Maria Amélia (Princess)
Original title: Maria Amélia (Princesa D.)
Princess Maria Amélia (1831–1853), only daughter of Emperor Pedro IV and Empress Amélia, came to Madeira in 1852 to recover from a lung illness and died in Funchal. Her death led her mother to found the Hospício da Princesa D. Maria Amélia.
Life, illness and death in Madeira
Princess Maria Amélia was the only child of the marriage of Pedro IV and the Empress Amélie. She was born in Paris on 1 December 1831 and died in Funchal on 4 February 1853. She received a refined education in Portugal and abroad, and interrupted her studies only when, in 1852, she was struck by the illness that killed her. She spoke several languages and possessed a considerable store of knowledge, which filled those who knew her closely with genuine admiration. To a lively intelligence and brilliant gifts of mind she joined the most captivating kindness and the most attractive qualities of heart.
The princess had a frail constitution, and it was in the gardens of the Necessidades Palace that a chill brought on the first signs of her illness. Once this crisis had passed, the doctors advised a voyage to Madeira. It took place in August 1852, as has already been briefly related in the article Amélia (Empress Dona) (vol. I, p. 63), to which we refer the reader.
The death of Princess Maria Amélia in this city led to the creation of the hospice (hospício) that bears her name, founded by her grieving mother, the Empress Dona Amélia.
To avoid needless repetition, the reader should consult the articles Amélia (Empress Dona), Princess Maria Amélia Hospice (Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélia) and Quinta Lambert. Anyone wanting a fuller account of the empress’s visit, the princess’s death and the founding of the Hospice should consult the pamphlet Visita de sua magestade a imperatriz do Brasil, viuva, duqueza de Bragança, à ilha da Madeira, e fundação do Hospício da Serenissima Princesa D. Maria Amélia, written by Januário Justiniano de Nóbrega and published in Funchal in 1867 by Júlio da Silva Carvalho.
In 1916 the writer Mário de Almeida was preparing the publication of a book entitled Lisboa antes da Regeneração, from which a Lisbon newspaper published an extract of the chapter entitled Princesa D. Maria Amélia – Os seus derradeiros momentos – O Paço das Angustia. It is an interesting and heartfelt description of the ill-fated princess’s stay on this island. This fine piece of prose was reprinted in the Diário da Madeira (‘Madeira Daily’) of 15 September 1916.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 05-
Princess D. Maria Amélia, daughter of D. Pedro IV, was born in Paris.
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Empress Amélia of Brazil and Princess Maria Amélia, who travelled on medical advice, arrived in Funchal aboard the frigate D. Fernando, accompanied by Dr Barral; the council named a street after the princess.
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Princess D. Maria Amélia, daughter of Empress Amélia, died of pulmonary tuberculosis at the Quinta das Angústias in Funchal.
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Januário Justiniano de Nóbrega's account of the visit of the Empress of Brazil and of the hospice was published posthumously in Funchal, edited by João da Silva Carvalho.
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The Diário da Madeira reprinted Mario de Almeida's account of Princess Maria Amélia's last days.
Place
Places mentioned · 04
Abroad
- Funchal
City where the princess died in 1853.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Necessidades Palace
Portugal. Lisbon palace in whose gardens the princess caught the chill that began her illness.
Lisbon palace in whose gardens the princess caught the chill that began her illness.
- Paris
France. Birthplace of the princess.
The French capital, where Franco de Sousa settled and painted 'Ar livre', and where Juvenal Honório de Ornelas took his medical doctorate in 1834. Padre Luiz Gonçalves da Câmara studied there and met Loyola, and the Barão de Ornelas graduated, practised and died there.
- Quinta Lambert
Funchal. Estate where the princess stayed, referred to in a related article.
Quinta Lambert is a notable estate in São Pedro parish, Funchal, with a chapel of Nossa Senhora das Angústias, possibly the rebuilt 1662 hermitage; Princess Maria Amélia stayed and died there in 1853. The steamer Valente was driven ashore and destroyed on the coast below it. The Avenida do Doutor José António de Almada passes north of the quinta.
People
People mentioned · 07- Princess Maria Améliad. 1853
Brazilian-Portuguese princess who came to Madeira for her health in 1852 and died in Funchal in 1853.
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Widow of Pedro IV and mother of the princess, who accompanied her to Madeira and founded the hospice bearing her name.
- Januário Justiniano de Nóbrega1824–1866
Author of an 1867 pamphlet on the empress's visit to Madeira and the founding of the hospice.
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Funchal publisher of Nobrega's 1867 pamphlet.
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Writer who in 1916 prepared a book containing a chapter on the princess's last days in Madeira.
- Maximiliand. 1867
Archduke Maximilian, cross-referenced from this entry as linked to the princess.
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King of Portugal and Emperor of Brazil, father of Princess Maria Amélia.