In the news1807–1811
French Invasions Ruin Economy (1807-1811)
The French invasions of 1807, 1809, and 1810-1811 caused widespread devastation, economic ruin, and the temporary departure of the royal family to Brazil.
Mafra, 23 Oct 1806 – Rome, 22 Jun 1857
8 facts3 sources
23 Oct 1806
Born in Mafra
1827–1835
3 children are born
22 Jun 1857
Dies in Rome, aged 50
She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Mafra.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
Who governed
Monarch of Portugal, 1777–1816 · Kingdom of Portugal
In the news1807–1811
The French invasions of 1807, 1809, and 1810-1811 caused widespread devastation, economic ruin, and the temporary departure of the royal family to Brazil.
Music
Nuns as skilled musicians
Nuns in monasteries were skilled musicians who played instruments like the organ, harpsichord, and harp, and they sometimes commissioned and performed complex concertato music.
In Europe · 1803–1815The Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon’s armies redrew the map of Europe from Spain to Moscow; his invasion of Portugal sent its court to Rio de Janeiro.
Daily life
Rural living and animal cohabitation
In rural homes, families sometimes lived in a single room where they slept and ate alongside their domestic animals.
In the news1808
The 1808 opening of Brazilian ports ended Portugal's colonial trade monopoly, causing a major long-term decline in the Portuguese merchant navy and economic stagnation.
What people wore
Peasant dress in Torres Vedras
Peasants in Torres Vedras typically wore jackets thrown over the shoulder, red waistcoats, and short blue breeches with loose drawers reaching the calf. Both sexes often went barefoot, though brown tanned boots were sometimes used.
Getting around
Seven days from Oporto to Lisbon
In the early 19th century, traveling from Oporto to Lisbon—a distance of 52 leagues—by mule-drawn litter took about seven days.