There exists today in Brazil a very well-known – and very conventional – version, almost universally accepted, of Leopoldina's personal trajectory among us: the sad, cultured, and not-very-beautiful princess, of neglected appearance, who became pregnant nine times in nine years, suffered two miscarriages, gave birth to seven children, and died young and abandoned by her husband.
Figure 1 – Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil. Portrait by Joseph Kreutzinger, 1815. Schönbrunn Palace / Wikimedia Commons
Image description: This is a painting depicting a woman. The figure is centered in the image, with curly hair and a headpiece. She is wearing a floral-patterned cloak over an open neckline. The background is neutral, with no additional details.It's likely that Brazil's first empress gradually grew disillusioned with everything and everyone – the cramped, mediocre environment of São Cristóvão, the atmosphere laden with intrigue, the lack of exchange with cultured and intelligent people, the isolation at court. It's also likely that she was swallowed up by the depression that killed her prematurely.
Figure 2 – Study for the Disembarkation of D. Leopoldina in Brazil, Jean-Baptiste Debret, c.1817. Museu Nacional de Belas Artes.
Image description: This is a painting depicting a ceremonial event. The scene takes place in a palace, with decorative columns and a ceiling adorned with garlands. In the center, there is a golden carriage, in which two men dressed in military uniforms are seated. In front of the carriage, a woman in a white dress is being received by other guests. The crowd, made up of people in formal attire, is arranged in groups around the carriage. The predominant colors are red, gold, and blue, with silver details.But Leopoldina also strove decisively to create opportunities to break free from the condition of female invisibility to which she was condemned, as, after all, were all women of her time, and she tried to build a history for herself. It is this history that is very little known to Brazilians.
Part of it, Leopoldina built in the field of politics. Unlike most women of her time, who remained passive, she did not stay distant from the disputes and decisions of power that would define her own destiny. The empress was not only a woman with access to political power and an active participant in the events of 1821 and 1822 that culminated in Brazil's Independence. She was also able to build a discourse of her own and present a personality in the public sphere.
Figure 3 – Session of the Council of State, Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria acts as regent on behalf of her husband, Prince Pedro, during the meeting on September 2, 1822 with the Council of Ministers. Georgina de Alburquerque, 1922. National Historical Museum
Image description: This is a painting depicting a social scene. The main figure is seated on the left, dressed in an orange and white gown, with her hair gathered in an elaborate hairstyle. In front of her, there is a table with objects on it. On the right side are men in formal attire, some seated and others standing. The background features golden curtains and a window that allows natural light to enter.Leopoldina proved to be a skilled negotiator when it came to the political acumen that needed to be adopted by Pedro I. She was also able to present and develop arguments in the task of convincing her father, the emperor of Austria, and the Vienna court, of the soundness of the resolutions of the supporters of independence in favor of preserving the monarchical regime established in Brazil. And she managed to construct a discourse in which she wove together the defense of the principles of a "just and sensible freedom," the regulation of national public life by a "monarchical Constitution, neither demagogic nor anarchic," and the importance of Luso-Brazilian unity to guarantee the very strengthening of the monarchy. In many ways, politics made Leopoldina a surprising woman of action in Brazil, in the first half of the 19th century.
Figure 4 – Oath of Her Majesty Empress Leopoldina to the Constitution of the Empire, March 25, 1824. Arquivo Nacional.
Image description: The image is a page decorated with ornamental elements in shades of green, pink, and gold. On the left side, we see a woman's face in relief, followed by floral and leafy details. In the center, there is handwritten text in Portuguese, with well-formed letters organized into paragraphs. On the right, we find another woman's face in relief, also surrounded by floral elements. The background of the page is beige, with subtle textures.
