Gaston were expected to hold the reins of power in reality.[73] Following the abolition of slavery in the United States, Pedro II was committed to a gradual program of liberation.[74] On 27 September 1871, with the Emperor still abroad, Isabel signed a new anti-slavery act, passed by the Chamber of Deputies. The Law of Free Birth, as it was called, freed all children born of slaves after that date.[75] On Pedro II's return to Brazil in March 1872, Isabel was once again excluded from government, and resumed private life.[76]

Throughout the first years of her marriage, Isabel was eager to have children, but her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage in October 1872.[77] Worried about her apparent inability to conceive, during a visit to Europe in 1873 she consulted a specialist doctor, and visited the shrine at Lourdes.[78] By December 1873, she was pregnant. Despite Isabel's pleas to remain in Europe until after the birth, the Emperor insisted she returned to Brazil so that the child, who might inherit the throne, would not be born abroad.[79] They arrived at Rio in June 1874. After a labor of 50 hours in late July, the baby died in the womb.[80] Her Catholic faith provided some solace, but her association with ultramontanism, which emphasized the authority of the Church over the government, drew criticism from those who thought the Church should defer to temporal authorities.[81]

Isabel remained concerned throughout her third pregnancy, in 1875, fearful that it would again end in failure.[82] A doctor and midwife from France were brought over for the birth, to the dismay of local physicians whose pride was wounded by Isabel's use of foreign practitioners.[83] After a labor of 13 hours, a boy, baptized Pedro de Alcântara after his grandfather, was delivered with the aid of forceps.[83] Possibly as the result of the difficult delivery, Pedro was born with a disabled left arm.[84]

Second regency edit

 
Princess Isabel with her father Emperor Pedro II, c. 1870

The Emperor embarked on a major tour of North America, Europe and the Middle East in March 1876, and Isabel was again made regent.[85] Elections later in the year returned the incumbent government (led by the Duke of Caxias) but fraud and violence during the campaign damaged both its and Isabel's reputations.[86] Her popularity also suffered as a result of continued tension between the Church and State.[87] Adding to her stress, she miscarried on 11 September 1876, and was weakened by loss of blood.[88] At the same time, her husband was also ill with bronchitis, as a result of which he was virtually bed-ridden for three weeks.[89] The couple decided to withdraw from public life, as Gaston explained, "When the princess is no longer seen every day in the streets of Rio, she is forgotten for a while and there is less temptation to denounce each of her acts and decisions to a discontented public."[90] Their seclusion, however, left them isolated and unable to influence public opinion.[91] Throughout the middle of 1877, during a serious drought in northeastern Brazil that threatened public order, Isabel largely remained at home resting because she was again going through a difficult pregnancy.[92]

On Pedro II's return to Brazil in late September 1877, he avoided speaking to Isabel, and distanced himself from the government's actions during the regency by declaring that throughout his entire journey he had not sent "a single telegram on the country's affairs" to any minister or Isabel.[93] Isabel retired to her estate at Petrópolis where she gave birth to a second son, Luiz, in late January 1878.[94] Three months later, Gaston, Isabel and their two sons left Brazil for an extended stay in Europe, where Pedro was to receive medical treatment for his arm.[95] Throughout their stay of three and a half years, Isabel avoided politics and showed no interest in current affairs.[96] Pedro's treatment proved futile, and the couple made plans to return after the birth (with the assistance of forceps) of their final child and third son, Antônio, in August 1881.[97] Isabel and her family returned to Brazil in December 1881.[98]

Abolitionism and Golden Law edit

 
Open mass on 17 May 1888 commemorating the abolition of slavery. Isabel and her husband can be seen under a canopy to the left. The monarchy was never so popular, but at the same time never so frail.

From November 1884 to March 1885, Isabel toured southern Brazil with her husband, and in January 1887, they left Brazil for a six-month visit to Europe. Their trip was cut short, however, as Pedro II fell ill in March, and they returned in early June. The Emperor was advised to seek medical help in Europe, as a result of which he left Brazil on 30 June, leaving Isabel as regent.[99]

Abolitionism in Brazil was growing in strength, but the government of Conservative João Maurício Wanderley, Baron of Cotegipe, attempted to slow the pace of reform.[100] Isabel, in her own words, "became ever more convinced that some action had to be taken" to expand the emancipation program and pressured Cotegipe unsuccessfully to free more slaves.[101] After the Rio Police's mishandling of a pro-abolition demonstration in early 1888, Isabel acted and appointed Conservative João Alfredo Correia de Oliveira in Cotegipe's place.[102]

Oliveira's government supported unconditional abolition and swiftly introduced legislation. On 13 May 1888, Isabel signed the Golden Law (A Lei Áurea), as it was known, which enabled the complete cessation of slavery.[103] Isabel was popularly acclaimed as "the Redemptress" (A Redentora),[104] and was given a Golden Rose by Pope Leo XIII for her actions.[105]

Exile edit

Republican coup d'état edit

 
1877 portrait of the Princess Imperial and the Count of Eu with their son Pedro, Prince of Grão-Pará, by Karl Ernst Papf

In August 1888, to Isabel's relief, Pedro II returned from Europe and her regency ended.[106] Gaston wrote:

The avidity and the enthusiasm of the public for the Emperor have been very great, more even more marked, it appears to me, than on previous arrivals. But it is a totally personal homage; because, as I think I have already written, the republican creed has made since his departure last year enormous advances that impress everybody; and, notwithstanding the economic prosperity during the present year, never, for the past 40 years, has the situation of the Brazilian monarchy appeared more shaky than today.[107]

With the Emperor ill and Isabel withdrawn from public life, no effort was made to capitalize on the public popularity engendered by the end of slavery.[108] They had lost the support of slave-owning plantation owners, who held great political, economic and social power.[109][110] Isabel was uninterested in politics and did not cultivate politicians or public support. Her religious zeal was distrusted,[105] and it was widely assumed that if she became Empress Gaston would hold power, but Gaston was isolated because of his increasing deafness, and was unpopular because of his foreign birth.[111] Her position was further weakened by the intrigues of her nephew Prince Pedro Augusto of Saxe-Coburg, who was maneuvering to be recognized as Pedro II's heir.[112] Pedro Augusto was told bluntly by his younger brother, "the succession does not belong to her [Isabel], nor to the maimed [Isabel's eldest son Pedro], nor to the deaf [Gaston], nor to you either."[112]

On 15 November 1889, Pedro II was deposed in a military coup.[113][114][115] He dismissed all suggestions for quelling the rebellion that politicians and military leaders put forward,[116][117] and simply commented: "If it is so, it will be my retirement. I have worked too hard and I am tired. I will go rest then."[118] Within two days, he and his family were on their way to exile in Europe.[119]

Isabel released a public statement that read:

It is with my heart riven with sorrow that I take leave of my friends, of all Brazilians, and of the country that I have loved and love so much, and to the happiness of which I have striven to contribute and for which I will continue to hold the most ardent hopes.[120]

Later years edit

 
Isabel and the Count of Eu with their son Prince Luís, his wife and children, 1913

The imperial family arrived at Lisbon on 7 December 1889.[121] Three weeks later, Isabel's mother died at Porto, while Isabel and her family were in southern Spain.[122] Back in Portugal, Isabel fainted at her mother's lying in state.[123] Further bad news came from Brazil, as the new government abolished the imperial family's allowances, their only substantial source of income, and declared the family banished.[123] On the back of a large loan from a Portuguese businessman, the imperial family moved into the Hotel Beau Séjour at Cannes.[124]

In early 1890, Isabel and Gaston moved into a private villa, which was far cheaper than the hotel, but their father refused to accompany them and remained at the Beau Séjour. Gaston's father provided them with a monthly allowance.[125] By September, they had taken a villa near Versailles and their sons were enrolled in Parisian schools.[126] Isabel's father died in December 1891, and his property in Brazil was sold with much of the proceeds used to pay off his debts in Europe.[127] Isabel and Gaston purchased a villa in Boulogne-sur-Seine, where they lived an essentially quiet life.[128] Attempts by Brazilian monarchists to restore the crown were unsuccessful, and Isabel lent them only half-hearted support. She thought military action unwise and unwelcome, and correctly assumed that it was unlikely to succeed.[129]

Gaston's father died in 1896, and Gaston's inheritance gave him and Isabel financial security.[130] Their three sons enrolled at a military school in Vienna, and Isabel continued her charitable work associated with the Catholic Church.[130] In 1905, Gaston purchased the château d'Eu in Normandy, the former home of King Louis Philippe I, and the couple furnished it with items received from Brazil in the early 1890s.[131]

By 1908, Isabel's eldest son Pedro wanted to marry an Austro-Hungarian aristocrat Countess Elisabeth Dobrženský of Dobrženitz, but Gaston and Isabel withheld consent because Elisabeth was not a princess. Their consent was only forthcoming when their second son, Luiz, who had travelled to Brazil but had been forbidden to land by the authorities, married Princess Maria di Grazia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Pedro renounced his claim to the Brazilian throne in favor of his brother.[132] Luiz and his youngest brother Antônio both served in the British army during World War I (as members of the French royal family they were forbidden to serve in the French military).[133] Luiz was invalided from active service in 1915, and Antônio died from wounds sustained in an air crash shortly after the armistice.[134] Isabel wrote to Gaston that she "went out of [her] mind" with grief "but the Good Lord restored it."[135] Just three months later, Luiz died after a long illness. Isabel's own health was deteriorating, and by 1921 she was barely able to walk. She was too ill to travel to Brazil when the republican government lifted the family's banishment in 1920. Gaston and Pedro revisited Brazil in early 1921, for the reburial of Isabel's parents in Petrópolis Cathedral.[136] Isabel died before the end of the year, and was buried in her husband's family tomb at Dreux's chapel royal. Gaston died the following year.[137] In 1953, the remains of Gaston and Isabel were repatriated to Brazil, and in 1971 they were interred in the Cathedral of Petrópolis.[137]

Legacy edit

 
Tomb of Princess Isabel (far left) at the Imperial Mausoleum, within the Cathedral of Petrópolis, Brazil

Historian Roderick J. Barman wrote that "in the view of posterity, [Isabel] acted decisively only once on a single issue: the immediate abolition of slavery".[138] It is for this achievement that she is remembered. As explained by Barman, paradoxically this "principal exercise of power by which posterity alone remembers her ... contributed to her exclusion from public life". Isabel herself wrote, on the day after the republican coup d'état that deposed her father, "If abolition is the cause for this, I don't regret it; I consider it worth losing the throne for."[139]

Titles and honors edit

Styles of
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
 
Reference styleHer Imperial Highness
Spoken styleYour Imperial Highness

Titles and styles edit

  • 29 July 1846 – 11 June 1847: Her Highness The Princess Dona Isabel of Brazil
  • 11 June 1847 – 19 July 1848: Her Imperial Highness The Princess Imperial
  • 19 July 1848 – 9 January 1850: Her Highness The Princess Dona Isabel of Brazil
  • 9 January 1850 – 14 November 1921: Her Imperial Highness The Princess Imperial
    • 15 October 1864 – 14 November 1921: signed her private letters as "Isabel, Condessa d'Eu"
    • 1871–72, 1876–77, 1887–88: Her Imperial Highness The Princess Imperial Regent

The Princess's full style and title was "Her Imperial Highness Senhora Dona Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil."[140]

Honors edit

Princess Isabel was a recipient of the following Brazilian orders:

She was a recipient of the following foreign honors:

Genealogy edit

Ancestry edit

Issue edit

Isabel's marriage with Gaston produced three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, who was named after her father, as the firstborn son of the heiress presumptive, was given the title of Prince of Grão Pará. Isabel's children were:

Notes edit

  1. ^ Princess Isabel's name is almost always rendered in its Portuguese version by English-speaking historians; however, her name has been translated into English—albeit rarely—as both Elizabeth (Monk 1971, p. 22) and Isabella (Edwards 2008, p. 267).
  2. ^ Francis I and Ferdinand II were Teresa Cristina's father and brother (Calmon 1975, p. 210).

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ Barman 2002, p. 1.
  2. ^ Barman 2002, p. 26.
  3. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 19, 21, 22.
  4. ^ Barman 2002, p. 21.
  5. ^ Barman 2002, p. 22.
  6. ^ a b Longo 2008, p. 84.
  7. ^ a b Barman 2002, p. 23.
  8. ^ Calmon 1975, p. 309.
  9. ^ Barman 1999, p. 424.
  10. ^ Barman 2002, p. 10.
  11. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 14, 23.
  12. ^ a b Barman 2002, p. 24.
  13. ^ a b c Longo 2008, p. 87.
  14. ^ Calmon 1975, p. 274.
  15. ^ Calmon 1975, pp. 317–318.
  16. ^ Calmon 1975, p. 318.
  17. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 25, 27, 237.
  18. ^ Longo 2008, pp. 87, 88.
  19. ^ Longo 2008, p. 88.
  20. ^ Barman 1999, p. 130.
  21. ^ Barman 2002, p. 25.
  22. ^ a b c d Longo 2008, p. 89.
  23. ^ Calmon 1975, p. 555.
  24. ^ a b c Barman 2002, p. 36.
  25. ^ Barman 1999, pp. 129–130.
  26. ^ a b Barman 2002, p. 50.
  27. ^ Barman 2002, p. 33.
  28. ^ Calmon 1975, pp. 555–556.
  29. ^ a b Barman 2002, p. 35.
  30. ^ Calmon 1975, pp. 558–559.
  31. ^ Barman 2002, p. 38.
  32. ^ Calmon 1975, p. 563.
  33. ^ a b Longo 2008, p. 90.
  34. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 42, 70.
  35. ^ Longo 2008, pp. 90–91.
  36. ^ Calmon 1975, p. 567.
  37. ^ a b Longo 2008, p. 92.
  38. ^ a b Barman 2002, p. 42.
  39. ^ Longo 2008, p. 91.
  40. ^ Barman 2002, p. 242.
  41. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 42–44.
  42. ^ Calmon 1975, pp. 567–568.
  43. ^ Barman 2002, p. 240.
  44. ^ Barman 2002, p. 45.
  45. ^ a b Barman 2002, p. 49.
  46. ^ Carvalho 2007, p. 87.
  47. ^ a b c d Barman 2002, p. 30.
  48. ^ a b Barman 1999, p. 145.
  49. ^ Barman 1999, p. 204.
  50. ^ a b c Barman 1999, p. 151.
  51. ^ Barman 1999, pp. 150–151.
  52. ^ Barman 2002, p. 34.
  53. ^ Longo 2008, p. 94.
  54. ^ a b Longo 2008, p. 93.
  55. ^ Barman 2002, p. 27.
  56. ^ Longo 2008, pp. 94–95.
  57. ^ Barman 2002, p. 32.
  58. ^ Barman 2002, p. 41.
  59. ^ Barman 2002, p. 228.
  60. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 41, 78.
  61. ^ Barman 2002, p. 62.
  62. ^ Barman 2002, p. 56.
  63. ^ a b Barman 2002, p. 57.
  64. ^ Barman 2002, p. 58.
  65. ^ Barman 2002, p. 59.
  66. ^ Barman 2002, p. 61.
  67. ^ Barman 2002, p. 63.
  68. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 67–70.
  69. ^ Barman 2002, p. 70.
  70. ^ Barman 2002, p. 75.
  71. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 76–82.
  72. ^ Barman 2002, p. 110.
  73. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 112–113.
  74. ^ Barman 2002, p. 111.
  75. ^ Barman 2002, p. 117.
  76. ^ Barman 2002, p. 119.
  77. ^ Barman 2002, pp. 123–124.
  78. ^ Barman 2002, p. 127.
  79. ^ Barman 2002, p. 129.
  80. ^ Barman 2002, p. 130.
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References edit

  • Barman, Roderick J. (1999). Citizen Emperor: Pedro II and the Making of Brazil, 1825–1891. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3510-0.
  • Barman, Roderick J. (2002). Princess Isabel of Brazil: gender and power in the nineteenth century. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources. ISBN 978-0-8420-2846-2.
  • Calmon, Pedro (1975). História de D. Pedro II (in Portuguese). Vol. 1–5. Rio de Janeiro: J. Olympio.
  • Carvalho, José Murilo de (2007). D. Pedro II: ser ou não ser (in Portuguese). São Paulo: Companhia das Letras. ISBN 978-85-359-0969-2.
  • Edwards, Todd L. (2008). Brazil: a global studies handbook. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-995-5.
  • Gonzalez, Cristobal, ed. (1868). "Real Orden de Damas Nobles de la Reina Maria Luisa". Guía de Forasteros. Madrid, España: Cristobal Gonzalez. p. 183. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  • Longo, James McMurtry (2008). Isabel Orleans-Bragança: The Brazilian Princess Who Freed the Slaves. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-3201-1.
  • Monk, Abraham (1971). Black and white race relations in Brazil. Buffalo, New York: State University of New York at Buffalo.
  • Rodrigues, José Carlos (1863). Constituição política do Império do Brasil (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Typographia Universal de Laemmert.
  • Sauer, Arthur (1889). Almanak Administrativo, Mercantil e Industrial (Almanaque Laemmert) (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Laemmert & C.

External links edit

  • D. Isabel I the Redemptress Cultural Institute
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
Cadet branch of the House of Aviz
Born: 29 July 1846 Died: 14 November 1921
Brazilian royalty
Preceded by Princess Imperial of Brazil
11 June 1847 – 19 July 1848
Succeeded by
Preceded by Princess Imperial of Brazil
9 January 1850 – 15 November 1889
Monarchy abolished
Titles in pretence
Republic declared Princess Imperial of Brazil
15 November 1889 – 5 December 1891
Succeeded by
Preceded by — TITULAR —
Empress of Brazil
5 December 1891 – 14 November 1921
Reason for succession failure:
Empire abolished in 1889
Succeeded by

isabel, princess, imperial, brazil, dona, isabel, july, 1846, november, 1921, nicknamed, redemptress, princess, imperial, heir, presumptive, throne, empire, brazil, empire, regent, three, occasions, born, janeiro, eldest, daughter, emperor, pedro, brazil, empr. Dona Isabel a 29 July 1846 14 November 1921 nicknamed the Redemptress 1 was the Princess Imperial heir presumptive to the throne of the Empire of Brazil and the Empire s regent on three occasions Born in Rio de Janeiro as the eldest daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and Empress Teresa Cristina she was a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza Portuguese Braganca After the deaths of her two brothers in infancy she was recognized as her father s heir presumptive She married a French prince Gaston Count of Eu in an arranged marriage and they had three sons IsabelPrincess Imperial of BrazilCountess of EuPortrait by Insley Pacheco c 1870Head of the Imperial House of BrazilTenure5 December 1891 14 November 1921PredecessorEmperor Pedro IISuccessorPrince Pedro Henrique of Orleans BraganzaBorn 1846 07 29 29 July 1846Palace of Sao Cristovao Rio de Janeiro BrazilDied14 November 1921 1921 11 14 aged 75 Chateau d Eu Eu FranceBurialCathedral of Sao Pedro de Alcantara Petropolis BrazilSpousePrince Gaston Count of Eu m 1864 wbr IssuePedro de Alcantara Prince of Grao Para Prince Luis Prince AntonioNamesPortuguese Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela GonzagaHouseBraganzaFatherPedro II of BrazilMotherTeresa Cristina of the Two SiciliesReligionRoman CatholicSignatureDuring her father s absences abroad Isabel acted as regent In her third and final regency she actively promoted and ultimately signed a law named Lei Aurea or the Golden Law emancipating all slaves in Brazil Even though the action was broadly popular there was strong opposition to her succession to the throne Her gender strong Catholic faith and marriage to a foreigner were seen as impediments against her and the emancipation of the slaves generated dislike among powerful planters In 1889 her family was deposed in a military coup and she spent the last 30 years of her life in exile in France Contents 1 Early life 1 1 Birth 1 2 Heir to the throne 2 Upbringing 2 1 Education 2 2 Domestic life 2 3 Marriage 3 Regent 3 1 First regency 3 2 Second regency 4 Abolitionism and Golden Law 5 Exile 5 1 Republican coup d etat 5 2 Later years 6 Legacy 7 Titles and honors 7 1 Titles and styles 7 2 Honors 8 Genealogy 8 1 Ancestry 8 2 Issue 9 Notes 10 Footnotes 11 References 12 External linksEarly life editBirth edit nbsp Isabel around age 5 c 1851 This is likely the first photograph ever taken of the princess 2 Isabel was born at 6 30 p m on 29 July 1846 in Rio de Janeiro s Paco de Sao Cristovao Palace of Saint Christopher 3 She was the daughter of Brazil s Emperor Pedro II and his wife Teresa Cristina 4 On 15 November the infant princess was baptized in an elaborate ceremony in Igreja da Gloria Church of Glory 5 6 Her godparents both represented by proxy were her uncle King Ferdinand II of Portugal and her maternal grandmother Maria Isabella of Spain 6 7 8 She was christened Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga Her last four names were always bestowed upon the members of her family and Isabel and Cristina honored Isabel s maternal grandmother and mother respectively 7 She was a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza through her father and from birth was referred to using the honorific Dona English Dame or Lady 9 10 She was the granddaughter of Brazil s Emperor Pedro I who also briefly reigned as Portugal s King Pedro IV and the niece of Queen Maria II of Portugal wife of Ferdinand II 11 Through her mother she was a granddaughter of Francis I and niece to Ferdinand II both kings of the Two Sicilies in turn b At the time of her birth she had an elder brother named Afonso who was heir apparent to the Brazilian throne 12 13 14 Two other siblings followed Leopoldina in 1847 and Pedro in 1848 12 13 15 Afonso s death in 1847 at the age of 2 1 2 propelled Isabel to the position of Pedro II s heir presumptive 13 16 She briefly lost the position with the birth of Prince Imperial Pedro After his death in 1850 Isabel became the definitive heir as Princess Imperial the title given to the first in the line of succession 17 18 Isabel s early years were a time of peace and prosperity in Brazil Her parents provided a happy and healthy upbringing She and her sister grew up in a stable secure environment dramatically different from the one her father and aunts had known and light years away from the childhood chaos of Pedro I 19 Heir to the throne edit nbsp Isabel at age 12 1858The early death of both of his sons had an enormous impact on Pedro II Aside from his personal grief the loss of his sons affected his future conduct as monarch and would determine the fate of the Empire In the Emperor s eyes the deaths of his children seemed to portend an eventual end of the Imperial system The future of the monarchy as an institution no longer concerned him as he increasingly saw his position as being nothing more than that of Head of State for his lifetime 20 The Emperor s words revealed his inner conviction After learning of the death of his son Pedro in 1850 he wrote This has been the most fatal blow that I could receive and certainly I would not have survived were it not that I still have a wife and two children whom I must educate so that they can assure the happiness of the country in which they were born 21 22 23 Seven years later in 1857 when it was more than clear that no more children would be born the Emperor wrote As to their education I will only say that the character of both the princesses ought to be shaped as suits Ladies who it may be will have to direct the constitutional government of an Empire such as Brazil 22 24 Although the Emperor still had a legal successor in his beloved daughter Isabel the male dominated society of the time left him little hope that a woman could rule Brazil He was fond and respectful of the women in his life but he did not consider it feasible that Isabel could survive as monarch given the political realities and climate 25 To historian Roderick J Barman the Emperor could not conceive of women his daughters included playing any part in governance In consequence although he valued D Isabel as his daughter he simply could not accept or perceive her in cold reality as his successor or regard her as a viable ruler 26 The main reason for this behavior was his attitude toward the female gender Pedro II believed as did most men of his day says Barman that a single woman could not manage life s problem on her own even if she possessed the powers and authority of an empress 26 Upbringing editEducation edit nbsp Princesses Leopoldina left and Isabel center with an unidentified friend c 1860Isabel began her education on 1 May 1854 when she was taught how to read and write by a male instructor who was openly republican 27 22 28 As the Portuguese and later Brazilian court tradition demanded the heir of the throne was supposed to have an aio supervisor tutor or governess in charge of his education once he achieved the age of seven 29 After a long search Pedro II chose the Brazilian born Luisa Margarida Portugal de Barros the Countess of Barral daughter of a Brazilian noble and wife of a French noble 24 30 Barral assumed her position on 9 September 1856 when Isabel was ten years old 31 32 33 The 40 year old Countess was a charming and vivacious woman who soon captured the heart of Isabel and became a kind of role model to the young princess 34 35 In Pedro II s own words his daughters education should not differ from that given to men combined with that suited the other sex but in a manner that does not distract from the first 24 22 36 He provided his daughters with a broad democratic and rigorous education through both its curriculum and the teachers who taught it 37 For over nine and a half hours per day and six days per week Isabel and her sister were in class 38 Subjects were broad and included Portuguese and French literature astronomy chemistry the history of Portugal England and France drawing piano dancing political economy geography geology and the history of philosophy 38 39 As an adult beyond her native Portuguese Isabel became fluent in French English and German 40 Among her teachers were Barral others who had taught her father as a child and even Pedro II who gave lessons in Latin geometry and astronomy 41 42 The education provided to Isabel was lacking however All she assimilated were abstract ideas which did not teach her how to integrate them with practical application 43 Her tutors and parents did not prepare her to rule Brazil nor to understand its political and social issues A way of preparing her for a role as future Empress would have been to give her from an early age personal experience of the tasks she would face and to relate it to what she learned in the classroom 44 That did not happen Pedro II showed her no state papers He did not discuss politics with her He did not take her with him on his constant visits to government offices He did not include her in the despacho the weekly meetings with the cabinet members nor did he allow her to attend the public audiences that took place twice a week 45 46 She might have been officially heiress to the throne but by his treatment of her Pedro II deprived the honor of any meaning 45 Domestic life edit nbsp Isabel around age 19 c 1865 photograph by Augusto Stahl nbsp Isabel right around age 29 with her parents and husband c 1875 Pedro II s behavior as a father was completely different as an emperor A man remarkable for his self control was at his most affectionate and most outgoing with children above all his daughters 47 His daughters whom I love deeply as Pedro II wrote in his diary in 1861 47 both loved and admired him 48 He was a strict father who demanded obedience 48 but who at the same time was very kind and concerned with his children 47 However Pedro II found difficult if not impossible to grant intimacy to not only Isabel but to any member of his family 49 During her upbringing Isabel absorbed from her instructors conformity to traditional gender roles She accepted women as dependent and obedient and indeed her mother s and her governess s behavior did not justify anything else 50 She did not lack powers of observation and a certain shrewdness but she was very accepting of existence as it was and certainly not given to pondering the justification of existence for the established order 50 All this meant that Isabel would not attempt a position in life autonomous of her father even less rival him 51 That happened because the Princess Imperial was at an essential disadvantage with her father She had a strong personality but she could not turn it to account As a child she did not share Pedro II s seriousness his single mindedness or his interest in the larger world The coming of adolescence did not improve matters 50 In fact she lacked introspection and had a tendency to take a cheerful view of life 52 Also Isabel did not naturally possess much patience or notable powers of endurance She moved from one interest to another as each in turn caught her fancy She was not afraid to speak her mind and she held strong views However when she encountered something she did not like she found it difficult to focus and organize her resistance so as to make her view prevail She tended to flare up and then to submit or to lose interest 29 Isabel s mother Teresa Cristina lived for her family and found fulfillment in making her spouse and her daughters happy 47 She created for her family a home life that was secure safe and predictable 53 Isabel and her sister loved their gentle mother and worshipped their demanding but emotionally distant father 33 From both parents Isabel inherited a lack of racism 37 Pedro II surrounded himself with men regardless of their race 54 Historian James McMurtry Longo said that as her father s student daughter and heir Princess Isabel followed his example Race never played a role in her social life political relationships alliances or disagreements And concludes It may have been the most important lesson learned from him 54 The Imperial family lived in Sao Cristovao palace but during the summer from December to April went to Pedro II s palace in Petropolis nowadays the Imperial Museum of Brazil 55 56 Isabel lived an almost completely secluded life from the outside world far away from the eyes of the Brazilians She and her sisters had a few friends Three of them would remain lifelong friends of Isabel Maria Ribeiro de Avelar whose mother was a childhood friend of Pedro II s sisters Maria Amanda de Paranagua daughter of Joao Lustosa da Cunha Paranagua the 2nd Marquis of Paranagua a member of the Liberal Party and later Prime Minister and Adelaide Taunay daughter of Pedro II s former teacher Felix Emile Taunay and sister of Alfredo d Escragnolle Taunay Viscount of Taunay 57 The sole male child who was part of Isabel s all female group was Dominique the only son of the Countess of Barral who was regarded by the Princess Imperial and her sister as the younger brother they never had 58 Marriage edit Main article Wedding of Princess Isabel and Gaston Count of Eu nbsp The wedding of Gaston of Orleans and Dona Isabel of Braganza at the Imperial ChapelIsabel was short had blue eyes blond hair 59 was a little overweight 60 and lacked eyebrows 61 Her father sought a match among the royal house of France and initially Pierre Duke of Penthievre the son of the Prince of Joinville was considered 62 His mother was Isabel s aunt Princess Francisca of Brazil Pierre however was not interested and declined 63 Instead Joinville suggested his nephews Gaston Count of Eu and Prince Ludwig August of Saxe Coburg and Gotha as suitable choices for the imperial princesses 63 The two young men travelled to Brazil in August 1864 so that the prospective brides and grooms could meet before a final agreement to the marriage Isabel and Leopoldina were not informed until Gaston and August were mid Atlantic 64 Arriving in early September Gaston described the princesses as ugly but thought Isabel less so than her sister For her part Isabel in her own words began to feel a great and tender love for Gaston 65 Gaston and Isabel and August and Leopoldina were engaged on 18 September 66 On 15 October Gaston and Isabel were married at the Imperial Chapel in Rio by the archbishop of Bahia 67 Although Gaston encouraged his wife to read broadly and the Emperor took her on tours of government offices her outlook remained one of narrow domesticity She led a life typical of aristocratic women of her generation 68 For the first six months of 1865 she and her husband toured Europe 69 As Brazil had broken off diplomatic relations with Britain and her French relations had been deposed in France they travelled as private citizens and met Queen Victoria as relatives not as official state guests 70 On their return to Brazil Gaston was called to the battle front of the Paraguayan War by the Emperor leaving Isabel lonely at Rio 71 After the conclusion of the war in 1870 Gaston and Isabel again toured Europe In early 1871 they were in Vienna where her sister Leopoldina fell fatally ill and died leaving Isabel the sole surviving child of her parents 72 Regent editFirst regency edit nbsp The oath of the Princess Imperial as regent of the Empire of Brazil c 1870Gaston and Isabel returned to Brazil on 1 May 1871 just three weeks before the Emperor and Empress embarked on their own tour of Europe Isabel was appointed regent with full powers to govern Brazil in the Emperor s absence though prime minister Jose Paranhos Viscount of Rio Branco and Gaston were expected to hold the reins of power in reality 73 Following the abolition of slavery in the United States Pedro II was committed to a gradual program of liberation 74 On 27 September 1871 with the Emperor still abroad Isabel signed a new anti slavery act passed by the Chamber of Deputies The Law of Free Birth as it was called freed all children born of slaves after that date 75 On Pedro II s return to Brazil in March 1872 Isabel was once again excluded from government and resumed private life 76 Throughout the first years of her marriage Isabel was eager to have children but her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage in October 1872 77 Worried about her apparent inability to conceive during a visit to Europe in 1873 she consulted a specialist doctor and visited the shrine at Lourdes 78 By December 1873 she was pregnant Despite Isabel s pleas to remain in Europe until after the birth the Emperor insisted she returned to Brazil so that the child who might inherit the throne would not be born abroad 79 They arrived at Rio in June 1874 After a labor of 50 hours in late July the baby died in the womb 80 Her Catholic faith provided some solace but her association with ultramontanism which emphasized the authority of the Church over the government drew criticism from those who thought the Church should defer to temporal authorities 81 Isabel remained concerned throughout her third pregnancy in 1875 fearful that it would again end in failure 82 A doctor and midwife from France were brought over for the birth to the dismay of local physicians whose pride was wounded by Isabel s use of foreign practitioners 83 After a labor of 13 hours a boy baptized Pedro de Alcantara after his grandfather was delivered with the aid of forceps 83 Possibly as the result of the difficult delivery Pedro was born with a disabled left arm 84 Second regency edit nbsp Princess Isabel with her father Emperor Pedro II c 1870The Emperor embarked on a major tour of North America Europe and the Middle East in March 1876 and Isabel was again made regent 85 Elections later in the year returned the incumbent government led by the Duke of Caxias but fraud and violence during the campaign damaged both its and Isabel s reputations 86 Her popularity also suffered as a result of continued tension between the Church and State 87 Adding to her stress she miscarried on 11 September 1876 and was weakened by loss of blood 88 At the same time her husband was also ill with bronchitis as a result of which he was virtually bed ridden for three weeks 89 The couple decided to withdraw from public life as Gaston explained When the princess is no longer seen every day in the streets of Rio she is forgotten for a while and there is less temptation to denounce each of her acts and decisions to a discontented public 90 Their seclusion however left them isolated and unable to influence public opinion 91 Throughout the middle of 1877 during a serious drought in northeastern Brazil that threatened public order Isabel largely remained at home resting because she was again going through a difficult pregnancy 92 On Pedro II s return to Brazil in late September 1877 he avoided speaking to Isabel and distanced himself from the government s actions during the regency by declaring that throughout his entire journey he had not sent a single telegram on the country s affairs to any minister or Isabel 93 Isabel retired to her estate at Petropolis where she gave birth to a second son Luiz in late January 1878 94 Three months later Gaston Isabel and their two sons left Brazil for an extended stay in Europe where Pedro was to receive medical treatment for his arm 95 Throughout their stay of three and a half years Isabel avoided politics and showed no interest in current affairs 96 Pedro s treatment proved futile and the couple made plans to return after the birth with the assistance of forceps of their final child and third son Antonio in August 1881 97 Isabel and her family returned to Brazil in December 1881 98 Abolitionism and Golden Law edit nbsp Open mass on 17 May 1888 commemorating the abolition of slavery Isabel and her husband can be seen under a canopy to the left The monarchy was never so popular but at the same time never so frail From November 1884 to March 1885 Isabel toured southern Brazil with her husband and in January 1887 they left Brazil for a six month visit to Europe Their trip was cut short however as Pedro II fell ill in March and they returned in early June The Emperor was advised to seek medical help in Europe as a result of which he left Brazil on 30 June leaving Isabel as regent 99 Abolitionism in Brazil was growing in strength but the government of Conservative Joao Mauricio Wanderley Baron of Cotegipe attempted to slow the pace of reform 100 Isabel in her own words became ever more convinced that some action had to be taken to expand the emancipation program and pressured Cotegipe unsuccessfully to free more slaves 101 After the Rio Police s mishandling of a pro abolition demonstration in early 1888 Isabel acted and appointed Conservative Joao Alfredo Correia de Oliveira in Cotegipe s place 102 Oliveira s government supported unconditional abolition and swiftly introduced legislation On 13 May 1888 Isabel signed the Golden Law A Lei Aurea as it was known which enabled the complete cessation of slavery 103 Isabel was popularly acclaimed as the Redemptress A Redentora 104 and was given a Golden Rose by Pope Leo XIII for her actions 105 Exile editRepublican coup d etat edit nbsp 1877 portrait of the Princess Imperial and the Count of Eu with their son Pedro Prince of Grao Para by Karl Ernst PapfIn August 1888 to Isabel s relief Pedro II returned from Europe and her regency ended 106 Gaston wrote The avidity and the enthusiasm of the public for the Emperor have been very great more even more marked it appears to me than on previous arrivals But it is a totally personal homage because as I think I have already written the republican creed has made since his departure last year enormous advances that impress everybody and notwithstanding the economic prosperity during the present year never for the past 40 years has the situation of the Brazilian monarchy appeared more shaky than today 107 With the Emperor ill and Isabel withdrawn from public life no effort was made to capitalize on the public popularity engendered by the end of slavery 108 They had lost the support of slave owning plantation owners who held great political economic and social power 109 110 Isabel was uninterested in politics and did not cultivate politicians or public support Her religious zeal was distrusted 105 and it was widely assumed that if she became Empress Gaston would hold power but Gaston was isolated because of his increasing deafness and was unpopular because of his foreign birth 111 Her position was further weakened by the intrigues of her nephew Prince Pedro Augusto of Saxe Coburg who was maneuvering to be recognized as Pedro II s heir 112 Pedro Augusto was told bluntly by his younger brother the succession does not belong to her Isabel nor to the maimed Isabel s eldest son Pedro nor to the deaf Gaston nor to you either 112 On 15 November 1889 Pedro II was deposed in a military coup 113 114 115 He dismissed all suggestions for quelling the rebellion that politicians and military leaders put forward 116 117 and simply commented If it is so it will be my retirement I have worked too hard and I am tired I will go rest then 118 Within two days he and his family were on their way to exile in Europe 119 Isabel released a public statement that read It is with my heart riven with sorrow that I take leave of my friends of all Brazilians and of the country that I have loved and love so much and to the happiness of which I have striven to contribute and for which I will continue to hold the most ardent hopes 120 Later years edit nbsp Isabel and the Count of Eu with their son Prince Luis his wife and children 1913The imperial family arrived at Lisbon on 7 December 1889 121 Three weeks later Isabel s mother died at Porto while Isabel and her family were in southern Spain 122 Back in Portugal Isabel fainted at her mother s lying in state 123 Further bad news came from Brazil as the new government abolished the imperial family s allowances their only substantial source of income and declared the family banished 123 On the back of a large loan from a Portuguese businessman the imperial family moved into the Hotel Beau Sejour at Cannes 124 In early 1890 Isabel and Gaston moved into a private villa which was far cheaper than the hotel but their father refused to accompany them and remained at the Beau Sejour Gaston s father provided them with a monthly allowance 125 By September they had taken a villa near Versailles and their sons were enrolled in Parisian schools 126 Isabel s father died in December 1891 and his property in Brazil was sold with much of the proceeds used to pay off his debts in Europe 127 Isabel and Gaston purchased a villa in Boulogne sur Seine where they lived an essentially quiet life 128 Attempts by Brazilian monarchists to restore the crown were unsuccessful and Isabel lent them only half hearted support She thought military action unwise and unwelcome and correctly assumed that it was unlikely to succeed 129 Gaston s father died in 1896 and Gaston s inheritance gave him and Isabel financial security 130 Their three sons enrolled at a military school in Vienna and Isabel continued her charitable work associated with the Catholic Church 130 In 1905 Gaston purchased the chateau d Eu in Normandy the former home of King Louis Philippe I and the couple furnished it with items received from Brazil in the early 1890s 131 By 1908 Isabel s eldest son Pedro wanted to marry an Austro Hungarian aristocrat Countess Elisabeth Dobrzensky of Dobrzenitz but Gaston and Isabel withheld consent because Elisabeth was not a princess Their consent was only forthcoming when their second son Luiz who had travelled to Brazil but had been forbidden to land by the authorities married Princess Maria di Grazia of Bourbon Two Sicilies and Pedro renounced his claim to the Brazilian throne in favor of his brother 132 Luiz and his youngest brother Antonio both served in the British army during World War I as members of the French royal family they were forbidden to serve in the French military 133 Luiz was invalided from active service in 1915 and Antonio died from wounds sustained in an air crash shortly after the armistice 134 Isabel wrote to Gaston that she went out of her mind with grief but the Good Lord restored it 135 Just three months later Luiz died after a long illness Isabel s own health was deteriorating and by 1921 she was barely able to walk She was too ill to travel to Brazil when the republican government lifted the family s banishment in 1920 Gaston and Pedro revisited Brazil in early 1921 for the reburial of Isabel s parents in Petropolis Cathedral 136 Isabel died before the end of the year and was buried in her husband s family tomb at Dreux s chapel royal Gaston died the following year 137 In 1953 the remains of Gaston and Isabel were repatriated to Brazil and in 1971 they were interred in the Cathedral of Petropolis 137 Legacy edit nbsp Tomb of Princess Isabel far left at the Imperial Mausoleum within the Cathedral of Petropolis BrazilHistorian Roderick J Barman wrote that in the view of posterity Isabel acted decisively only once on a single issue the immediate abolition of slavery 138 It is for this achievement that she is remembered As explained by Barman paradoxically this principal exercise of power by which posterity alone remembers her contributed to her exclusion from public life Isabel herself wrote on the day after the republican coup d etat that deposed her father If abolition is the cause for this I don t regret it I consider it worth losing the throne for 139 Titles and honors editStyles of Isabel Princess Imperial of Brazil nbsp Reference styleHer Imperial HighnessSpoken styleYour Imperial HighnessTitles and styles edit 29 July 1846 11 June 1847 Her Highness The Princess Dona Isabel of Brazil 11 June 1847 19 July 1848 Her Imperial Highness The Princess Imperial 19 July 1848 9 January 1850 Her Highness The Princess Dona Isabel of Brazil 9 January 1850 14 November 1921 Her Imperial Highness The Princess Imperial 15 October 1864 14 November 1921 signed her private letters as Isabel Condessa d Eu 1871 72 1876 77 1887 88 Her Imperial Highness The Princess Imperial RegentThe Princess s full style and title was Her Imperial Highness Senhora Dona Isabel Princess Imperial of Brazil 140 Honors edit Princess Isabel was a recipient of the following Brazilian orders Grand Cross of the Order of Christ 141 Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz 141 Grand Cross of the Order of Saint James of the Sword 141 Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross 141 Grand Cross of the Order of Pedro I 141 Grand Cross of the Order of the Rose 141 She was a recipient of the following foreign honors Band of the Spanish Order of Queen Maria Luisa 2 January 1855 142 143 Band of the Portuguese Order of Saint Isabel 142 Insignia of the Austrian Order of the Starry Cross 142 Grand Cross of the Mexican Imperial Order of Saint Charles 10 April 1865 144 145 Genealogy editAncestry edit Ancestors of Isabel Princess Imperial of Brazil 146 8 John VI of Portugal and Brazil4 Pedro I of Brazil and IV of Portugal9 Carlota Joaquina of Spain2 Pedro II of Brazil10 Francis II Holy Roman Emperor5 Maria Leopoldina of Austria11 Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily1 Isabel Princess Imperial of Brazil12 Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies6 Francis I of the Two Sicilies13 Maria Carolina of Austria3 Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies14 Charles IV of Spain7 Maria Isabella of Spain15 Maria Luisa of Parma Issue edit Isabel s marriage with Gaston produced three sons and one daughter The eldest son who was named after her father as the firstborn son of the heiress presumptive was given the title of Prince of Grao Para Isabel s children were Dona Luisa Vitoria de Orleans e Braganca 1874 1874 stillborn Dom Pedro de Alcantara de Orleans e Braganca 1875 1940 Dom Luiz de Orleans e Braganca 1878 1920 Dom Antonio de Orleans e Braganca 1881 1918 Notes edit Princess Isabel s name is almost always rendered in its Portuguese version by English speaking historians however her name has been translated into English albeit rarely as both Elizabeth Monk 1971 p 22 and Isabella Edwards 2008 p 267 Francis I and Ferdinand II were Teresa Cristina s father and brother Calmon 1975 p 210 Footnotes edit Barman 2002 p 1 Barman 2002 p 26 Barman 2002 pp 19 21 22 Barman 2002 p 21 Barman 2002 p 22 a b Longo 2008 p 84 a b Barman 2002 p 23 Calmon 1975 p 309 Barman 1999 p 424 Barman 2002 p 10 Barman 2002 pp 14 23 a b Barman 2002 p 24 a b c Longo 2008 p 87 Calmon 1975 p 274 Calmon 1975 pp 317 318 Calmon 1975 p 318 Barman 2002 pp 25 27 237 Longo 2008 pp 87 88 Longo 2008 p 88 Barman 1999 p 130 Barman 2002 p 25 a b c d Longo 2008 p 89 Calmon 1975 p 555 a b c Barman 2002 p 36 Barman 1999 pp 129 130 a b Barman 2002 p 50 Barman 2002 p 33 Calmon 1975 pp 555 556 a b Barman 2002 p 35 Calmon 1975 pp 558 559 Barman 2002 p 38 Calmon 1975 p 563 a b Longo 2008 p 90 Barman 2002 pp 42 70 Longo 2008 pp 90 91 Calmon 1975 p 567 a b Longo 2008 p 92 a b Barman 2002 p 42 Longo 2008 p 91 Barman 2002 p 242 Barman 2002 pp 42 44 Calmon 1975 pp 567 568 Barman 2002 p 240 Barman 2002 p 45 a b Barman 2002 p 49 Carvalho 2007 p 87 a b c d Barman 2002 p 30 a b Barman 1999 p 145 Barman 1999 p 204 a b c Barman 1999 p 151 Barman 1999 pp 150 151 Barman 2002 p 34 Longo 2008 p 94 a b Longo 2008 p 93 Barman 2002 p 27 Longo 2008 pp 94 95 Barman 2002 p 32 Barman 2002 p 41 Barman 2002 p 228 Barman 2002 pp 41 78 Barman 2002 p 62 Barman 2002 p 56 a b Barman 2002 p 57 Barman 2002 p 58 Barman 2002 p 59 Barman 2002 p 61 Barman 2002 p 63 Barman 2002 pp 67 70 Barman 2002 p 70 Barman 2002 p 75 Barman 2002 pp 76 82 Barman 2002 p 110 Barman 2002 pp 112 113 Barman 2002 p 111 Barman 2002 p 117 Barman 2002 p 119 Barman 2002 pp 123 124 Barman 2002 p 127 Barman 2002 p 129 Barman 2002 p 130 Barman 2002 pp 132 135 245 Barman 2002 pp 136 138 a b Barman 2002 pp 138 139 Barman 2002 p 139 Barman 2002 p 140 Barman 2002 pp 143 144 Barman 2002 pp 144 145 Barman 2002 pp 145 Barman 2002 pp 145 146 Barman 2002 pp 146 Barman 2002 pp 146 147 Barman 2002 pp 148 152 Barman 2002 p 152 Barman 2002 p 153 Barman 2002 p 155 Barman 2002 pp 155 156 Barman 2002 pp 157 158 Barman 2002 p 160 Barman 2002 pp 171 176 Barman 2002 pp 175 178 Barman 2002 p 179 Barman 2002 p 181 Barman 2002 p 182 Barman 2002 p 188 a b Barman 2002 p 190 Barman 2002 pp 184 185 Barman 2002 p 185 Barman 2002 pp 186 188 189 Carvalho 2007 p 190 Barman 2002 pp 348 349 Barman 2002 p 191 a b Barman 2002 p 187 Carvalho 2007 p 219 Calmon 1975 p 1611 Barman 2002 pp 196 197 Carvalho 2007 p 217 Calmon 1975 pp 1603 1604 Carvalho 2007 p 218 Barman 2002 pp 197 198 Barman 2002 p 198 Barman 2002 p 204 Barman 2002 p 205 a b Barman 2002 p 206 Barman 2002 pp 206 207 Barman 2002 p 208 Barman 2002 p 210 Barman 2002 p 216 Barman 2002 pp 216 220 Barman 2002 pp 217 218 a b Barman 2002 p 220 Barman 2002 p 223 Barman 2002 pp 223 227 Barman 2002 p 229 Barman 2002 p 230 Barman 2002 p 231 Barman 2002 p 232 a b Barman 2002 p 234 Barman 2002 p 238 Barman 2002 p 249 Rodrigues 1863 p 71 a b c d e f Sauer 1889 p 102 a b c Sauer 1889 p 42 Gonzalez 1868 p 183 Calmon 1975 p 627 Soberanas y princesas condecoradas con la Gran Cruz de San Carlos el 10 de Abril de 1865 PDF Diario del Imperio in Spanish National Digital Newspaper Library of Mexico 347 retrieved 14 November 2020 Barman 1999 p 8 References editBarman Roderick J 1999 Citizen Emperor Pedro II and the Making of Brazil 1825 1891 Stanford California Stanford University Press ISBN 978 0 8047 3510 0 Barman Roderick J 2002 Princess Isabel of Brazil gender and power in the nineteenth century Wilmington Scholarly Resources ISBN 978 0 8420 2846 2 Calmon Pedro 1975 Historia de D Pedro II in Portuguese Vol 1 5 Rio de Janeiro J Olympio Carvalho Jose Murilo de 2007 D Pedro II ser ou nao ser in Portuguese Sao Paulo Companhia das Letras ISBN 978 85 359 0969 2 Edwards Todd L 2008 Brazil a global studies handbook Santa Barbara California ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1 85109 995 5 Gonzalez Cristobal ed 1868 Real Orden de Damas Nobles de la Reina Maria Luisa Guia de Forasteros Madrid Espana Cristobal Gonzalez p 183 Retrieved 10 December 2019 Longo James McMurtry 2008 Isabel Orleans Braganca The Brazilian Princess Who Freed the Slaves Jefferson North Carolina McFarland amp Company ISBN 978 0 7864 3201 1 Monk Abraham 1971 Black and white race relations in Brazil Buffalo New York State University of New York at Buffalo Rodrigues Jose Carlos 1863 Constituicao politica do Imperio do Brasil in Portuguese Rio de Janeiro Typographia Universal de Laemmert Sauer Arthur 1889 Almanak Administrativo Mercantil e Industrial Almanaque Laemmert in Portuguese Rio de Janeiro Laemmert amp C External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Isabel Princess Imperial of Brazil D Isabel I the Redemptress Cultural InstituteIsabel Princess Imperial of BrazilHouse of BraganzaCadet branch of the House of AvizBorn 29 July 1846 Died 14 November 1921Brazilian royaltyPreceded byPrince Afonso Princess Imperial of Brazil11 June 1847 19 July 1848 Succeeded byPrince PedroPreceded byPrince Pedro Princess Imperial of Brazil9 January 1850 15 November 1889 Monarchy abolishedTitles in pretenceRepublic declared Princess Imperial of Brazil15 November 1889 5 December 1891 Succeeded byPrince Pedro de AlcantaraPreceded byPedro II TITULAR Empress of Brazil5 December 1891 14 November 1921Reason for succession failure Empire abolished in 1889 Succeeded byPrince Pedro Henrique Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Isabel Princess Imperial of Brazil amp oldid 1215971027, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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