Emperor Of Brazil I Pedro ^2,3

  General Notes:

[Europe_New.FTW] [royalfam.ged] Soon after the birth of his grandson, Joao VI finally returned to Portugal. Along with him we nt most members of the Braganza family, Pedro remained in Brazil to act as regent for his fat her. Initially Joao VI was appalled at Pedro's desire to remain in Brazil, but after his so n refused to back away from his decision, the king agreed to Pedro and Leopoldina remaining b ehind. Dom Miguel, the king's second son, did not question returning to Portugal for he neve r really adapted to life in Brazil. Besides it is quite possible that Miguel already foresa w his future as monarch of Portugal while his brother remained ruler of Brazil. Leopoldina' s life in Brazil was to be fraught with anxieties over her future, that of her children and t he decreasing attention paid her by her husband. Her first disappointment was the untimely de ath of little Prince Joao in 1822. The arrival of a second daughter one month after Joao's de ath did not improve much the parents' spirits. For Pedro an heir was a necessity since the he ir presumptive to Portugal and Brazil was his increasingly troublesome brother Dom Miguel . A third daughter, Paula Mariana, was born in 1823. In late 1822, Prince Regent Pedro of Bra ganza decided to stage a coup d"etat to emancipate Brazil from the Portuguese crown. Joao V I himself had recommended this course of action as a means of guaranteeing the Brazilian crow n would remain under the Braganzas. During the royal family's long stay in Brazil the colon y had learned how to rule itself without Lisbon"s guidance. Once Napoleon's regime was ousted , Lisbon faintly tried to restore its control over Brazilian affairs. This course of action w as deeply resented by the Brazilians who were deeply resentful of Portuguese involvement in t he country"s internal affairs. Thus to guarantee that Brazil would not be completely lost, Pr ince Regent Pedro gave his support to the independence movement that sealed the colony"s brea k from Lisbon. At the age of twenty-four, the Prince Regent became Emperor Pedro I of Brazil . In the meantime, Pedro I continued to neglect his Austrian consort. It seemed that the onl y reason why he spent any time with her was in an effort to produce the long-awaited heir. Th e couple's fourth daughter, Francisca Carolina, was born in 1824. Pedro"s impatience with Leo poldina knew no bounds and he continued to spend more time away from her and in the arms of h is mistresses. Leopoldina's life in Brazil had turned into a living inferno, far away from he r family, ignored by her husband, the young Brazilian empress slowly fell into deep depressio n. In Vienna, Emperor Franz I openly referred to his Brazilian son-in-law as a scoundrel. Non etheless, Pedro and Leopoldina continued their efforts to produce an heir. The arrival of Pri nce Pedro de Alcantara of Braganza in late 1825, was Leopoldina's crowning satisfaction. Exha usted by constant childbearing since her arrival in Brazil, Empress Leopoldina died practical ly ignored by her husband one year after the birth of the couple's only surviving son.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Record Change, 23 Aug 2003. ^2,3

I married Amalie Auguste Eugenie Napoleone Leuchtenberg, daughter of Duke Of Leuchtenberg Eugene Rose and Princess Bavaria Auguste Amalie Ludovika Georgia, on 17 Oct 1829 in Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil ².^,3 (Amalie Auguste Eugenie Napoleone Leuchtenberg was born on 31 Jul 1812 in Milano, Milano, Lombardia, Italy ^2,3 and died on 26 Jan 1873 in Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal ^2,3.)

I next married Arch Duchess Austria Leopoldine Marie Josepha, daughter of Emperor Holy Roman Empire Franzi Joseph Karl II and Empress of Holy Roman Empire Marie Teresa Caroline, on 6 Nov 1817 in Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil ².^,3 (Arch Duchess Austria Leopoldine Marie Josepha was born on 22 Jan 1797 in Wien, Austria ^2,3 and died on 11 Dec 1826 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil ^2,3.)