Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza
Portuguese princess (1801–1876)
Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza (Portuguese pronunciation: [izɐˈbɛl mɐˈɾiɐ]; Queluz, 4 July 1801 – Benfica, then Belém, 22 April 1876) was a Portuguese infanta (princess) and fourth daughter of King John VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina of Spain. She acted as Regent of the Kingdom for her brother Pedro IV and for her niece Maria II from 1826 to 1828.
Early life
Her full name was Isabel Maria da Conceição Joana Gualberta Ana Francisca de Assis Xavier de Paula de Alcântara Antónia Rafaela Micaela Gabriela Joaquina Gonzaga de Bragança e Bourbon. She was a titular of the Great-Cross of the Order of Our Lady of Conception; Dame of the orders of Saint Isabel and of the Noble Dames of Mary Louise and awarded with the Starry Cross of Austria.
Regency
Because Prince Pedro, who was heir to the throne, was already Emperor in Brazil, his brother Prince Miguel was exiled in Vienna, their mother Queen Carlota Joaquina was exiled in Queluz and Isabel's older sisters (Maria Teresa and Maria Francisca of Assisi) had married to Spanish infantes (princes), Isabel Maria was chosen to be Regent of the Kingdom until Pedro I of Brazil returned to claim the Portuguese throne as Pedro IV of Portugal. Pedro IV, however, immediately abdicated in favour of his daughter Maria da Glória (who became Maria II of Portugal), with the condition that she should marry her uncle Miguel. Pedro and Maria remained in Brazil and Isabel Maria continued as regent until 1828, when a civil war started between absolutists, supporting Miguel, and liberals, supporting Maria II (called the Liberal War) that would end with a liberal victory and defeat and consequent exile of Miguel.
Later life
Isabel Maria retired from politics and turned her life to religion. She died unmarried in Benfica (at the time not a neighbourhood of Lisbon but a near town in Belém municipality) on 22 April 1876. She was the last surviving child of John VI of Portugal and the last grandchild of Maria I of Portugal.
“Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza” enters the record as portuguese princess (1801–1876). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Infanta, Isabel and Maria can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Infanta, Isabel and Maria provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q269689. VIAF identifies the subject as 20915695. The Library of Congress control number is n00037687. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1801, 1876, 1826 and 1828.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza primary sources, Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza archive and Infanta research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.