King D. Luís I 'The Popular' and Queen D.ª Maria-Pia

[Marengo]

Luíz I Filipe Maria Fernando Pedro de Alcántara António Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis João Augusto Júlio Volfando, King of Portugal and the Algarves (Lisbon, 31 October 1838-Cascais, 19 October 1889); married in Lisbon, 6 October 1862 Maria Pia Princess of Savoy (Turin, 16 Ocobert 1847-Stupinigi, 5 July 1911)

Reign: 1861 - 1889

Predecessor: King Pedro V of Portugal and the Algarves

Succeeded by: King Carlos I of Portugal and the Algarves

Children: King Carlos I of Portugal and the Algarves and Prince Alfonso of Portugal, Duke of Oporto

Parents King Luíz I: Queen Maria II da Gloria of Portugal and Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary

Parents Queen Maria Pia: King Vittorio Emmanuele II of Sardinia (later of Italy) and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria

Siblings King Luíz I: King Pedro V of Portugal and the Algarves, Princess Maria and Prince Joao (Duke of Beja) of Portugal, Queen Maria Ana of Saxony, Fuerstin Antonia of Hohenzollern, Prince Fernando, Prince Augusto (Duke of Coimbra), Prince Leopoldo, Princess Maria da Gloria and Prince Eugenio of Portugal

Siblings Queen Maria Pia: Princess Clothilde Napoleon, King Umberto I of Italy, Prince Amedeo of Italy, King of Spain and the Indies, Duke of Aosta, Prince Oddone of Italy, Duke of Montferrat, Prince Carlo Alberto of italy, Duke of Chablais and Prince of Italy, Count of Geneva

[Marengo]

Luís I (pronounced [luˈiʃ]; English: Louis), whose full name was Luís Filipe Maria Fernando Pedro de Alcântara António Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis João Augusto Júlio Valfando de Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha e Bragança), the BOB (Port. o Popular) (Lisbon, October 31, 1838 – October 19, 1889 in Cascais) was the 32nd (or 33rd according to some historians) King of Portugal between 1861 and 1889. He was the second son of Maria II and Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and was created Duke of Porto and Viseu.
Luís was a cultured man who wrote vernacular poetry, but otherwise had no distinguishing gifts in the political field into which he was thrust by the deaths of his brothers Pedro V and Fernando in 1861. Luís' domestic reign was a tedious and ineffective series of transitional governments formed at various times by the Progressistas (Liberals) and the Regeneradores (Conservatives – the party generally favoured by King Luís, who secured their long term in office after 1881). Despite a flirtation with the Spanish succession prior to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, Luís's reign was otherwise one of domestic stagnation as Portugal fell ever further behind the nations of western Europe in terms of public education, political stability, technological progress and economic prosperity.

Read the entire wikipedia article here.

[Marengo]

Maria Pia of Savoy (14 February 1847 - 5 July 1911) was a daughter of Victor Emmanuel II the first King of Italy by his first cousin Queen consort Adelaide of Austria. On the day of her baptism Pope Pius IX, her godfather, gave her a Golden Rose.

Maria was married to Luís I of Portugal on the 6 October 1862 in Lisbon, they had two children:

• Carlos I of Portugal (1863-1908)
• Infante Afonso, Duke of Porto (1865-1920).

Luís died on 19 October 1889 and Maria Pia became Queen Dowager. The Queen was devastated after the assassination of her son, King Carlos I of Portugal and grandson Luís Filipe, Duke of Braganza on 1st February 1908.

Read the entire wikipedia article here.

[JSP]

Despite having visited several times the Bragança Pantheon at São Vicente de Fora, only recently did I realized that D.Maria Pia does not lie there.

She died in Turin in exile and nobody thought of bringing her copse back as it happened to his son D.Afonso, her daughter-in-law Queen D.Amélia or her grandson D.Manuel II, not to mention D.Miguel I and Queen D.Adelaide.

There were plans to bring her back a couple of years ago, but, as always, the main problem seems to be the same : Money.

Who will pay the fee ?

I heard that a high-positioned civil servant, asked about when would the Queen return, quoted her : "Do you want a Queen ? Pay for her".

It is a shame as she was one of the most charismatic Queens and, despite being critised by her money spending - that is in the origin of her saying - she was deeply popular and loved the country and its subjects.

She was "nicknamed" Angel of Charity as when there was an earthquake in Oporto, she took the first train, even without knowing how far could she go, and left to help the needed.

There is a story saying that, when she felt death approaching, she asked that her bed would be turn facing Portugal.

Maybe at the 100th yera of her death in 2011, the Queen could return.

Has anybody visited her tomb at Basilica di Superga ?