Luiza, isabel and leopoldina: A history of women, nobility and education in imperial Brazil (1856-1864)

Abstract

The article looks at the performance of the Countess of Barral, Luiza Margarida Portugal de Barros, as tutor of the princesses Isabel and Leopoldina, who was chosen by the Emperor himself, D. Pedro II, to educate his daughters. The article aims at recomposing aspects of the educational practice lead by the countess in the palaces of Saint Cristovão and Petropolis, especially the strategies used to teach and educate the two girls, taking into account that she aware of the responsibility that this position implied. The research bears the stamp of historical-documentary and it has used, above all, egodocuments, produced by the princesses and by the countess herself, placed in dialogue with authors who focus on similar topics. It is concluded that the countess exerted a strong influence on the life of the princesses, from childhood until after their marriage.