DonaMaria I (Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana; 17 December 1734 – 20 March 1816) also known asMaria the Pious in Portugal andMaria the Mad in Brazil, wasQueen of Portugal from 24 February 1777 until her death in 1816. Maria was the first undisputedqueen regnant of Portugal^[a] and the firstmonarch of Brazil.

Maria I
Portrait attributed toGiuseppe Troni, 1783
Queen of Portugal
Reign	24 February 1777 –20 March 1816
Acclamation	13 May 1777
Predecessor	Joseph I
Successor	John VI
Co-monarch	Peter III(1777–1786)
Prince regent	John, Prince of Brazil(1792–1816)
Queen of Brazil
Reign	16 December 1815 –20 March 1816
Successor	John VI
Prince regent	John, Prince of Brazil
Born	(1734-12-17)17 December 1734 Ribeira Palace,Lisbon, Portugal
Died	20 March 1816(1816-03-20) (aged 81) Convent of Carmo,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Burial	23 March 1816 Convent of Our Lady of Ajuda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 18 March 1822 Estrela Basilica, Lisbon, Portugal
Spouse	Peter of Portugal ​ ​ (m. 1760; died 1786)​
Issue Detail	Joseph, Prince of Brazil John VI, King of Portugal Mariana Victoria, Infanta Gabriel of Spain
Names Portuguese:Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana
House	Braganza
Father	Joseph I of Portugal
Mother	Mariana Victoria of Spain
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

Maria was the eldest daughter of King DomJosé I (Joseph I) of Portugal and QueenMariana Victoria. As the heir to the throne, she held the titles ofPrincess of Brazil andDuchess of Braganza. She married her uncle InfantePedro (Peter) in 1760. They had six children, of whom three survived infancy:José,João (John), andMariana Vitória. The death of King José in 1777 placed Maria, then 42 years old, on the throne. Her husband Pedro was nominally kingalongside her as Dom Pedro III.

Upon ascending the throne, Maria dismissed her father's powerful chief minister,Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal. The early part of Maria's reign witnessed growth in Portugal's economy. Maria had a number of national buildings constructed and renovated, leading to the completion of thePalace of Queluz and the inauguration of thePalace of Ajuda and other new monuments.^[1] The death of her husband in 1786, followed by the deaths in 1788 of her eldest son, José, and her confessorInácio de São Caetano, caused the queen to developclinical depression. Her second son, João, then served asprince regent. WithNapoleon's European conquests, Maria and her court moved to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in 1807. After Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in 1815, Maria became Queen of theUnited Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Upon her death in 1816, she was succeeded by her son Dom João VI.

Maria was born at theRibeira Palace inLisbon on 17 December 1734 and baptized Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana. She was the eldest of four daughters born toDom José (Joseph),Prince of Brazil (later King DomJosé I of Portugal), and InfantaMariana Victoria of Spain. Her father José was the eldest surviving son of the reigning King DomJoão V (John V) of Portugal. Her mother, Mariana Victoria, was the eldest daughter of King DonFelipe V (Philip V) of Spain. Maria's paternal grandfather João V appointed herPrincess of Beira on the day of her birth.

Maria's grandfather died on 31 July 1750. Her father, Prince José, then succeeded to the throne as Dom José I. As José's eldest child, Maria became hisheir presumptive and was given the traditional titles of Princess of Brazil andDuchess of Braganza.

King José's government was dominated completely bySebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal. The Marquis of Pombal secured control of the government after the1755 Lisbon earthquake, in which around 100,000 people lost their lives. The palace of Maria's birth was also destroyed in the disaster.^[2]

After the earthquake, King José was often uncomfortable at the thought of staying in enclosed spaces, and later experiencedclaustrophobia. The king had a palace built in Ajuda, away from the city centre. This palace became known as Real Barraca de Ajuda (Royal Hut at Ajuda) because it was made of wood. The family spent much time at the large palace. (The palace was the birthplace of Maria's first child,José, English:Dom Joseph.) In 1794 the palace burned to the ground and thePalace of Ajuda was built in its place.^[2]

On 6 June 1760, Maria married the king's younger brother, her uncle Pedro (later King Dom Pedro III of Portugal). Maria and Pedro had six children: José, João Francisco, João (later King DomJoão VI),Mariana Vitória, Maria Clementina, and Maria Isabel. Only José, João, and Mariana Vitória survived to adulthood. Maria also delivered a stillborn boy in 1762.

King José died on 24 February 1777. His daughter, Maria, then became the first undisputedqueen regnant of Portugal. With Maria's accession, her husband became nominal king as Dom Pedro III, but the actual regal authority was vested solely in Maria, as she was the lineal heir of the crown. Also, as Pedro's kingship wasjure uxoris only, his reign would cease in the event of Maria's death, and the crown would pass to Maria's descendants. However, Pedro predeceased his wife in 1786. Maria is considered to have been a good ruler in the period prior to her madness. Her first act as queen was to dismiss the autocraticminister, theMarquis of Pombal. Noteworthy events of this period include Portugal's membership in theLeague of Armed Neutrality (July 1782) and the 1781 cession ofDelagoa Bay fromAustria to Portugal.^[3] However, the queen suffering frommelancholia and declining mental health (perhaps due toporphyria) made her incapable of handling state affairs after 1792.^[4]

On 5 January 1785 the queen issued a charter imposing heavy restrictions on industrial activity in Brazil; how, for example, it prohibited the manufacture of fabrics and other products, extinguishing all textile manufactures in the colony, except the industry of coarse cloth for the use of slaves and workers; since the Portuguese colonial administration did not look favorably on the development of industrial activities in Brazil for fear of economic and, perhaps, political independence. During her reign, the trial, conviction and execution of ensignJoaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes, took place in 1789.

Maria's madness was first officially noticed in 1786, when she had to be carried back to her apartments in a state of delirium. Afterwards, the queen's mental state became progressively worse. On 25 May 1786, her husband died; Maria was devastated and forbade any court entertainments. According to a contemporary account, state festivities began to resemble religious ceremonies. The queen's eldest son and heir, Prince Dom José, died aged 27 from smallpox on 11 September 1788, and that same year, on November 2, her daughter Mariana Vitória died a few days after giving birth to her third child from from the same illness as her brother at just 19. The queen's confessor,Inácio de São Caetano,Titular Archbishop ofSalonica, died almost four weeks later.^[5] These deaths may have resulted in Queen Maria developingmajor depressive disorder.^[6] Another potential cause was her incestuous ancestry; this is substantiated by two of her sisters having had similar conditions.^[6]

In February 1792, Maria was deemed insane and was treated byFrancis Willis, the same physician who attended the British kingGeorge III. Willis wanted to take her to England, but the plan was refused by the Portuguese court. Potentially as a result of Willis' more advisory role in Maria's care, rather than the hands-on care of King George III, Willis deemed the queen incurable.^[6] Maria's second son, Dom João (John), now Prince of Brazil, took over the government in her name, even though he only took the title of Prince Regent in 1799.^[4] When the Real Barraca de Ajuda burnt down in 1794, the court was forced to move to Queluz, where the ill queen would lie in her apartments all day. Visitors would complain of terrible screams that would echo throughout the palace.^{[citation needed]}

In 1801, Spanish Prime MinisterManuel de Godoy sent an army to invade Portugal with backing from the French leaderNapoleon, resulting in theWar of the Oranges. Though the Spanish ended their invasion, theTreaty of Badajoz on 6 June 1801 forced Portugal to cedeOlivença and other border towns to Spain. (This cession is not recognized by the present Portuguese government, and the country officially considers those territories still to be Portuguese possessions.) On 29 September, Prince Dom João signed theTreaty of Madrid (1801), ceding half ofPortuguese Guyana to France, which becameFrench Guiana.^[5]

The refusal of the Portuguese government to join the French-sponsoredContinental Blockade against Britain culminated in the late 1807 Franco-Spanish invasion of Portugal led by GeneralJean-Andoche Junot. The ultimate Napoleonic plan for Portugal was to split it into three sections. The northern parts of Portugal, from the Douro to the Minho, would become theKingdom of Northern Lusitania, and its throne was promised to KingLouis II of Etruria. TheAlentejo Province andKingdom of the Algarve would be merged to form thePrincipality of the Algarves, of which Manuel de Godoy would be sovereign. The remaining portion of Portugal would have been directly ruled by France.^[5]

At the urging of the British government, the entireHouse of Braganza decided to flee on 29 November 1807 to establish agovernment in exile in thePortuguese Viceroyalty of Brazil. Along with the royal family, Maria was transported aboard thecarrackPríncipe Real. During her move from the royal palace to the docks, she was heard screaming throughout the trip in the middle of the crowd and in the carriage. The queen'sdementia was so great that she feared that she was going to be tortured or robbed during her movement by her servants.^[3]

In January 1808, Prince Regent João and his court arrived inSalvador da Bahia. Under pressure by local aristocracy and the British, the prince regent signed a commercial regulation after his arrival that opened commerce between Brazil and friendly nations, which in this case represented the interests of Great Britain above all. This law broke an important colonial pact that had previously allowed Brazil to maintain direct commercial relations only with Portugal.^[3]

On 1 August, British GeneralArthur Wellesley (laterDuke of Wellington) landed a British army in Lisbon to initiate thePeninsular War. The impact of Wellesley's initial victory over Junot at theBattle of Vimeiro (21 August 1808) was wiped out by his superiors in theConvention of Cintra (30 August 1808), which allowed the defeated French troops to evacuate peacefully from Portugal.^[5]

Wellesley (soon to be made Lord Wellington) returned to Portugal on 22 April 1809 to recommence the campaign. Portuguese forces under British command distinguished themselves in the defence of theLines of Torres Vedras (1809–1810) and in the subsequent invasion of Spain and France. In 1815, Prince João's government elevated Brazil to the status of a kingdom, and Maria was proclaimed Queen of theUnited Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. When Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815, Maria and her family remained in Brazil.^[5]

Maria lived in Brazil for a total of eight years, always in a state of incapacitation. On 20 March 1816, she died at the Carmo Convent inRio de Janeiro at the age of 81. After her death, the prince regent was acclaimed as King Dom João VI. In 1821, Maria's body was returned to Lisbon to be interred in a mausoleum in theEstrela Basilica (Portuguese:Basílica da Estrela), which she had helped found.

Maria is a greatly admired figure in both Brazil and Portugal due to the tremendous changes and events that took place during her reign. In Portugal, she is celebrated as a strong female figure. Her legacy shines at Portugal's Queluz Palace, a baroque-roccoco masterpiece that she helped conceive. A large statue of her stands in front of the palace, and apousada near the palace is named in her honour. A large marble statue of the queen was erected at thePortuguese National Library in Lisbon by the students of Joaquim Machado de Castro.

In Brazil, Maria is admired as a key figure in the eventualindependence of Brazil. It was during her reign, albeit through the government of her son's regency, that many of the national institutions and organizations in Brazil were created. These institutions were the precursors to their modern-day equivalents and granted large degree of power to the Brazilian colonials. While she is often calledA Louca (the Mad) in Brazil, Brazilian and Portuguese historians hold her in high esteem.

Maria married her uncle Pedro on 6 June 1760. At the time of their marriage, Maria was 25 and Pedro was 42. Despite the age gap, the couple had a happy marriage. Upon Maria's accession in 1777, her husband became the nominal King Dom Pedro III of Portugal. They had six children:^[7]

• List of mentally ill monarchs

• Cheke, Marcus (1947).Carlota Joaquina, Queen of Portugal. London, England: Sidgewick & Jackson. p. 203.ISBN 9780836950403.miguel.
• Benevides, Francisco da Fonseca.Rainhas de Portugal: Estudo Historico - Volume I. Lisbon, Portugal: Typographia Castro Irmão.
• Benevides, Francisco da Fonseca.Rainhas de Portugal: Estudo Historico - Volume II. Lisbon, Portugal: Typographia Castro Irmão.
• Gomes, Laurentino (2007).1808 — How a mad queen, a coward prince and a corrupt court fooled Napoleon and changed the History of Portugal and Brazil (in Portuguese). Planeta.
• Saraiva, José Hermano (2007).História Concisa de Portugal [Concise History of Portugal] (in Portuguese) (24th ed.). Lisbon, Portugal: Colecção Saber.

•   Media related toMaria I of Portugal at Wikimedia Commons