Maria Isabel of Braganza

Queen of Spain from 1816 to 1818

Maria Isabel of Braganza

Bernardo López y Piquer, depicting Maria Isabel in front of Prado (1829)

Queen consort of Spain
Tenure| 29 September 1816 – 26 December 1818

Born| 19 May 1797
Palace of Queluz, Portugal
Died| 26 December 1818(1818-12-26) (aged 21)
Royal Palace of Aranjuez, Aranjuez, Spain
Burial|

El Escorial

Spouse|

Ferdinand VII of Spain

(m. 1816)​

Issue
Detail| Infanta María Luisa Isabel
Infanta María Luisa Isabel
| Names

Maria Isabel Francisca de Assis Antónia Carlota Joana Josefa Xavier de Paula Micaela Rafaela Isabel Gonzaga de Bragança
House| Braganza
Father| John VI of Portugal
Mother| Carlota Joaquina of Spain

Maria Isabel of Braganza (Maria Isabel Francisca de Assis Antónia Carlota Joana Josefa Xavier de Paula Micaela Rafaela Isabel Gonzaga; 19 May 1797 – 26 December 1818) was a Portuguese infanta who became Queen of Spain as the second wife of King Ferdinand VII.

## Early years[edit]

Maria Isabel, born Maria Isabel Francisca de Assis Antónia Carlota Joana Josefa Xavier de Paula Micaela Rafaela Isabel Gonzaga, was born to John VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina of Spain on 19 May 1797. She was born as their third child and second daughter. The marriage between her father and mother was unhappy, Carlota Joaquina attempting to have King John VI deemed insane.[citation needed]

In 1807 Napoleon invaded Portugal, and the royal family unwillingly fled to Brazil. Maria Isabel's mother Carlota sent her eldest surviving son, Pedro, to join his father and grandmother on board the ship Principe Real whilst Carlota and the rest of her children would board the Affonso d'Albuquerque.[citation needed]

Upon their arrival, Carlota and her children were forced to shave their heads and wear white muslin hats.[citation needed]

### Upbringing[edit]

Maria Isabel and her siblings were carefully educated by her mother liberally. Maria Isabel was noted to be kind, balanced and shy, and was much like her father within her personality.

## Marriage[edit]

Portrait of Maria Isabel by Vicente López Portaña, attributed to Bernardo López y Pique (1829)

On 20 March 1816, Queen Maria I of Portugal perished. Due to this, Maria Isabel's father John became the King of Portugal and Brazil. On 22 February 1816 marriage contracts between Ferdinand VII of Spain and Maria Isabel were officially signed; they would soon marry 29 September 1816.[1] Ferdinand was 32 years old and Maria Isabel was 19.

Towards the end 1816 Maria Isabel and Ferdinand were married, and then settled in Madrid. There, Maria Isabel was then quickly pregnant. Maria Isabel gave birth to a daughter, who they named María Luisa Isabel, on 21 August 1817. María Luisa Isabel died four-five months later.[citation needed]

## Death[edit]

Maria Isabel was pregnant soon after the birth of María Luisa Isabel, but the birth was indeed a difficult one:[citation needed] the baby was in breech and the physicians soon found that the child had died.[citation needed] Maria Isabel stopped breathing soon thereafter and the doctors thought she was dead.

Maria Isabel's sister protested against the doctors' thoughts on presuming her dead.[citation needed] The king, however, ordered a fatal caesarean.[citation needed] When they started cutting her stomach to extract the dead fetus, she suddenly shouted in pain and collapsed on her bed, bleeding heavily. She died soon afterwards on 26 December 1818 in the Palace of Aranjuez, and was buried at the Escorial — the royal site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.[2]

## Legacy[edit]

Queen Maria Isabel's dedication and affection for art led her to gather many treasures from the past and create a royal museum, which would end up being the beginnings of Museo del Prado. It opened on 19 November 1819, a year after the queen's death.[3]

## Issue[edit]

Children of Queen Maria Isabel of Portugal  Name | Lifespan | Notes

|
|

María Luisa Isabel
Infanta María Luisa Isabel | 21 August 1817 –
9 January 1818  | Died in infancy, four months after birth.
María Luisa Isabel
Infanta María Luisa Isabel | 26 December 1818  | Stillborn. Given the same name as her elder sister.[citation needed]

## Ancestors[edit]

Ancestors of Maria Isabel of Braganza

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\. João V of Portugal

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. Pedro III of Portugal|

|  |  |
| 9\. Maria Anna of Austria

| 2\. João VI of Portugal and Brazil|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. José I of Portugal

| 5\. Maria I of Portugal and Brazil|

|  |  |
| 11\. Mariana Victoria of Spain

| 1\. Maria Isabel of Portugal|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 12\. Charles III of Spain

| 6\. Charles IV of Spain|

|  |  |
| 13\. Maria Amalia of Saxony

| 3\. Carlota Joaquina of Spain|

|  |  |  |  |
| 14\. Philip, Duke of Parma

| 7\. Maria Luisa of Parma|

|  |  |
| 15\. Louise Élisabeth of France

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## Honours and arms[edit]

Coat of arms of Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain

* Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
* Dame of the Order of Saint Isabel

## See also[edit]

Napoleonic Wars

## References[edit]

1. ^ María Isabel de Braganza: la reina del Prado : edición conmemorativa del bicentenario de la Fundación Museo del Prado (1819-2019). Boletín Oficial del Estado. 2019. ISBN 978-84-340-2547-9.
2. ^ María Isabel de Braganza: la reina del Prado : edición conmemorativa del bicentenario de la Fundación Museo del Prado (1819-2019). Boletín Oficial del Estado. 2019. ISBN 978-84-340-2547-9.
3. ^ "La Institucion" (in Spanish). Museo del Prado. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

Maria Isabel of Braganza

House of Braganza

Born: 19 May 1797 Died: 26 December 1818

Spanish royalty
Vacant

Title last held by

Julie Clary |  Queen consort of Spain
1816–1818  | Vacant

Title next held by

Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony

## External links[edit]

* v
* t
* e

Infantas of Portugal

The generations indicate descent form Afonso I, and continues through the House of Aviz, the House of Habsburg through Infanta Isabel, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Spain, and the House of Braganza through Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza.

| 1st generation|

* Urraca, Queen of León
* Teresa, Countess of Flanders
* Infanta Mafalda

|

2nd generation|

* Teresa, Queen of León
* Infanta Sancha, Lady of Alenquer
* Mafalda, Queen of Castile
* Infanta Branca, Lady of Guadalajara
* Berengária, Queen of Denmark

3rd generation|

* Leonor, Queen of Denmark

4th generation|

* Infanta Branca, Lady of Las Huelgas
* Infanta Sancha
* Infanta Maria

5th generation|

* Constança, Queen of Castile and León
* Infanta Maria, Lady of Meneses and Orduña

6th generation|

* Maria, Queen of Castile and León
* Leonor, Queen of Aragon

7th generation|

* Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa
* Infanta Beatriz, Countess of Alburquerque

8th generation|

* Beatriz, Queen of Castile and León
* Isabel, Duchess of Burgundy

9th generation|

* Leonor, Holy Roman Empress
* Infanta Catarina
* Joana, Queen of Castile and León
* Isabel, Queen of Portugal
* Beatriz, Lady of Ravenstein
* Infanta Filipa
* Isabel, Queen of Castile and León
* Infanta Beatriz, Duchess of Viseu

10th generation|

* Joanna, Princess of Portugal
* Leonor, Queen of Portugal
* Isabel, Duchess of Braganza

11th generation|

* Isabel, Queen of Spain
* Beatriz, Duchess of Savoy
* Infanta Maria, Duchess of Viseu

12th generation|

* Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal and Asturias
* Maria, Hereditary Princess of Parma
* Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza

13th generation|

* Isabel Clara, Archduchess of Austria*
* Catalina Micaela, Duchess of Savoy*

14th generation|

* Ana, Queen of France*
* María*
* María Ana, Holy Roman Empress*
* Margarita*

15th generation|

* María Teresa, Queen of France*
* Joana, Princess of Beira
* Catarina, Queen of England

16th generation|

* Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira
* Infanta Francisca Josefa

17th generation|

* Bárbara, Queen of Spain

18th generation|

* Maria I
* Infanta Maria Ana
* Maria Doroteia
* Benedita, Princess of Brazil

19th generation|

* Mariana Victoria, Infanta Gabriel of Spain

20th generation|

* Infanta Maria Teresa
* Maria Isabel, Queen of Spain
* Maria Francisca, Infanta Carlos María Isidro of Spain
* Infanta Isabel Maria
* Infanta Maria da Assunção
* Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Marquise of Loulé

21st generation|

* Maria II**
* Infanta Januária, Countess of Aquila**
* Infanta Paula**
* Francisca, Princess of Joinville**
* Infanta Maria Amélia**
* Infanta Maria das Neves, Duchess of San Jaimeƒ
* Maria Teresa, Archduchess Karl Ludwig of Austriaƒ
* Maria José, Duchess Karl Theodor in Bavariaƒ
* Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarãesƒ
* Maria Ana, Grand Duchess of Luxembourgƒ
* Maria Antónia, Duchess of Parmaƒ

22nd generation|

* Maria Ana, Princess Georg of Saxony***
* Antónia, Princess of Hohenzollern***
* Maria Teresa, Princess Karl Ludwig of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Isabel Maria, Princess of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Maria Ana, Princess Karl August of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Infanta Maria Adelaide, Mrs. van Udenƒ◙

* also an infanta of Spain and an archduchess of Austria, ** also an imperial princess of Brazil, *** also a princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess in Saxony, ◙ Also a princess of Braganza, ¤ title removed in 1920 as her parents' marriage was deemed undynastic,  ƒ claimant infanta

* Maria Isabel of Braganza — The British Museum
* Queen María Isabel of Braganza as founder of the Museo del Prado — Museo Nacional Del Prado

* v
* t
* e

Spanish royal consorts

* Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (2014–present)

* Sophía of Greece and Denmark (1975–2014)
* Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1906–1931)
* Maria Christina of Austria (1879–1885)
* Mercedes of Orléans (1878)
* Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo (1870–1873)
* Francis, Duke of Cádiz (1846–1868)
* Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (1829–1833)
* Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (1819–1829)
* Maria Isabel of Portugal (1816–1818)
* Julie Clary (1808–1813)
* Maria Luisa of Parma (1788–1808)
* Maria Amalia of Saxony (1759–1760)
* Barbara of Portugal (1746–1758)
* Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (1724)
* Elisabeth Farnese (1714–1724, 1724–1746)
* Maria Luisa of Savoy (1701–1714)
* Maria Anna of Neuburg (1690–1700)
* Marie Louise of Orléans (1679–1689)
* Mariana of Austria (1649–1665)
* Élisabeth of France (1621–1644)
* Margaret of Austria (1598–1611)
* Anna of Austria (1570–1580)
* Élisabeth of France (1559–1568)
* Mary I of England (1556–1558)
* Isabella of Portugal (1526–1539)

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