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 private in the king's guard, and who, even during the king's life, Christina had received into her confidence, and bestowed on him wealth and rank. Her two children are by some writers said to have been by this man,

Christina's political intrigues have ever, as it appears, been directed towards lessening the power and influence of England at the Court of Madrid, and drawing that Court into closer alliance with the French; whether she was right or wrong it is not for us to discuss. She is evidently a woman of vigorous mind and acute intellect. That her daughter Isabella was placed and has been thus long sustained on the Spanish throne, must be in a great measure attributed to her influence; and although she has not succeeded in setting at rest the civil broils which have so long distracted her unhappy country, yet injudicious, immoral, and even profligate as her conduct has on many occasions been, yet we must confess that the Queen Mother of Spain appears to have had the interests of the nation warmly at heart, and to have done her best to advance their interests.

MARIA II. DA GLORIA DONA, de Beira and Queen of Portugal, was born in Rio de Janeiro, South America, May 3rd., 1819. Her father, Dom Pedro, was the Emperor of Brazil, and on the death of his father, John the Second, became nominally King of Portugal also, though that country was governed by the Infanta Isabella as regent. In May, 1826, Dom Pedro abdicated the Portuguese throne in favour of his daughter Maria, (he remaining king during her minority,) on condition of her marrying her uncle, Dora Miguel; but he being a fanatic in religion, and a violent enemy to the constitution Dom Pedro had granted, in short, a bigot and a tyrant, endeavoured, with the aid of Spain, to seize the throne, and reign absolute King of Portugal. Dom Pedro invoked the assistance of England in favour of his daughter, the young Maria, and after alternate victories and defeats, the Portuguese nation finally received Dona Maria as their queen in 1833.

Her father, who was regent, died in 1834; but previous to his decease, caused his daughter to be declared of age, though she was then only fifteen years old. He had selected the Dukes of Palmella and Terceira to be the leading members of her cabinet. But the young queen soon disagreed with these faithful supporters of her cause in the contest which had only so shortly before been brought to a close, and the Marshal Saldanha, who had placed himself at the head of the more liberal party, became prime minister. It was hoped that this step would tend to render the new government popular with the mass of the people, and to allay the party disputes which had begun to agitate the kingdom. The event was different from what was anticipated. No sooner did Saldanha undertake to control the violence of his friends, than he lost his own popularity, and the agitation in the community became more violent than before. A short time after her accession to the throne. Dona Maria had married the Duke Augustus, of Leuchtenberg, who died in March, 1835. In April, 1836, she was married again to the Duke Ferdinand, of Saxe-Coburg-Cohary. The latter did not make a favourable impression on the Portuguese; and the rejection of the queen's nomination of him to the Cortes, as commander-in-