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Luís I of Portugal

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Luís I
Photograph by Augusto Bobone c. 1880s
King of Portugal
Reign11 November 1861 –
19 October 1889
Acclamation22 December 1861
PredecessorPedro V
SuccessorCarlos I
Prime Ministers
See list
Born(1838-10-31)31 October 1838
Necessidades Palace, Lisbon, Portugal
Died19 October 1889(1889-10-19) (aged 50)
Citadel Palace, Cascais, Portugal
Burial
Pantheon of the Braganzas
Spouse
​
(m. 1862)​
Issue
House
[a]
FatherFerdinand II of Portugal
MotherMaria II of Portugal
ReligionRoman Catholicism
SignatureLuís I's signature

Dom Luís I (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈiʃ]; Louis; 31 October 1838 – 19 October 1889), known as the Popular (Portuguese: o Popular) was King of Portugal from 1861 to 1889. The second son of Queen Maria II and her consort, King Ferdinand, born Duke of Porto, he acceded to the throne upon the death of his elder brother King Pedro V. He was a member of the ruling House of Braganza.[a]

Infante of Portugal

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Prince Luís was born on 31 October 1838, at 11.30pm. Although his status as second son did not suggest that Luís would ascend to the Portuguese throne, his education was meticulous and largely shared with his older brother, the Royal Prince Pedro: he was tutored by the counsellor Carl Andreas Dietz, who had been his father Fernando's preceptor until April 1847, when Dietz was forced to leave Portugal on charges of meddling in national politics associated with his Protestant religious affiliation, and was replaced by the Viscount of Carreira, assisted by Manuel Moreira Coelho.[1]

Luís, as Duke of Porto and Infante of Portugal, 1854.

Pedro and Luís divided their time between the palaces of Mafra, Sintra and Vila Viçosa, as well as sporadic stays at the Palace of Belém.[1]

As the second-born son of the royal couple, Luís embarked on a naval career, having been appointed private in the Company of the Marine Guards and recognized in a ceremony at the Navy Arsenal on October 28, 1846, when he was only 8 years old. He would be promoted successively to second lieutenant (1851), lieutenant captain (1854), frigate captain (1858) and sea captain (1859). He had his first naval command in September 1857, on the brig Pedro Nunes, in which he made a cruise off the coast of Portugal and a trip to Gibraltar. He was appointed, by his brother King Pedro V, commander of the corvette Bartolomeu Dias, on June 21, 1858. Commanding the Bartolomeu Dias, he completed nine service missions between 1858 and 1860: he led the expedition to the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores; he was responsible for transporting Prince George of Saxony to Lisbon, where he married Infanta Maria Ana, his sister; took the couple to England; traveled to Tangier; and, in 1860, Angola; he went to Madeira again on the orders of Empress Elisabeth of Austria; and brought Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen from Southampton, for his wedding with Infanta Antonia, then took the bride and groom to Anvers.[1]

Reign

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Luís I and Maria Pia of Savoy at a masquerade ball, 1865.

D. Luís inherited the crown in November 1861, succeeding his brother Pedro V as he left no descendants, and was acclaimed king on 22 December of the same year. On 27 September of the following year, he married Maria Pia of Savoy, daughter of King Vitor Emanuel II of Italy, by proxy.

Renouncing the Spanish throne

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After the Glorious Revolution deposed Isabella II in September 1868, the new Cortes began the task of searching for a suitable liberal-leaning candidate from a new dynasty to replace her.[2]

In 1869 Luís I made it public that he didn't want to be monarch of Spain and he made a point of making this clear both to the Council of Ministers, chaired by the Duke of Loulé, and to the Portuguese people. Two days after his patriotic letter appeared in the Government's gazette, it was published in the Diário de Notícias, thus serving the Royal House to deny the rumour that there would be an abdication: "I was born Portuguese, Portuguese I want to die," proclaimed Luís on the front page of the newspaper on 28 September 1869. If Luís accepted the Spanish crown, he would have to abdicate in Portugal to Carlos, his son of only 6 years, with Ferdinand II as regent, opening up the possibility of an Iberian Union in the medium term. After Luís refused, the Spanish throne was handed over to his brother-in-law, Amadeu of Savoy.[2][3]

Government instability

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During his reign, and as a result of the creation of the general consumption tax, which was poorly received by public opinion, a riot called Janeirinha broke out (at the end of 1867). There was also a military revolt on 19 May 1870, promoted by Marshal Duke of Saldanha, who wanted the government to resign. The monarch responded to the 19 May revolt on 29 August by dismissing Saldanha's ministry and calling Sá da Bandeira to power.[4]

In September 1871, Fontes Pereira de Melo came to power and organised a regenerative cabinet, which remained in power until 1877. This was followed by the Duke of Ávila, who couldn't hold on for long because he lacked a majority. Thus, after the parliamentary conflict that broke out in 1878, Fontes was called back to form a cabinet. As a result, the progressives accused the king of scandalously patronising the regenerators. This episode encouraged the development of republicanism. In 1879, King Luís called on the progressives to form a government.[4]

These series of transitional governments was called Rotativism. The governments at various times were composed by the Progressistas (Liberals) and the Regeneradores (Conservatives), the party generally favoured by King Luís, who secured their long term in office after 1881.

It was during the reign of King Luís I that some of Portugal's political parties were founded: the Reformist Party (1865), which came to power in 1868, the Portuguese Socialist Party (1875), under the name of the Socialist Workers' Party, and the Progressive Party (1876), which came to power in 1879. In 1883, the Congress of the Organising Committee of the Portuguese Republican Party was held. By the end of his reign, the Republican Party was already a perfectly structured political force.

Culture

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During his time, the Coimbrã Question (1865-1866) arose and the Casino Conferences (1871) took place, to which the names of Antero de Quental and Eça de Queiroz were linked, the exponents of a generation that became notable in Portuguese intellectual life. At the time these young intellectuals reacted against romantic degeneracy and the country's cultural, educational, techonological and economic backwardness.

Colonial Affairs

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In 1884, the Berlin Conference took place, resulting in the so-called Pink Map, which defined the division of Africa between the great colonial powers: the German Empire, Belgium, France, the United Kand the Kingdom of Portugal.[5]

During his reign, Delagoa Bay was confirmed as a Portuguese possession in 1875, whilst Belgian activities in the Congo and the 1890 British Ultimatum prevented the Portuguese from colonizing modern-day Zambia and Zimbabwe in order to establish a link between Portuguese Angola and Portuguese Mozambique at the peak of the Scramble for Africa.[5]

Political style and achievements

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With a calm and conciliatory temperament, he was a model constitutional monarch, scrupulously respectful of public freedoms. Of particular note during his reign was the start of work on the ports of Lisbon and Leixões, the extension of the road and railway network, the construction of the Crystal Palace in Porto, the abolition of the death penalty for civil offences, the abolition of slavery in the Kingdom of Portugal and the publication of the first Civil Code.[4]

Philantropy

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Luís followed in the footsteps of his mother, Maria II, by having cultural associations built and founded. On 1 June 1871, Luís was in Seixal (a town founded by his mother) to witness the founding of the Sociedade Filarmónica União Seixalense[6]. On the same day, the Franco-Prussian War ended.

Personal interests

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With great artistic sensitivity, he painted, composed and played the cello[7] and piano.[8] A polyglot, he spoke some European languages correctly, and enjoyed writig vernacular poetry. He made translations of works by William Shakespeare[9], such as The Merchant of Venice, Richard III and Othello, the Moor of Venice. His best-known work in Portugal was his translation of Hamlet.

Luís was also a man of science, with a passion for oceanography. He invested a large part of his fortune in financing scientific projects and oceanographic research vessels, which travelled the oceans in search of specimens. He successfully practised photography.[5][4]

Marriage and descendants

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Photograph of Luís I, c. 1869

In June 1862, Luís asked Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1845–1927), a daughter of Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen and Princess Hildegard of Bavaria, to marry him in a letter sent to her father. It was urgent for him to get married as his older brother, King Pedro V, had died in November 1861, without issue and two of his younger brothers, João and Fernando, followed him shortly after, which left the Braganza dynasty almost without heirs. Luís had already selected a number of brides including Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1845-1912), sister of his late sister-in-law Stephanie, Duchess Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria (1847-1897), Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911) and also considered some Austrian archduchesses, Maria Theresa being one of them, but didn't know which one to choose. So he sent letters to his cousin, Queen Victoria, and his great-uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium, to ask for their advice. Both agreed that the best choice was Maria Theresa. Thus, King Luís sent his letter. However, his wish was not fulfilled as her father, Archduke Albert, thought she was too young at the time (she was one month away from turning 17) and needed to finish her education. Two weeks after, Luís asked for the hand of Princess Maria Pia of Savoy and, this time, was accepted, even though Maria Pia, born in 1847, was even younger than Maria Theresa.[10]

Portuguese coin minted during Luís I's reign, c. 1879

Luís married Maria Pia, the daughter of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and Maria Adelaide of Austria, on 6 October 1862. They both had a deep love at first, but Luís's countless mistresses led Maria Pia to depression. Together they had two sons:[11]

Illness and death

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Luís was a lifelong womanizer. He had a series of extra-marital affairs, the more notorious one with actress Rosa Damasceno.[12] Queen Maria Pia was displeased at first, but later tolerated her husband's infidelities, ending up having her own affairs when she traveled abroad.[13]

Sometime in his adult life, Luís contracted syphilis. The infection remained dormant for several years but in 1887 it became persistently manifest, taking its toll. Within two years it had evolved to neurosyphilis, killing the patient after prolonged and excrutiating suffering, on 19 October 1889, at 11:00 a.m.[14]

Honours

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He received the following orders:[15]

Ancestry

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "While remaining patrilineal dynasts of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha according to pp. 88, 116 of the 1944 Almanach de Gotha, Title 1, Chapter 1, Article 5 of the 1838 Portuguese constitution declared, with respect to Ferdinand II of Portugal's issue by his first wife, that 'the Most Serene House of Braganza is the reigning house of Portugal and continues through the Person of the Lady Queen Maria II'. Thus their mutual descendants constitute the Coburg line of the House of Braganza"
  2. ^ Portuguese: Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul – Grande Colar
  3. ^ French: Légion d'honneur - Grand-croix
  4. ^ Presented by the Sultan

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ventura, António (2009). D. Luís, o Popular. QuidNovi. pp. 6–12. ISBN 978-989-554-607-7.
  2. ^ a b "D. Luís I: o rei português que recusou ser rei de Espanha | VortexMag". www.vortexmag.net (in European Portuguese). 20 April 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  3. ^ Ferreira, Leonídio Paulo (27 September 2019). "O dia em que D. Luís recusou ser rei de Espanha e disse no DN "português quero morrer"". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Infopédia. "D. Luís (1838-1889) - Infopédia". infopedia.pt - Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "D. Luís, "o Popular"". RTP Ensina (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  6. ^ "Histórias Associativas by Município do Seixal - Issuu". issuu.com. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  7. ^ miguelvillasboas (8 September 2015). "D. Luís I – Rei e Músico" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  8. ^ "D. Luís I e a cultura". Academia de Marinha (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Shakespeare 400 anos : 23 abr. - 28 maio '16". www.bnportugal.gov.pt. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  10. ^ Lopes, Maria Antónia (2013). Rainhas Que o Povo Amou - Estefânia de Hohenzollern e Maria Pia de Sabóia. Temas e Debates. p. 121.
  11. ^ Lencastre, Isabel (2012). Bastardos Reais: Os filhos ilegítimos dos Reis de Portugal. Oficina do Livro. p. 149.
  12. ^ Saraiva, José António (2024). O Homem que Mandou Matar o Rei D. Carlos: os Bastidores de um Crime (1st ed.). Lisboa: Gradiva. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-989-785-265-7.
  13. ^ Saraiva (2024), pp. 57-60, 147-148.
  14. ^ Martins, Rocha (1926). D. Carlos: História do seu Reinado (in Portuguese). Author's edition. pp. 149–156.
  15. ^ Albano da Silveira Pinto (1883). "Serenissima Casa de Bragança". Resenha das Familias Titulares e Grandes de Portugal (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Empreza Editora de Francisco Arthur Da Silva. p. xiv.
  16. ^ "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Baden (1888), "Großherzogliche Orden", pp. 62, 74
  18. ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern: 1877. Landesamt. 1877. p. 8.
  19. ^ Ferdinand Veldekens (1858). Le livre d'or de l'ordre de Léopold et de la croix de fer. lelong. p. 207.
  20. ^ Jørgen Pedersen (2009). Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009 (in Danish). Syddansk Universitetsforlag. p. 272. ISBN 978-87-7674-434-2.
  21. ^ Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1884), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 29
  22. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Hannover (1865), "Königliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 38, 73
  23. ^ King Kalakaua's Tour Round the World (Honolulu, 1881) p. 74
  24. ^ Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen ", p. 12
  25. ^ 刑部芳則 (2017). 明治時代の勲章外交儀礼 (PDF) (in Japanese). 明治聖徳記念学会紀要. p. 143.
  26. ^ "Seccion IV: Ordenes del Imperio", Almanaque imperial para el año 1866 (in Spanish), 1866, pp. 214–236, 242–243, retrieved 29 April 2020
  27. ^ "Schwarzer Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: R. v. Deder, 1877, p. 10
  28. ^ Cibrario, Luigi (1869). Notizia storica del nobilissimo ordine supremo della santissima Annunziata. Sunto degli statuti, catalogo dei cavalieri (in Italian). Eredi Botta. p. 115. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  29. ^ Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach Archived 22 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine (1859), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 13
  30. ^ Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen (1867) (in German), "Königliche Ritter-Orden", p. 4
  31. ^ "Caballeros de la insigne orden del Toison de Oro", Guóa Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1875, p. 102, retrieved 4 March 2019
  32. ^ "Caballeros Grandes Cruces de la Orden del Mérito Naval", Guóa Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1887, p. 579, retrieved 26 April 2020
  33. ^ Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), 1881, p. 377, retrieved 20 February 2019 – via runeberg.org
  34. ^ Norges statskalender (in Norwegian), 1886, p. 234, archived from the original on 26 July 2020, retrieved 20 February 2019 – via genealogi.no
  35. ^ Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) The Knights of England, I, London, p. 62
  36. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1866), "Königliche Orden" p. 31
Luís I of Portugal
Cadet branch of the House of Aviz
Born: 31 October 1838 Died: 19 October 1889
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Portugal
1861–1889 		Succeeded by
Portuguese royalty
Preceded by Duke of Porto
1838–1861 		Succeeded by
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