Envelope written by Dom Pedro II

An envelope written by Dom Pedro II, with the imperial seal, for a European first cousin.

Envelope from Dom Pedro II to the Duke of Parma and Piacenza. No information about location and date. In Portuguese. 15.7 cm x 13 cm. Good state. Single piece.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, my good Cousin and Brother

The Duke of Parma and Piacenza, recipient of this letter from Dom Pedro II, was called Roberto Carlos Luís Maria de Bourbon-Parma. Born and died in Italy (1848-1907) and was the last sovereign of the extinct Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, marking the end of the Bourbon-Parma dynasty.

Despite the lost throne and the assassination of his father when he was just six years old, the Duke enjoyed a comfortable life, living in the family's different Austrian and Italian estates. In 1883, he even inherited, from his uncle Henrique, the Château de Chambord, the most renowned and visited in France, after the Château de Versailles.

This fortune also allowed him to attract the attention of European princesses. He married a cousin, Maria Pia, daughter of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria. They had twelve children, half of them with intellectual disabilities, a consequence of consanguinity. After the death of Maria Pia, Roberto married a second time to Maria Antonia of Portugal, daughter of the deposed King Miguel I of Portugal. From this union twelve other children were born!

But what was his relationship with Dom Pedro II? To put it simply, the Duke was a son-in-law of Ferdinand II of the two Sicilies, who was both a cousin of Dom Pedro II (through his mothers) and his brother-in-law to Empress Teresa Cristina, sister of Ferdinand and wife of Dom Pedro II.

In addition to this recipient with an unusual destiny, I found interesting this envelope found in France with the imperial wax seal intact, since the letter was opened from the top. It is not known where the letter ended up, nor its contents. Probably congratulations on the birth of a child (24 opportunities!), Christmas, or those kinds of events that helped to maintain the bond despite the distance. These details and, of course, the handwritten line of the Emperor, will enthuse the growing number of collectors interested in the Brazilian royal family.