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Maria Adelaide PortugalInfanta of Portugal, youngest daughter of Duke Miguel of Braganza and Princess Maria Teresa of Löwestein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, married Mrs. van Uden.
Date of Birth: 31.01.1912
Country:  France |
Content:
- Biography of Maria Adelaide of Portugal
- Royal Connections
- Education and Marriage
- Resistance During World War II
- Life in Portugal
- Later Life and Legacy
Biography of Maria Adelaide of Portugal
Maria Adelaide Manuela Amalia Michaela Rafaela de Bragança, also known as Maria Adelaide of Portugal, was born on January 31, 1912, in the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. She was the youngest daughter of Miguel, Duke of Braganza, and Princess Maria Teresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.
Royal Connections
Maria Adelaide came from a distinguished lineage, with her grandmother being able to arrange marriages for her daughters into various European royal families. Among Maria's cousins were Zita, the Austrian Empress and Queen of Hungary, Felix, Prince of Luxembourg, Charlotte and Maria Adelaide, Grand Duchesses of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Amalie of Austria, Princess of Liechtenstein, Elizabeth, Queen of Belgium, Antonia, Crown Princess of Bavaria, and Maria Gabriella, Crown Princess of Bavaria.
Education and Marriage
Maria Adelaide received her education at the Sacre Coeur College in Riedenberg, Bavaria. On October 13, 1945, she married Dr. Nicholas van Uden, a Dutch national who specialized in biochemistry and yeast. In 1975, Nicholas obtained Portuguese citizenship.
Resistance During World War II
During World War II, Maria Adelaide played an active role in the resistance movement. She provided assistance to those affected by bombings in Vienna, where she and her husband resided. Her involvement in the resistance led to her being sentenced to death by the Nazis. However, the intervention of António de Oliveira Salazar, the Prime Minister of Portugal, saved her life. Salazar declared her a national hero and a member of the royal family, which allowed Maria to escape to Switzerland to live with her brother, Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza.
Life in Portugal
After the war, Maria Adelaide and her family returned to Austria but eventually settled in Portugal in 1949. In Portugal, Nicholas, who had obtained a medical degree from the University of Vienna, faced restrictions on practicing medicine. He worked in a small laboratory at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Lisbon until he began collaborating with the Portuguese private foundation, Gulbenkian.
Later Life and Legacy
Nicholas passed away in 1991 at the age of 70, while Maria Adelaide lived until February 24, 2012, just a few weeks after her centenary. Her funeral took place at the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon. Her nephew, Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, currently heads the House of Braganza and is the main contender for the Portuguese throne in the event of a restoration of the monarchy.
