The Princess Isabel she is one of the royal family figures that most generate debates, due to the controversies surrounding her name. Seen as the redeemer by some and criticized by others, for not having acted more energetically against slavery in Brazil, Princess Isabel was responsible for signing the laws of the Womb Free and Aurea , in 1871 and 1888, respectively.
See also: Learn about the entire process of abolition of slavery in Brazil
Biography
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Childhood and education
Princess Isabel was born in Rio de Janeiro, on July 29, 1846, and was the daughter of D. Pedro II and his wife, Teresa Cristina. Princess Isabel's birth name was Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Bragança e Bourbon and she was the Emperor's second daughter.
Even though she was the second daughter of D. Pedro II, Princess Isabel ended up being named heiress presumptive from Brazil. This happened because the emperor's two sons, Afonso Pedro and Pedro Afonso, died in infancy and this forced the emperor to name her heir to the throne of Brazil. The title “presumptive heir” was given in case there was no better choice of heir to the throne.
As the daughter of the Emperor and heir to the throne, Princess Isabel's education was impeccable and extremely strict. In her early teens, for example, Princess Isabel used to study 15 hours a day and took classes on a variety of subjects such as physics, geology, philosophy, astronomy, botany, piano, etc. In history, the princess studied the history of Portugal, Brazil, France, England, in addition to studying Roman, American and Catholic history.
Princess Isabel's childhood was at Paço do São Cristóvão , palace in which, today, the remains of the Museum National, which was hit by a fire in 2018. Princess Isabel's childhood was marked by isolation, without many public appearances and without frequenting the places most visited by the aristocracy and the court.
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Marriage
At the age of 14, the princess took the oath to the Constitution and publicly declared herself a Catholic. At that age, the emperor began quests to find a husband to marry the princess. When she turned 18, Princess Isabel married Luís Filipe Maria Fernando Gastão, the Count d’Eu .
Arranged marriages was a common practice in the 19th century, especially among royal families, but historians report that records made by the princess show that she was indeed in love with the Count d'Eu when married and that feeling remained throughout his life. The princess's marriage to the Count resulted in four children named Luísa Vitória, Pedro, Luís and Antônio.
The Count d'Eu was not very well regarded in the Brazilian court, primarily because he was French, and, according to other reports, he was accused of being a rude person, due to the difficulty of speaking Portuguese and for his deafness.
Nevertheless, the Conde d'Eu was eventually sent to the Paraguayan War on the orders of the Emperor. The Count was sent to replace Duque de Caxias in command of the troops and ended up being fundamental, as he found and killed Solano López , dictator of Paraguay. The Count also ended up freeing all slaves in Paraguay in 1870.
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Policy
As mentioned, Princess Isabel was the heir to the throne of Brazil and because of that, she received a great education. But even so, the princess never had much interest in Brazilian politics. She became a senator at the age of 25 for being the eldest daughter of the Emperor, but still, she preferred to devote herself to domestic and religious life, as historians report.
As the heir to the throne, she had to take charge of Brazil on some occasions because of the emperor's travels, which became increasingly frequent as he aged and his health became more fragile. Princess Isabel became regent of Brazil in:
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In 1871, when it was her first regency and it ended up ratifying the approval of the Free Womb Law.
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In 1876 and 1877, when it was her second regency and in her she had to deal with a conflict that took place between Catholics and Freemasons.
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In 1888, when she was her third and last regency and signed the Lei Áurea, confirming the abolition of slavery in Brazil.
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Role in abolition
This is the most controversial point in Princess Isabel's life. Historically, Princess Isabel was regarded as a great national personality for being a great humanist who ensured the end of slave labor in Brazil. This image has been re-examined by historians who are putting limits on this impression and re-evaluating the real role of the princess in abolition.
The first point to mention is that the abolition of slave labor was not the result of the princess kindness , but it was the result of the struggle of the abolitionist movement, the slaves and a portion of Brazilian society during the 1880s. The princess' merit lies in the fact that she signed a document that her father would probably never have had the courage to do, time he remained extremely neutral on this issue throughout his life.
Historian Mary del Priore, for example, reports that she housed slaves in her home only once and that she presented her position on the issue only when abolition seemed inevitable. Mary del Priore still brings a criticism of Rui Barbosa to the princess, saying that her change of attitude and her support for the abolitionist cause was not generosity, but politics|1| .
In any case, the princess was sometimes seen carrying camellias – a symbol of the abolitionist cause in that decade – and there are some writings of her in which there is her positioning for the end of slave labor, in addition to of having had a serious disagreement with the Baron of Cotegipe, president of the Council of Ministers of Brazil and a staunch slaveholder.
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Escape from Brazil
Princess Isabel was forced to flee Brazil when the royal family was expelled from the country, as a result of the Proclamation of the Republic that took place on November 15, 1889. With the expulsion, Princess Isabel left for France, her husband's homeland. The Proclamation of the Republic happened because of the loss of support that the Brazilian monarchy suffered, starting in the 1870s.
In the late 1880s, there was still the fact that Princess Isabel was not the most popular figure in the elites that supported the monarchy. All this, mainly, out of sheer prejudice due to the fact that the heir to the throne is a woman. Another issue also involved prejudice against the Conde d'Eu, because he was a foreigner.
The loss of popularity of the monarchy happened, mainly among the military, a group that conspired and organized the coup against the monarchy, on November 15, 1889.
Death of Princess Isabel
Princess Isabel passed away on November 14, 1921, when she was 75 years old. At the time of her death, the princess was still in exile in France and, therefore, never returned to Brazil after 1889. The expulsion of the royal family had been revoked in 1920, but for health reasons, Princess Isabel had remained in France. . The remains of Princess Isabel are buried in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro.
Summary
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she was born in Rio de Janeiro, in 1846, and lived her childhood in Paço do São Cristóvão.
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The princess studied subjects such as Physics, Geology, Philosophy, History, in addition to studying drawing and piano.
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she was named “presumptive heir” due to the fact that the emperor's firstborn had died and there was no better option than the princess.
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At the age of 14, she performed the swearing-in of the Constitution and publicly declared herself Catholic.
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At the age of 18, she married the Count d’Eu with whom she had four children.
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she was regent of Brazil on three occasions, being responsible for signing the Lei do Ventre Livre and Lei Áurea.
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With the proclamation of the Republic, she fled Brazil and never returned, dying in exile in 1921.
|1| PRIORE, Mary del. Paper Castle:a story of Isabel de Bragança, imperial princess of Brazil and Gastão de Orléans, Count d’Eu. Rio de Janeiro, Rocco, 2013.
*Image Credits:Georgios Kollidas and Shutterstock