Maria Sophia of Neuburg

Maria Sophia of Neuburg
Queen consort of Portugal
Tenure	11 August 1687 – 4 August 1699
Born	(1666-08-06)6 August 1666 Schloss Benrath,Düsseldorf,Palatinate-Neuburg,Holy Roman Empire
Died	4 August 1699(1699-08-04)(aged 32) Ribeira Palace,Lisbon,Portugal
Burial	Pantheon of the House of Braganza,Lisbon, Portugal
Spouse	Peter II of Portugal ​ ​ (m.1687)​
Issue more...	João, Prince of Brazil John V Infante Francisco, Duke of Beja Infante António Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém Infanta Francisca Josefa
Names German:Maria Sophie Elisabeth Portuguese:Maria Sofia Isabel
House	Wittelsbach
Father	Philip William, Elector Palatine
Mother	Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt

Maria Sophia Elisabeth of Neuburg(6 August 1666 – 4 August 1699) wasQueen of Portugalas the wife ofKing Peter IIfrom 1687 until her death in 1699. A popular queen, she was noted for her extraordinary generosity and for being the mother of the famously extravagantJohn V of Portugal.

Life

Maria Sophia was born at theSchloss BenrathoutsideDüsseldorfin theHoly Roman Empirewhat is nowGermany.Her fatherPhilip Williamwas the reigningCount Palatine of Neuburg.In 1685 he becameElector Palatinefollowing the death of his cousinCharles II,an inheritance that greatly increased the family's status withinEurope.In December 1676, Maria Sophia's sisterEleonore Magdalenewas married toHoly Roman Emperor Leopold Iowing to the family's reputation as producing fertile women. After two marriages, Leopold had no living male heirs. The new Empress Eleonore Magdalene fulfilled her function and quickly mothered two futureHoly Roman Emperors(Joseph IandCharles VI).

A similar succession crisis was occurring inPortugal.Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira,heiress to the throne and only daughter ofKing Peter II,was childless and had been refused by most European sovereigns due to her sickly nature and strict Portuguese succession rights. As a result, the Portuguese ambassador Manuel da Silva Teles was sent toHeidelbergto ask for the hand of Maria Sophia, with the encouragement of Empress Eleonore Magdalene. The embassy left Lisbon on 8 December 1686 and the marriage contract was signed on 22 May 1687. Adowryof 100,000florinswas agreed on.

Queen

Following herproxy marriageon 2 July 1687 in Heidelberg, Maria Sophia left her native Germany the following August. She travelled up theRhineto receive the honours of all courts along the river. At Brila, Maria Sophia embarked on an English yacht that was put at her disposal by order ofJames II of England.She was accompanied by an English fleet that travelled toPlymouthwith theDuke of Grafton,son of the lateCharles II of England.The new queen arrived in Lisbon 12 August 1687 amid great celebration and the same day the couple was formally married by theArchbishop of LisbonatRibeira Palace.SupposedlyLouis XIVwas "greatly chagrined" by Peter's decision to marry a daughter of the Elector Palatine and not a French princess, as he had hoped.

The young queen quickly gained the affection of her stepdaughter Isabel Luísa, who was herself less than three years younger than Maria Sophia. She was also loved by her husband, who was quickly presented with a son the year after his marriage. The son survived only three weeks, but a year later, Maria Sophia had another son who would succeed his father asJohn V of Portugal.As an adult, he would marry his first cousinMaria Anna of Austria,daughter of Empress Eleonore Magdalene.

Maria Sophia was described as gentle, and Peter reportedly treated her with respect. While she clashed with her widowed sister-in-lawCatherine of Braganzaon matters ofetiquette,she was described as a popular queen who was decidedly generous and set about helping the poor of Lisbon.Her pious nature also made her a popular queen. She was frequently involved withcharitiesthat supported widows andorphansand allowed poor patients access to medical care at the royal palace. She had a very intimate friendship with FatherBartolomeu do Quental,who died with the reputation of asaint.InBeja,she financed the foundation of aFranciscanschool. She died in Lisbon of fever, possibly a symptom oferysipelas,on 4 August 1699, two days before her thirty-third birthday. Her body was laid to rest at theMonastery of São Vicente de Forain Lisbon.

Issue

Name	Portrait	Lifespan	Notes
João		30 August 1688 – 17 September 1688	Prince of Brazil and 12thDuke of Braganza,lived eighteen days.
João		22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750	Prince of Brazil from 1697; andKing of Portugal.MarriedMaria Anna of Austria,and had issue.
Francisco		25 May 1691 – 21 July 1742	Duke of Beja,died unmarried with illegitimate issue.
Antonio		15 March 1695 – 20 October 1757	Died unmarried and childless.
Teresa Maria		24 February 1696 – 16 February 1704	Died in childhood.
Manuel		3 August 1697 – 3 August 1766	Count of Ourém, died unmarried.
Francisca Josefa		30 January 1699 – 15 July 1736	Died unmarried and childless.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Maria Sophia of Neuburg

16.Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken 8.Philip Louis, Count Palatine of Neuburg 17.Landgravine Anna of Hesse 4.Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg 18.William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg 9.Duchess Anna of Cleves 19.Archduchess Maria of Austria 2.Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine 20.Albert V, Duke of Bavaria 10.William V, Duke of Bavaria 21.Archduchess Anna of Austria 5.Duchess Magdalene of Bavaria 22.Francis I, Duke of Lorraine 11.Duchess Renata of Lorraine 23.Princess Christina of Denmark and Norway 1.Maria Sophia of Neuburg 24.George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 12.Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 25.Countess Magdalene of Lippe 6.George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 26.John George, Elector of Brandenburg 13.Margravine Magdalena of Brandenburg 27.Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst 3.Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt 28.Christian I, Elector of Saxony 14.John George I, Elector of Saxony 29.Margravine Sophie of Brandenburg 7.Princess Sophia Eleonore of Saxony 30.Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia 15.Duchess Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia 31.Duchess Marie Eleonore of Cleves

References

Sources

• Stephens, Henry Morse (1891).The Story of Portugal.New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.ISBN978-0722224731.
• Thomson, Mark Alméras; Hatton, Ragnhild Marie; Bromley, J. S. (1968).William III and Louis XIV: Essays 1680-1720.Toronto: University of Toronto.

Further reading

• de Leão, Manuel (1688).Triumpho lusitano. Aplauzos festivos, sumptuosidades regias nos augustos despozorios do inclito Dom Pedro Segundo com a Serenissima Maria Sophia Izabel de Babiera, Monarchas de Portugal(in Portuguese). Brussels.
• Coutinho, Pascoal Ribeiro (1699).Heptaphonon, ou Portico de Sete Vozes. Luctuoso Obsequio e Funeral Culto Consagrado à Magestade Defunta a Sempre Augustíssima Rainha D. Maria Sophia Izabel de Neuburgo(in Portuguese). Lisboa.
• Sermaõ nas exequias da Serenissima Rainha N. Senhora D. Maria Sofia Isabel de Neoburg(in Portuguese). Lisboa. 1699.
• de Oliveira, Bernardino Botelho (1699).Sentimento lamentavel que a dor mais sentida em lagrimas tributa na intempestiva morte da Serenissima Raynha de Portugal Nossa Senhora D. Maria Sofia Izabel de Neoburg(in Portuguese). Lisboa.
• Oraçam funebre nas exequias da Serenissima Rainha, e S. N. D. Maria Sofia Isabel de Neoburg(in Portuguese). Lisboa. 1700.