Lisbon: Woman of My Choice



    This is me in front of the National theater of Portugal. It is named for Queen Marie II. We had a quick discussion about her and learned from our professors some of the interesting background of how she became queen. So, in 1808 when Napoleon's troops were going into Portugal, the royal family got on a boat and sailed to Brazil. They even took the royal library and paintings with them and made the capital  Rio de Janeiro. They also needed a ruler in Lisbon so a decade or so later the Emperor of Brazil named his 7 year old daughter to be the queen of Portugal. She was supposed to marry her uncle who had to promise that he would lead a liberal government. But, As soon as he was there he claimed that he was the legitimate ruler and she wasn't the queen. People took sides and there was a little civil war. When she reached 15 she did  in fact become queen. She then married a guy who died but she was able to remarry a very liberal guy. She gave  birth to 13 kids! Interestingly enough, after her first child was born, her husband became the king.

She was important because of what Doctor Hegstrom claimed to be her two major contributions. First She fought for good public health standards in order to prevent cholera. Secondly she pushed for education in Portugal. I think this is great that she was a queen of the people and aimed to do things that would benefit them. It also bettered Portugal as a whole and made a healthier, and more educated people. This allows for countries to thrive. I think it is interesting that she was able to make a difference as a queen, because that was not always the case back then. To me I find her contribution valuable because she uses her position to help others and I believe that this principle can and should be applied. She is admirable because  had to speak up and have the determination to carry out her actions. 

I don’t know if she received any initial pushback for wanting to use her authority as queen, but I do know that the people adored her for her contributions. They decided to name this national theater after her. I think this is symbolic because she pushed for education and tried to broaden people's horizons. When people are educated, they make and appreciate art, dance, theater and so on. So by having this building named after her, they are making a tribute to her bettering their society. It is also a very prestigious way to be commemorated so I do believe that she is well remembered by this National Theatre. 


Wikipedia contributors. (2024, May 22). Brazil–Portugal relations. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil%E2%80%93Portugal_relations#:~:text=United%20Kingdom%20of%20Portugal%2C%20Brazil%20and%20the%20Algarves,-Main%20article%3A%20United&text=For%2013%20years%2C%20Rio%20de,entirety%20of%20the%20Portuguese%20empire.

Comments

  1. Sam RichardsonMay 26, 2024 at 5:44 PM

    I loved reading this post, Anna! I also loved how you relayed the story of Queen Maria II and talked about the hardships she experienced. I truly think learning more about Queen Maira deepens my understanding of Lisbon as a cultural capital. Her story helped me grasp just how tumultuous and complicated Lisbon's history really is and how far back the city's roots really go. Again, such a great post Anna!

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  2. EleaseMay 27, 2024 at 9:55 PM

    I really love this post! Queen Maria faced many hardships with becoming a queen so young and having to reign with being taken less seriously. She had to fight to be treated as a queen.

    Learning about her helps us to understand that the things Queen Maria faced were so difficult and that she changed so many things that are still implemented in Portugal today.

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  3. Sienna PuckrinMay 30, 2024 at 10:50 PM

    Your post helps us understand Lisbon as a cultural capital because of the city’s connection to the monarchy. A female monarch at that, and one who pushed the limits that society had placed on her. Her educational reforms were forward thinking. This led to the gradual increase of education in Lisbon. It also relates to the people’s view of a monarchy and how their relationship has differed over the years. A cultural capital has a special relationship between the people and the monarchy, whether it is still in place or just in history.

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  4. Hannah BryanJune 19, 2024 at 1:54 AM

    Thank you for this post, Anna! Lisbon was definitely benefited by the rule of Queen Maria. It's important to make note of the measures she took to expand education and public health protections from cholera. Public health was historically neglected for much of european history before the 1800s. Her work to expand it, particularly to focus on cholera, a waterborne illness that would be very impactful in dense cities, definitely contributed to keeping people alive building up the city.

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