Teresa, Princess of Beira

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Portuguese Royalty
House of Braganza

John IV
Children include
   Teodósio, Prince of Brazil
   Joana, Princess of Beira
   Infanta Catarina, Queen of England
   Afonso, Prince of Brazil (future Afonso VI)
   Infante Pedro, Duke of Beja (future Peter II)
Afonso VI
Peter II
Children include
   Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira
   João, Prince of Brazil (future John V)
   Infante Francisco, Duke of Beja
   Infante António
   Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém
   Infanta Francisca
   Luísa, Duchess of Cadaval (natural daughter)
   José, Archbishop of Braga (natural son)
John V
Children include
   Infanta Bárbara, Queen of Spain
   José, Prince of Brazil and Duke of Braganza (future Joseph I)
   Pedro, Prince of Brazil and Duke of Braganza (future Peter III)
Joseph I
Children include
   Maria Francisca, Princess of Brazil (future Maria I)
   Infanta Mariana Francisca
   Infanta Doroteia
    Benedita, Dowager Princess of Brazil
Maria I and Peter III
Children include
   José, Prince of Brazil
   João, Prince Royal and Duke of Braganza (future John VI)
   Infanta Mariana Vitória
John VI
Children include
   Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira
   Infanta Maria Isabel, Queen of Spain
   Infante Pedro, Prince Royal and Duke of Braganza (future Pedro IV of Portugal and I of Brazil)
   Infanta Maria Francisca
   Infanta Isabel Maria
   Infante Miguel, Duke of Braganza (future Miguel I)
   Infanta Maria da Assunção
   Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Marchioness of Loulé
Pedro IV (I of Brazil)
Children include
   Infanta Maria da Glória, Duchess of Porto (future Maria II)
   Januária, Princess Imperial of Brazil
   Princess Francisca, Princess de Joinville
   Prince Pedro (Pedro II of Brazil)
Michael I
Children include
   Infanta Maria das Neves, Duchess of San Jaime
   Miguel II, Duke of Braganza
   Infanta Teresa, Archduchess of Austria
   Infanta Maria José, Duchess in Bavaria
   Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarães, Countess di Bardi
   Infanta Maria Ana, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
   Infanta Maria Antónia, Duchess of Parma
Grandchildren include
   Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza
Great-Grandchildren include
   Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
   Infante Miguel, Duke of Viseu
   Infante Henrique, Duke of Coimbra
Great-Great-Grandchildren include
   Afonso, Prince of Beira
   Infanta Maria Francisca
   Infante Dinis, Duke of Porto
Maria II and Ferdinand II
Children include
   Pedro, Duke of Braganza (future Pedro V)
   Infante Luís, Duke of Porto (future Luís I)
   Infante João, Duke of Beja
   Infanta Maria Ana, Princess of Saxony
   Infanta Antónia, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
   Infante Augusto, Duke of Coimbra
Grandchildren include
   Carlos, Duke of Braganza (future Carlos I)
Great-grandchildren include
   Luís Filipe, Duke of Braganza
   Infante Manuel, Duke of Beja (future Manuel II)

Infanta Maria Teresa of Portugal (or of Braganza; pron. IPA[mɐ'ɾiɐ tɨ'ɾezɐ] or ['tɾezɐ]; English: Mary Theresa; full name: Maria Teresa Francisca de Assis Antónia Carlota Joana Josefa Xavier de Paula Micaela Rafaela Isabel Gonzaga of Braganza; Ajuda, Lisbon, April 29, 1793Trieste, January 17, 1874) was a Portuguese princess and heir to the throne of Portugal between 1793 and 1795, until her younger brother António Pio was born.

She was granted the title Princess of Beira (given to the heir of the heir-apparent to the throne). Maria Teresa was the eldest daughter of King John VI of Portugal, then the heir-apparent of the reigning queen Maria I of Portugal, and his wife Carlota Joaquina (daughter of Charles IV of Spain).

She was married on May 13, 1810 in Rio de Janeiro (where the royal family was exiled because of the Napoleonic wars) to her cousin Infante Pedro Carlos, Prince of Spain and Portugal. She was widowed on May 26, 1812, but soon after gave birth to her only child, a posthumous son Infante Sebastian of Portugal and Spain (1813-75).

Very conservative, she was an ally of her younger brother Miguel I of Portugal in her attempts to obtain the throne of Portugal (civil war 1826-34), and of her brother-in-law and uncle Infante don Carlos, Count of Molina in his attempts to obtain the Spanish throne. In the last years of the reign of her uncle Ferdinand VII of Spain (died 1833), Teresa lived in Madrid and plotted to strengthen Don Carlos' position in succession. She participated the First Carlist War (1833-39), being a leading supporter of Carlism, church and reactionary interests. Her sister Francisca, Titular Queen of Spain, wife of Carlos, died in 1834.

On 15 January 1837, the Cortes of Spain legislated her excluded from the Spanish succession, rights belonging to her in descent from her mother, on grounds of her being rebel along with don Carlos. Her son Sebastian's rights were similarly excluded, but he was later, in 1859, restored in Spain. Also don Carlos' sons, and Teresa's brother Miguel I of Portugal were excluded at the same law.

Next year, she married again, in 1838, to her (brother-in-law and uncle,) longtime ally Infante Carlos of Spain (1788-1855), whom she viewed the rightful king of Spain; the widower of her sister Maria Francisca. The second marriage remained childless, but she took care of her stepsons, who were her nephews anyway.

They soon exited from Spain, because of unsuccess in the civil war, and never returned. She died in Trieste on 17 January 1874, having survived her second husband by 19 years.


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