Dona Teresa Cristina (14 March 1822 – 28 December 1889), nicknamed "the Mother of the Brazilians",[2] was Empress of Brazil as the consort of Emperor Dom Pedro II from their marriage on 30 May 1843 until 15 November 1889, when the monarchy was abolished.

It was long believed by historians that the Princess was raised in an ultra-conservative, intolerant atmosphere which resulted in a timid and unassertive character in public and an ability to be contented with very little materially or emotionally.

Recent studies revealed a more complex character, who despite having respected the social norms of the era, was able to assert a limited independence due to her strongly opinionated personality as well as her interest in learning, sciences and culture.

Her spouse's expectations had been raised when a portrait was presented that depicted Teresa Cristina as an idealized beauty, but he was displeased by his bride's appearance upon their first meeting later that year.

Despite a cold beginning on the part of Pedro, the couple's relationship improved as time passed, due primarily to Teresa Cristina's patience, kindness and generosity.

The marriage between Teresa Cristina and Pedro II never became passionately romantic, although a bond based upon family, mutual respect and fondness did develop.

Despite having had no direct impact on Brazil's political history, Teresa Cristina is well regarded by historians not only for her character and irreproachable behavior, but also for her sponsorship of Brazilian culture.

[3] Teresa Cristina's mother was the Infanta Doña Maria Isabel (Maria Isabella), daughter of King Don Carlos IV (Charles IV) of Spain, and a younger sister of Doña Carlota Joaquina—who was the wife of King Dom João VI of Portugal and the paternal grandmother of Teresa Cristina's future husband.

[5] Some historians have more recently held to a modified view of both the Neapolitan Bourbon court as a reactionary regime and of the extent of Teresa Cristina's passivity.

"[6] Upon learning that the young emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro II, sought a wife, the government of the Two Sicilies offered the hand of Teresa Cristina.

[8] A proxy wedding was held on 30 May 1843 in Naples, Pedro II being represented by his fiancée's brother Prince Leopold, Count of Syracuse.

[26] The long-held view is that the Empress accepted the circumscribed role in which she found herself, and that her life, duty and purpose were tied to her position as the Emperor's wife.

[33] Teresa Cristina found ignoring her husband's secret infidelities—hidden from the public, though not always from the Empress—more difficult after Pedro II named an aia (governess) for their daughters on 9 November 1856.

[35] Barral possessed all the traits that Pedro II most admired in a woman: she was charming, vivacious, elegant, sophisticated, educated and confident.

[36] Charged with the education and upbringing of the young princesses, Barral soon captured the hearts of both Pedro II and his eldest daughter, Isabel.

"[38] Nonetheless, the Emperor's infatuation with the Countess sometimes put Teresa Cristina in an awkward position, as when her younger daughter Leopoldina naively asked her why Pedro II kept nudging Barral's foot during their class.

[40] Pedro II decided on a trip to Europe that same year to "cheer up" his wife among other reasons (as stated in his own words) and to pay a visit to Leopoldina's four small boys, who had lived in Coburg with their parents since the late 1860s.

Pedro II revealed in a letter written to the Countess of Barral in early 1881 that: "The [container] with the earrings which you mentioned, has been the cause for much recrimination on the part of someone [Teresa Cristina] who thinks that I have been to blame for their disappearance.

"[43] Her son-in-law, Prince Gaston, Count of Eu, wrote a letter recounting how she had accidentally broken her arm in October 1885: "On Monday 26 when crossing the library on the way to dinner with the emperor who as usual preceded her by a few steps (and with whom, I infer from what she told us, she was arguing as she sometimes does), she caught her foot in a file under a table and fell down flat face forward.

[43] The tranquil domestic routine ended when an Army faction rebelled and deposed Pedro II on 15 November 1889, ordering the entire Imperial Family to leave Brazil.

"[49] As the day passed, Teresa Cristina's breathing became increasingly labored, and the failure of her respiratory system led to cardiac arrest and death at 2:00 pm.

[52] By request of her husband, Teresa Cristina's body was carried to the Church of São Vicente de Fora near Lisbon, where it was interred in the Braganza Pantheon.

The Brazilian poet and journalist Artur Azevedo wrote of the general view toward Teresa Cristina after her death: "I never spoke to her, but also never passed her without respectifuly removing my hat and bowing myself, not to the Empress, but to the sweet and honest figure of a poor, almost humble, bourgeoise.

"[56] The Jornal do Commercio (Commercial Journal) wrote: "For forty and six years Dona Teresa Cristina lived in the Brazilian fatherland which she sincerely loved, and during that long time never, anywhere in this vast country, was her name pronounced except in praise and words of regard."

Historian Aniello Angelo Avella said that the Empress, nicknamed "by her contemporaries as 'Mother of the Brazilians'," is "completely unknown in Italy and little studied in Brazil".

[58] According to his view, the few existing sources relegate her to having "lived in the shadow of her husband, dedicating herself to her daughters' education, to home affairs, to charity."

The resulting image "is of a woman of limited culture, blank, silent, who compensated with kindness and virtues of the heart the lack of physical attributes."

[58] According to historian Eli Behar, Teresa Cristina became notable "for her discretion, which kept her far from being associated with any political movement; and for her tenderness and charity, which earned her the cognomen 'Mother of the Brazilians'.

"[60] This view is shared by historian Eugenia Zerbini, who argued that, thanks to her, Brazil now has the largest classical archaeological collection in Latin America.

Pedro II imposed only one condition: that the gift was to be named in honor of his late wife, and so it is known as the "Teresa Cristina Maria Collection".