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Maria Leopoldina of Austria

Vienna, 22 Jan 1797 – Rio de Janeiro, 11 Dec 1826

10 facts3 sources

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About Maria

Leopoldina: family connections and royal offices

AI-assisted · edited

The collection records Maria Leopoldina’s birth in Vienna on 22 January 1797. Her parents were Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. A recorded union with Pedro I connects that European family background to the Brazilian imperial family. 1234

The biographical summary identifies Leopoldina as the first Empress consort of Brazil, from 12 October 1822 until her death. It also records her as Queen consort of Portugal during Pedro’s brief Portuguese reign, from 10 March to 2 May 1826. These distinct titles connect her biography to both monarchies without implying that she travelled to every country named in a title. 5

A separate record identifies her as regent, though it supplies no dates for that office. Her death is recorded in Rio de Janeiro on 11 December 1826. Together, these entries preserve both family relationships and a public role that deserves further documentary investigation. 67

Drafted with AI and edited against the collection. Open a citation to see the record, its sources and how certain it is.

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 22 Jan 1797

    Born in Vienna

  2. 1819–1825

    7 children are born

  3. 11 Dec 1826

    Dies in Rio de Janeiro, aged 29

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 7

During her lifetime

She lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vienna.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1790s · Maria is born in Vienna

Who governed

Music

A musician's typical annual work schedule

A local musician named Stelzl kept a ledger showing he was hired to play for dances an average of 14 times per year.

Daily life

Compulsory schooling for children began in 1774

In 1774, Empress Maria Theresa made elementary education compulsory for children aged six to twelve, though many still learned at home. Schools were required to be separate from the teacher's living quarters to prevent domestic disturbances.

What it cost

Wages and subsistence costs

In Rio de Janeiro, daily wages for laborers rose from 120 réis to 320 réis between 1765 and 1821, while in Recife, the daily cost to sustain an enslaved person was 120 réis.

The French Revolution. Parisians stormed the Bastille in 1789; the monarchy fell, the king was executed, and “liberty, equality, fraternity” spread across Europe.In Europe · 1789–1799

The French Revolution. Parisians stormed the Bastille in 1789; the monarchy fell, the king was executed, and “liberty, equality, fraternity” spread across Europe.

Unidentified painter · public domain

What people wore

Daily Versus Feast Day Clothing

For daily chores, workers wore simple garments like rough linen blouses, while on feast days they wore finer linen, often distinguished by the quality of the material.

Getting around

Travel times by carriage in the 1700s

In the 18th century, a 30-kilometer trip between St. Pölten and Melk took 5 to 7 hours, while a 115-kilometer journey to St. Florian took 20 to 28 hours.

At the table

Potatoes become a staple food

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the potato became a vital staple food for lower social classes in the Habsburg monarchy because it was cheap, easy to grow, and yielded more than cereals.