Maria Sofia of the Palatinate
Encyclopedia
Countess Palatine Maria Sophia Elisabeth of Neuburg (6 August 1666 – 4 August 1699) was Queen consort of Portugal as the second wife of Peter II from 1687 until her death in 1699.
, born into a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. She had sixteen brothers and sisters, of which the most notable were these:
. Supposedly Louis XIV
was "greatly chagrined" by Peter's decision to marry a daughter of the Elector Palatine and not another French princess, as he had hoped.
Peter and Maria Sofia had seven children together:
Maria Sofia was described as gentle, and Peter reportedly treated her with respect. While she clashed with her widowed sister-in-law Catherine of Braganza
on matters of etiquette
, Maria Sofia became friends with her stepdaughter Infanta Isabel Luísa
, who would have married a Neuburg prince had she not died in 1690 at age 22.
Queen Maria Sofia was involved with charities supporting widows and orphan
s and allowed poor patients access to medical care at the royal palace. She had a very intimate friendship with Father Bartolomeu do Quental, who died with the reputation of a saint
. In Beja, she financed the foundation of a Franciscan
school.
She died in Lisbon of fever, possibly a symptom of erysipelas
, on 4 August 1699, two days before her thirty-third birthday.
Family
Maria Sofia was the eleventh child of Philip William, Elector Palatine, and Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-DarmstadtLandgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt was a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt and wife of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate.-Biography:...
, born into a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. She had sixteen brothers and sisters, of which the most notable were these:
- Johann Wilhelm, Elector PalatineJohann Wilhelm, Elector PalatineJohann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine was Elector Palatine , Duke Palatine of Neuburg/Danube , Duke of Jülich and Berg , and Duke of Upper Palatinate and Cham...
; - Karl III Philip, Elector PalatineKarl III Philip, Elector PalatineCharles III Philip, Elector Palatine was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach. He was Elector Palatine, Count of Palatinate-Neuburg, and Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1716 to 1742...
; - Eleonore Magdalena, wife of Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Leopold ILeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
; - Queen Maria AnnaMaria Anna of Pfalz-NeuburgCountess Palatine Maria Anna of Neuburg was Queen consort of Spain from 1689 to 1700 as the second wife of King Charles II. She was known as Mariana in her adopted Spain...
, wife of King Charles II of SpainCharles II of SpainCharles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
.
Queen of Portugal
In 1687 Maria Sofia married the widowed King Peter II of Portugal four years after the death of his first wife, Maria Francisca of SavoyMaria Francisca of Savoy
Maria Francisca of Savoy was a Princess of Savoy and a Queen consort of Portugal. She was the younger daughter of Charles Amadeus, Duke of Nemours, and Élisabeth de Bourbon. Maria Francisca was actually the consort of two Portuguese kings...
. Supposedly Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
was "greatly chagrined" by Peter's decision to marry a daughter of the Elector Palatine and not another French princess, as he had hoped.
Peter and Maria Sofia had seven children together:
- John (1688-1688), Prince of Brazil; died young
- John (1689–1750), King of Portugal (as John V)
- Francis (1691–1742), Duke of BejaDuke of BejaDuke of Beja was an aristocratic Portuguese title with the level of Royal Dukedom, associated with the Portuguese Royal House, created in 1453, by King Afonso V of Portugal for his younger brother Infante Ferdinand of Portugal.Infante Ferdinand younger son, became King of Portugal as Manuel I and,...
- Anthony (1695–1757)
- Teresa (1696–1704), died young
- ManuelInfante Manuel, Count of OurémThe Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém, KGF was a Portuguese infante , seventh child of Peter II, King of Portugal, and his wife Marie-Sophie of Neuburg...
(1697–1736), Count of Ourém - FranciscaInfanta Francisca Josefa of PortugalThe Infanta Francisca Josefa was a Portuguese infanta and the last of eight children of King Peter II of Portugal and his second wife Marie Sophie of Neuburg....
(1699–1736)
Maria Sofia was described as gentle, and Peter reportedly treated her with respect. While she clashed with her widowed sister-in-law Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza was a Portuguese infanta and queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles II.She married the king in 1662...
on matters of etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
, Maria Sofia became friends with her stepdaughter Infanta Isabel Luísa
Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira
Infanta Isabel Luísa of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta and the sole daughter of King Peter II of Portugal and his first wife and former sister-in-law Maria Francisca of Savoy. As such she was styled Princess of Beira...
, who would have married a Neuburg prince had she not died in 1690 at age 22.
Queen Maria Sofia was involved with charities supporting widows and orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
s and allowed poor patients access to medical care at the royal palace. She had a very intimate friendship with Father Bartolomeu do Quental, who died with the reputation of a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. In Beja, she financed the foundation of a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
school.
She died in Lisbon of fever, possibly a symptom of erysipelas
Erysipelas
Erysipelas is an acute streptococcus bacterial infection of the deep epidermis with lymphatic spread.-Risk factors:...
, on 4 August 1699, two days before her thirty-third birthday.
Ancestry
Sources
- Stephens, Henry Morse. Portugal. Putnam, 1903. The Story of the Nations. Google Books. Web. 27 May 2010.
- Thomson, Mark Alméras., Ragnhild Marie Hatton, and J. S. Bromley. William III and Louis XIV: Essays 1680-1720. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1968. Google Books. Web.