Birth Pedro was born at 08:00 on 12 October 1798 in the
Queluz Royal Palace near
Lisbon, Portugal. He was named after St.
Peter of Alcantara, and his full name was Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim. He was referred to using the honorific "
Dom" (
Lord) from birth. Through his father, Prince Dom John (later King Dom
John VI), Pedro was a member of the
House of Braganza () and a grandson of King Dom
Peter III and Queen Dona (Lady)
Maria I of Portugal, who were uncle and niece as well as husband and wife. His mother, Doña
Carlota Joaquina, was the daughter of King
Don Charles IV of Spain. Pedro's parents had an unhappy marriage. Carlota Joaquina was an ambitious woman, who always sought to advance Spain's interests, even to the detriment of Portugal's. Reputedly unfaithful to her husband, she went as far as to plot his overthrow in league with dissatisfied Portuguese nobles. As the second eldest son (though the fourth child), Pedro became his father's heir apparent and
Prince of Beira upon the death of his elder brother
Francisco António in 1801. Prince Dom John had been acting as regent on behalf of his mother, Queen Maria I, after she was declared incurably insane in 1792. By 1802, Pedro's parents were estranged; John lived in the
Mafra Palace and Carlota Joaquina in
Ramalhão Palace. Pedro and his siblings resided in the Queluz Palace with their grandmother Maria I, far from their parents, whom they saw only during state occasions at Queluz.
Education In late November 1807, when Pedro was nine,
the royal family escaped from Portugal as an invading French army sent by
Napoleon approached Lisbon. Pedro and his family arrived in
Rio de Janeiro, then capital of
Brazil, Portugal's largest and wealthiest colony, in March 1808. During the voyage, Pedro read
Virgil's
Aeneid and conversed with the ship's crew, picking up
navigational skills. In Brazil, after a brief stay in the
City Palace, Pedro settled with his younger brother
Miguel and their father in the
Palace of São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher). Although never on intimate terms with his father, Pedro loved him and resented the constant humiliation his father suffered at the hands of Carlota Joaquina due to her extramarital affairs. As an adult, Pedro would openly call his mother, for whom he held only feelings of contempt, a "bitch". The early experiences of betrayal, coldness and neglect had a great impact on the formation of Pedro's character. A modicum of stability during his childhood was provided by his (governess), Maria Genoveva do Rêgo e Matos, whom he loved as a mother, and by his (supervisor) friar António de Arrábida, who became his mentor. Both were in charge of Pedro's upbringing and attempted to furnish him with a suitable education. His instruction encompassed a broad array of subjects that included mathematics,
political economy, logic, history and geography. He learned to speak and write not only in
Portuguese, but also
Latin and
French. He could translate from
English and understood
German. Even later on, as an emperor, Pedro would devote at least two hours of each day to study and reading. Despite the breadth of Pedro's instruction, his education proved lacking. Historian
Octávio Tarquínio de Sousa said that Pedro "was without a shadow of doubt intelligent, quick-witted, [and] perspicacious." However, historian Roderick J. Barman relates that he was by nature "too ebullient, too erratic, and too emotional". He remained impulsive and never learned to exercise self-control or to assess the consequences of his decisions and adapt his outlook to changes in situations. His father never allowed anyone to discipline him. While Pedro's schedule dictated two hours of study each day, he sometimes circumvented the routine by dismissing his instructors in favor of activities that he found more interesting.
First marriage of Pedro around age 18, c.1816 The prince found fulfillment in activities that required physical skills, rather than in the classroom. At his father's
Santa Cruz farm, Pedro
trained unbroken horses, and became a fine horseman and an excellent
farrier. He and his brother Miguel enjoyed mounted hunts over unfamiliar ground, through forests, and even at night or in inclement weather. He displayed a talent for drawing and handicrafts, applying himself to wood carving and furniture making. In addition, he had a taste for music, and under the guidance of
Marcos Portugal the prince became an able composer (later creating Brazil's
Independence Anthem). He had a good singing voice, and was proficient with several musical instruments (including
piano,
flute and
guitar), playing popular songs and dances. Pedro was a simple man, both in habits and in dealing with others. Except on solemn occasions when he donned court dress, his daily attire consisted of white cotton trousers, striped cotton jacket and a broad-brimmed straw hat, or a frock coat and a top hat in more formal situations. He would frequently take time to engage in conversation with people on the street, noting their concerns. Pedro's character was marked by an energetic drive that bordered on hyperactivity. He was impetuous with a tendency to be domineering and short-tempered. Easily bored or distracted, he entertained himself with dalliances with women in addition to his hunting and equestrian activities. His restless spirit compelled him to search for adventure, and, sometimes in disguise as a traveler, he frequented taverns in Rio de Janeiro's disreputable districts. He rarely drank alcohol, but was an incorrigible womanizer. His earliest known lasting affair was with a French dancer called Noémi Thierry, who had a stillborn child by him. Pedro's father, who had ascended the throne as John VI, sent Thierry away to avoid jeopardizing the prince's betrothal to Archduchess
Maria Leopoldina, daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria (formerly
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor). On 13 May 1817, Pedro was
married by proxy to Maria Leopoldina. When she arrived in Rio de Janeiro on 5 November, she immediately fell in love with Pedro, who was far more charming and attractive than she had been led to expect. After "years under a tropical sun, his complexion was still light, his cheeks rosy." The 19-year-old prince was handsome and a little above average in height, with bright dark eyes and dark brown hair. "His good appearance", said historian
Neill Macaulay, "owed much to his bearing, proud and erect even at an awkward age, and his grooming, which was impeccable. Habitually neat and clean, he had taken to the Brazilian custom of bathing often." The Nuptial Mass, with the ratification of the vows previously taken by proxy, occurred the following day. Seven children resulted from this marriage: Maria (later Queen Dona
Maria II of Portugal),
Miguel,
João,
Januária,
Paula,
Francisca and Pedro (later Emperor Dom
Pedro II of Brazil). ==Independence of Brazil==