In 1844, Princess Francisca wrote to her sister Januária: “don’t leave Pedro alone, be patient, he is your only friend”.
- Letter from Princess Francisca of Braganza to her sister Januaria of Braganza.
- One sheet, two pages.
- In Portuguese.
- 20 cm x 25 cm (each sheet).
- Saint Cloud, France, October 5, 1844.
- Excellent condition of conservation.
- Unique piece.
Full transcript
Saint Cloud, France October 5, 1844
My dear sister Januaria
It was with great pleasure that I received your kind letters from May 20th to July 27th.
What makes me very sad is to see that the intrigues continue. Do everything you can to ensure that Luis (Count of Aquila, husband of D. Januária) is always on good terms with Pedro. You can be sure that they are the only friends he has and that they are separating. It is a great misfortune not only for the family, but for the country.
Think carefully, don't leave Pedro alone, be patient, he is your only friend, you are also his only friend at court and if you leave him I fear great dangers for the country in the future. I ask your forgiveness for all my advice.
I had the pleasure of embracing Joinville on the 1st after a long absence of 3 and a half months. But at least I had the pleasure of seeing it full of glory and having served your country well.
I continue to always take care of the little one too. I am the happiest person in the world. Everyone here shows me many friendships, the queen (Queen Amélie of France, mother-in-law and great-aunt of D. Francisca, the queen was the maternal aunt of the empress D. Leopoldina) is like a real mother to me.
There is unity in the family which makes us happy. I ask you to take a message to brother Luís from me and accept a hug.
From your affectionate sister,
Francisca
Francisca (1824–1898) was a Princess of Brazil by birth and Princess of Joinville by marriage to the French Prince Francisco de Orléans, third son of King Louis Philippe I of France. She was the fourth daughter of Emperor Pedro I and his first wife, Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria. She grew up with her siblings Dom Pedro de Alcântara (later Emperor Pedro II of Brazil), Paula Mariana and Januária, under the regency of José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. With the abdication of Pedro I of Brazil in 1831 and his move to Europe to regain the Portuguese crown, Januária (1822–1901) became heir to the throne in 1836.
In 1844, when Francisca wrote this letter, she was only twenty years old and had been married for a year, living a new life in Paris with her husband. The most charismatic of the sisters was the first Brazilian princess in history to represent Brazil abroad and the French court liked her, especially the Queen of France.
Francisca and her siblings had been raised by a demanding regency, without parents, probably without much love, in an isolated Brazilian court. The sudden loss of their sister Paula Mariana left the siblings very sad, and Francisca felt deeply responsible for them, especially for Dom Pedro II.
She had little experience in the game of power, but she was aware of the political intrigues in Brazil and the danger they posed to her brothers and the country. All these thoughts and intuitions are expressed in this letter, which makes it a very valuable piece, deserving of a special guardian.
