Amélie von Leuchtenberg

Amélia de Leuchtenberg, whose French baptismal name was Amélie Auguste Eugénie Napoléone de Beauharnais, was born in Milan on July 31, 1812, and died in Lisbon on January 26, 1873. She belonged to the House of Beauharnais and became Brazil’s second empress through her marriage to Pedro I. She held this position from 1829 until her husband’s abdication in 1831. Her life was closely connected with the Napoleonic legacy, the European ruling houses, and the political upheavals in Brazil and Portugal. Amélia was the fourth of seven children of Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, and the Bavarian princess Augusta. Eugène was the son of Joséphine and her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais. After Joséphine’s second marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte, Eugène was adopted by Napoleon and appointed viceroy of Italy. Amélia’s mother was a daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Her siblings included Joséphine, the future queen of Sweden, and Auguste de Beauharnais, prince consort of Maria II of Portugal. Napoleon III was her first cousin. After Napoleon’s fall in 1814, Eugène settled in Munich as Duke of Leuchtenberg. Following his death, however, the family’s future became uncertain. Although they were noble, their connection to Napoleon made it more difficult for them to be recognized at the European courts. When the possibility arose of Amélia marrying the Brazilian emperor Pedro I, her mother saw it as an opportunity to secure the rank and future of the House of Leuchtenberg. After the death of his first wife, the Austrian archduchess Maria Leopoldina, Pedro I began seeking a new consort. The search proved difficult. The emperor wanted a woman of good birth, beauty, virtue, and education. He also had a poor reputation in Europe because of his well-known relationship with the Marchioness of Santos. A potential bride would additionally have had to accept five stepchildren. After several refusals, Amélia was proposed as a suitable candidate. She was considered exceptionally beautiful, educated, and well mannered. Her origins were not regarded as entirely impeccable everywhere because of the family’s Napoleonic connections, but this was seen as her only significant disadvantage. The marriage contract was signed in England in May 1829 and ratified in Munich in June. The wedding took place by proxy on August 2, 1829, in the chapel of the Leuchtenberg Palace in Munich. Amélia was seventeen years old at the time, while Pedro was thirty. She declined a lavish celebration and instead donated the money intended for it to a Munich orphanage. Before her departure, her mother carefully prepared her for her new responsibilities. Amélia received instruction about Brazil, the Portuguese language, court customs, and the character of her future husband. Amélia arrived in Rio de Janeiro on October 16, 1829. Among those aboard were the Marquis of Barbacena, her brother Auguste, and several of Pedro’s children from his first marriage. Shortly after her arrival, she met her stepchildren. The following day she was received with great public enthusiasm and married Pedro in the Imperial Chapel. Her appearance impressed both the court and the population. To mark the wedding, Pedro founded the Order of the Rose, whose motto was “Love and Fidelity.” Amélia soon gained influence over court life. At the Palace of São Cristóvão, she introduced French as the official court language, organized the ceremonial according to European models, and modernized clothing, cuisine, furnishings, and table service. Her elegance became known beyond Brazil. At the same time, she devoted herself to her husband’s children. She developed a particularly close relationship with the future emperor Pedro II. He soon called her “Mama,” and she remained connected with him throughout her life. They later exchanged approximately six hundred letters. She also dealt firmly with difficult family circumstances and supported measures that she believed would limit the influence of Pedro’s earlier, adventurous life at court. Despite her efforts, Amélia could not halt the political and economic crisis affecting the Brazilian Empire. On April 7, 1831, Pedro I abdicated in favor of his son, Pedro de Alcântara. Amélia left Brazil with her husband, who now held the title of Duke of Braganza. She was pregnant during the journey. In November 1831, she gave birth in Paris to her only daughter, Maria Amélia de Bragança. After Pedro’s military struggle against his brother Miguel I for the Portuguese throne, Amélia traveled to Portugal with her daughter and her stepdaughter. The family initially lived at the Palace of Ramalhão and later at the Royal Palace of Queluz. Pedro died of tuberculosis on September 24, 1834, after the prolonged fighting around Porto had weakened his health. Amélia did not remarry. She devoted herself to her daughter’s education and to charitable and religious activities. She also adopted Isabel Maria, Duchess of Goiás and another of Pedro’s daughters. Because Amélia and Maria Amélia were not initially regarded as members of the Portuguese royal family, she asked Brazil to recognize them and provide financial support. The regency then governing Brazil initially refused for political reasons. Only after Pedro II came of age were Amélia and her daughter recognized as members of the Brazilian imperial family, on July 5, 1841. After her engagement to Archduke Maximilian of Austria, Maria Amélia became ill with tuberculosis. In 1852, mother and daughter moved to Funchal on Madeira, but the young princess died there on February 4, 1853, at the age of twenty-two. Her death deeply devastated Amélia. She visited her daughter’s grave every year until her own death, financed a hospital in Funchal named after Maria Amélia, and bequeathed her Bavarian estates to the archduke. Amélia spent her final years in Lisbon and died there at the age of sixty from cardiovascular failure. She was initially buried in the Braganza Pantheon at the Church of São Vicente de Fora. In 1982, her remains were transferred to Brazil and placed in the Imperial Crypt of the Monument to the Independence of Brazil in São Paulo. A later examination found that her body had been mummified and that several organs had been preserved. Amélia suffered from severe spinal curvature and osteoporosis. Her memory has endured through her family connections, her correspondence, her charitable initiatives, and portrayals in novels, film, and television.