Queen Maria II of Portugal, Portugal’s Educator and Good Mother

Maria II, Queen of Portugal. Images from Wikimedia Commons

Maria da Glória Joana Carlota Leopoldina da Cruz Francisca Xavier de Paula Isidora Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzagaon  was born on April4, 1819 at the Palace of São Cristóvão in Rio de Janeiro, Kingdom of Brazil, the daughter of Prince Pedro de Alcântara, the future Pedro IV of Portugal and Pedro I of Brazil, and his first wife, Dona Maria Leopoldina of Austria.

Prior to King João VI’s death in March of 1826, he nominated his favorite daughter, Isabel Maria, to serve as regent until "the legitimate heir returned to the kingdom", however failed to specify whether it was the absolutist Miguel, who was exiled to Vienna after leading numerous revolutions against his father’s liberal regime, or the liberal-minded Pedro (Maria’s father), who proclaimed Brazil’s independence in 1822 and subsequently became its emperor. Though most people considered Pedro as the legitimate heir, the Brazilians were against the reunification of Portugal and Brazil, thus he renounced his rights to the throne in favor of his then seven-year-old daughter Maria and ordered that she was to marry her uncle Miguel, who, in turn, would accept the liberal constitution and act as regent until his niece reached the legal age.

However, while on her way to Vienna to pursue her education, Miguel deposed Maria and declared himself king on June 23, 1828. Knowing it would be dangerous for the young queen to go to Vienna, where Miguel was exiled, Marquis of Barbacena steered away from the original direction and instead departed for London. Though Maria was received in court with the honors befitting her status, she failed to get the support of the British government, which instead supported Miguel.

On April 7, 1831, Pedro I abdicated the imperial crown of Brazil in favor of his son, Pedro II, to join Maria in her fight for the Portuguese throne. On May 26, 1834, Miguel was forced to abdicate and Maria was reinstated. Several months later, her betrothal to Miguel was annulled.

The 15-year-old Maria married Auguste, Duke of Leuchtenberg on January 26, 1835. Unfortunately, her husband passed away two months later. More than a year later, on April 9, 1836, she married Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. They had 11 children all together.

Maria experienced prolonged and extremely difficult labor since her first pregnancy. When she turned 25, her pregnancies became even more burdensome due to her obesity, which also caused her heart problems. She labored for 32 hours during her third pregnancy; the baby, named Maria, was baptized in articulo mortis. Due to fetal distress, her eighth baby, Infante Augusto, Duke of Coimbra, was born "quite purple and with little breathing". All in all, her 11 pregnancies resulted to seven babies who survived childhood, two infants who died within hours of birth, and two babies who were stillborn.

Following a succession of difficult gestations, the doctors warned her of the risks she might face in her future pregnancies. Queen Maria, however, met the advice with utter indifference and told them: "If I die, I die at my post."

After giving birth to her 11th child, a stillborn son named Eugenio, Queen Maria died at the Palace of Necessidades in Lisbon, Portugal on November 15, 1853. She was 34 years old. She was laid to rest at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.

An enlightened monarch, Maria da Gloria supported policies aimed at raising the levels of education throughout the country, an act which earned her the moniker “ a educadura.” She also advocated for a public health act to help curb the spread of cholera in Portugal.

Hailed for her kindness and benevolence as a sovereign, she was later given the title "a Boa Mãe" or “The Good Mother”.