Miguel I of Portugal (1802-1866) - Find a Grave Memorial

King of Portugal 1828-1834. King Miguell I was the second son of king João VI of Portugal and his queen Carlota Joaqiuna of Spain. Miguel was an avowed conservative an admirer of Mitternich's Austria. He led two revolts against his father in the 1820s, earning himself a sentence of exile. In 1826 he was betrothed to his young niece Maria II da Glória. Miguel subsequently declared himself regent on Febuary 26, 1828 - and then took the throne as sole monarch on June 23, 1828 at which time he overthrew the liberal constitution that was given by his abdicated brother king Pedro IV.Miguel sought to gain international backing for his regime, but the Duke of Wellington's government in the United Kingdom fell in 1830 just it could afford formal recognition. In 1831 Miguel's brother Pedro abdicated the throne in his Empire of Brazil and occupied the Azores from whence he launched naval attacks on Portugal. After a 3-year civil war, Miguel was forced to abdicate at Evoramonte on May 26, 1834, and was sent into exile by the victorious Pedro, who reinstalled his Daughter Maria II da Glória on the Portuguese throne. Miguel lived the rest of his life in exile. In 1851 he married princess Adelheid von Löwenstein-Wrtheim-Rosenberg, by whom he had six daughters and a son, Miguel, Duke of Braganza, who was the grandfather of the present day Portuguese pretender, Dom Duarte. Miguel died in Germany in 1866.

Bio by: Benny Chordt Hansen