Mary of Portugal (1538–1577)
Maria of Portugal (born August 12, 1538 in Lisbon , † September 7, 1577 in Parma ) was a Portuguese infanta and, as the wife of Alessandro Farnese, Hereditary Princess of Parma and Piacenza .
Life
Maria of Portugal was a daughter of Duarte de Portugal, 4th Duke of Guimarães (son of King Manuel I of Portugal) and Isabel of Braganza . She received an excellent education. As part of the policy pursued by King Philip II of Spain and Duke Ottavio Farnese of Parma and Piacenza, it was decided to marry Alessandro Farnese, a son of Ottavio. On September 14, 1565, she sailed from Lisbon with a fleet, got caught in a violent storm on the way, continued her journey to the English Channel and finally arrived in Brussels after landing . There, on November 11th, 1565, their wedding, accompanied by sumptuous, expensive festivities, took place, celebrated by Maximilian de Berghes , Archbishop of Cambrai. In 1566 Maria and Alessandro Farnese settled in Parma.
The couple had three children:
- Margherita Farnese (7 November 1567, † 13 April 1643) ⚭ 1581, divorced in 1582, Vincenzo I. Gonzaga (1562–1612), Duke of Mantua
- Ranuccio I. Farnese (March 28, 1569 - March 5, 1622), Duke of Parma and Piacenza since 1592
- Odoardo Farnese (8 December 1573 - 21 February 1626), 1591 cardinal
Maria was a deeply religious woman and very much in love with her husband, although he publicly associated with many of the ladies of his duchy. This situation was humiliating for Maria and she devoted herself particularly to charitable works. She died in Parma in 1577 at the age of 39. In 1823, at the instigation of Marie-Louise of Austria, her remains were transferred from the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena to the crypt of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma, where they rest at the side of her husband Alessandro.
literature
- D. Maria de Portugal Princesa de Parma (1565–1577) eo seu tempo , Instituto de Cultura Portuguesa, Porto 1999
Web links
- Maria, duquesa de Parma , in: Portugal, Dicionário histórico
Remarks
- ↑ According to the article Maria, duquesa de Parma , in Portugal, Dicionário histórico , Maria of Portugal was born on December 8, 1538 and died in May 1577.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Maria of Portugal |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Hereditary Princess of Parma and Piacenza |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 12, 1538 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lisbon |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 7, 1577 |
| Place of death | Parma |