Maria I ascended jointly with her husband Pedro III in 1777, but Pedro died in May 1786, leaving her to reign alone. The "widow's veil" issues — struck 1787 and 1788 — mark that political transition, with the portrait type revised to reflect her new status as sole monarch in mourning. It was a deliberate dynastic signal, not merely a ceremonial gesture.
Maria's mental health collapsed entirely by 1792, at which point her son João assumed governance as regent. These two years of widow's coinage represent the last period she ruled with full public authority before that breakdown.
Maria I ascended jointly with her husband Pedro III in 1777, but Pedro died in May 1786, leaving her to reign alone. The "widow's veil" issues — struck 1787 and 1788 — mark that political transition, with the portrait type revised to reflect her new status as sole monarch in mourning. It was a deliberate dynastic signal, not merely a ceremonial gesture.
Maria's mental health collapsed entirely by 1792, at which point her son João assumed governance as regent. These two years of widow's coinage represent the last period she ruled with full public authority before that breakdown.