| Maria Leopoldina of Austria | |
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| Leopoldina at age 18, 1815 | |
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| Tenure | 12 October 1822 – 11 December 1826 |
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| Tenure | 26 March - 28 May 1826 |
| Spouse | Pedro I of Brazil |
| Issue | |
| Maria II of Portugal Pedro II of Brazil Princess Francisca of Brazil Januária Maria, Princess Imperial of Brazil |
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| Full name | |
| Maria Leopoldina Josefa Carolina | |
| House | House of Habsburg-Lorraine House of Braganza |
| Father | Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies |
| Born | 22 January 1797 Vienna |
| Died | 11 December 1826 (aged 29) Paço de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro |
| Burial | 1954 Museu Paulista, São Paulo |
Maria Leopoldina of Austria (Portuguese: Maria Leopoldina de Áustria; German: Maria Leopoldine von Österreich) (Maria Leopoldina Josefa Carolina;[1] 22 January 1797 – 11 December 1826) was an archduchess of Austria, Empress consort of Brazil and queen consort of Portugal.
She was born in Vienna, Austria, as the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, and his second wife, Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies. Among her many siblings were Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.
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In 1817 she sailed to Brazil to marry Pedro, crown prince of Portugal. The Portuguese royal family had been living there in exile for ten years as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. Leopoldina was highly cultured, fluent in six languages, and very interested in the natural sciences. In the years that followed she brought several researchers and biologists to her new homeland, starting with Johann Baptist von Spix, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, and Johann Natterer, who accompanied her in 1817.
When his father King John VI of Portugal, returned to Lisbon in 1821, Pedro chose to remain in Brazil with Leopoldina and their children. In 1822, Pedro headed Brazil's independence movement from Portugal, and he was crowned as the country's emperor.
Maria Leopoldina became Brazil's first empress consort. She also played an important role in the process of issuing a Declaration of Independence. On 2 September 1822, a new decree with demands from Lisbon arrived in Rio de Janeiro, while Prince Pedro was in São Paulo. Leopoldina, advised by José Bonifácio, and using her power as Princess Regent, met on 2 September 1822 with the Council of Ministers. She decided to send her husband the news along with a letter advising him to declare Brazil's independence and warned him, "The fruit is ready, it's time to harvest." Prince Pedro declared the country's independence upon receiving the letter on 7 September 1822.
When his father died on 10 March 1826, Pedro inherited the Portuguese throne as King Pedro IV, while remaining Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. Maria Leopoldina thus became both Empress consort of Brazil and Queen consort of Portugal. However, two months later, Pedro was forced to give up the Portuguese throne to their seven-year-old daughter Maria.
Leopolinda herself died in Rio de Janeiro in 1826, the same year as her father-in-law, at the end of a very eventful year for the House of Braganza.
Maria Leopoldina and Pedro had seven children before she died in 1826 following a miscarriage:
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Maria Leopoldina of Austria
Cadet branch of the House of Lorraine
Born: 22 January 1797 Died: 11 December 1826 |
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| Brazilian royalty | ||
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| New title |
Empress consort of Brazil 12 October 1822 – 11 December 1826 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Amélie of Leuchtenberg |
| Portuguese royalty | ||
| Preceded by Carlota Joaquina of Spain |
Queen consort of Portugal 26 March – 28 May 1826 |
Succeeded by Auguste de Beauharnais as Prince consort |
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