Domitila de Castro do Canto e Melo (São Paulo

São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

, December 27, 1797 — São Paulo, November 3, 1867), 1st Viscountess with designation as a Grandee

Grandee

Grandee is the word used to render in English the Iberic high aristocratic title Grande , used by the Spanish nobility; Portuguese nobility, and Brazilian nobility....

, then 1st Marchioness

Marchioness

Marchioness could refer to:*A noblewoman with the rank of Marquess, or the wife of a Marquess.*The Marchioness, a pleasure boat that was sunk on the River Thames in 1989....

 of Santos

Santos (São Paulo)

-Sister cities: Shimonoseki, Japan Nagasaki, Japan Funchal, Portugal Trieste, Italy Coimbra, Portugal Ansião, Portugal Arouca, Portugal Ushuaia, Argentina Havana, Cuba Taizhou. China Ningbo. China Constanţa, Romania Ulsan, South Korea Colón, Panama* Cadiz, Spain...

, was a Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian noblewoman

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 and the long-term mistress and favorite of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil

Peter I of Brazil

Dom Pedro I of Brazil , nicknamed "the Liberator" and "the Soldier-King", was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil and also King of Portugal as Pedro IV, having reigned for eight years in Brazil and two months in Portugal.-Birth:Pedro was born on 12 October 1798, around...

.

The Regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

 of Brazil first met D. Domitila (who was born in São Paulo) in 1822 during his travel through São Paulo which would lead to the Brazilian independence. She was married to Felício Muniz, a military officer of low rank. Crowned emperor

Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

, Pedro I invited her to move to Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

 and offered her an office at the Court, placing her at the Empress's entourage as her lady in waiting. There she managed to have her first marriage nullified.

The emperor proved himself very generous when it came to honour his favourite and her family as well. Bestowing on her the title of Viscountness of Santos was a slap in the face of the family of José Bonifácio, the patriarch of the independence and the most eminent people of the city of Santos, SP. He also did not hesitate in bestowing titles on their three daughters (the Duchesses of Goiás

Goiás

Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...

 and Ceará

Ceará

Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...

 and the Countess of Iguaçu

Iguaçu

Iguaçu or Iguazú may refer to:City and municipality*Puerto Iguazú, Argentina*Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil*Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil*Nova Iguaçu de Goiás, Goiás, BrazilRegion or province*Iguaçu TerritoryRiver*Iguazú/Iguaçu Falls...

) and insisting on them being educated with the royal princesses. The Marchioness' sister was made Baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

ess of Sorocaba

Sorocaba

Sorocaba is a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Sorocaba is the fourth largest city in the state of São Paulo. Outside the Greater São Paulo region, it ranks behind only Campinas, Sao Jose dos Campos and Ribeirão Preto...

 and eventually joined the extensive roll of royal mistresses bearing him a child.

D. Leopoldina, the empress, died in 1826 due to complications caused by a miscarriage. The public opinion held the Marchioness responsible for the grievances and humiliations put through by the first.

Since marrying D. Domitila was not an option, Pedro sent an ambassador to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 to find him a new wife. His reputation as a bad husband made the Baron of Barbacena

Barbacena

Barbacena is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2006, the municipality had 124,601 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 788 km²....

's errand very difficult though. Not only was Pedro a womanizer and rather poor, but the South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

n emperor was also said to be violent according to rumours arisen after the dramatic death of D. Leopoldina.

In 1829, when Pedro married for the second time the young Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

n princess Amélie de Beauharnais von Leuchtenberg, granddaughter of the Empress Josephine, D. Domitila was dismissed, returning to São Paulo. There she married again the brigadier Rafael Tobias de Aguiar.