John and Jenny Fulton

Real International Princesses: Isabel of Brazil

By Jenny Fulton

Introduction

My book, An International Princess Alphabet Primer, features princesses from countries and cultures around the world. Each character is named after a real person. These are their stories.

Because the alphabet book was written for young kids, the biographies I’m sharing are short, child-friendly, often rose-tinted summaries.

B: Brazilian Princess Isabel

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Brazilian Princess Isabel is named for Princess Isabel of Brazil, the ruler who officially ended slavery in that country.

On July 29, 1846, a little girl was born in Rio de Janeiro. Her parents were the emperor and empress of the Brazilian Empire. They named her Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Bragança e Bourbon. But we’ll just call her Princess Isabel. She had two brothers, one older and one younger. However, they both died before their third birthday. This made her the future ruler.

There was a lot Isabel needed to learn. Her dad packed her days so full of training that she barely had any time to play. Princess Isabel studied seven languages, history, geography, science, math, literature, and the Bible. Her parents also wanted her to be good at music, dancing, drawing, stitching, and photography.

Being a royal princess and the heir to the throne meant that Isabel was the ruler anytime her parents were gone. When she was only 14 years old, she welcomed Mexico’s future emperor to visit while her parents were out of the country.

And of course, Isabel was expected to get married. Even though it would be an arranged marriage, her dad wanted her to be happy. So, after he chose the prince, he made sure Isabel had a chance to meet and get to know her future husband before their wedding. On October 15, 1864, when Isabel was only 18 years old, she married French prince Gaston d’Orléans. They fell in love, had three sons, and continued to love each other for the rest of their lives.

Princess Isabel was known for being a strong Catholic Christian and for working hard to completely do away with slavery in her kingdom. She served as Regent (ruler) three more times while her parents were away. On September 28, 1871, when she was 25 years old, Isabel passed the Law of Free Birth. This meant any children born to slaves after that date would be free. Almost twenty years later, on May 13, 1888, Princess Isabel signed a law to completely abolish all slavery in Brazil.

The Brazilian Monarchy Image by Jo Justino from Pixabay

Other Princess Bios

Works Cited

“Isabel of Brazil” Enccyclopedia.com; July 5, 2024.  https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/isabel-brazil-1846-1921

Snider, Colin M. “Get to Know a Brazilian Princess – Princess Isabel” Americas South and North; Sept. 2, 2012. https://americasouthandnorth.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/get-to-know-a-brazilian-princess-isabel/

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