Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza
Encyclopedia
Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza (Duarte Nuno Fernando Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Francisco Xavier Raimundo António de Bragança; 23 September 1907 – 24 December 1976; duˈaɾt(ɨ) ˈnunu) was a claimant
to the throne of Portugal from 1920 until his death.
Castle in Austria
, the son of Miguel II, Duke of Braganza
and of his second wife, Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
. Duarte Nuno had two older half-brothers and eight sisters.
His paternal grandparents were Miguel of Portugal
and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. His maternal grandparents were Charles Henry, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, and Princess Sophia of Liechtenstein
.
Duarte Nuno’s father was the Miguelist
claimant to the throne of Portugal who opposed his cousins, the reign
ing line of the House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
descended from Queen Maria II. Duarte Nuno’s family had been disinherited and banished
by Maria II for rebellion. In spite of this, with the permission of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
, Portuguese soil had been placed under the bed where he was born, so that Duarte Nuno and his siblings could claim to have been born on Portuguese soil in order to comply with the Portuguese law of succession.
The day after his birth, Duarte Nuno was baptised at Seebenstein. His godparents were his aunt the Infanta Adelgundes and the husband of another aunt, the Infante Alfonso Carlos of Spain, Duke of San Jaime (both of whom were represented by proxies).
, died in 1919, and on 21 July 1920 his eldest brother, Prince Miguel, Duke of Viseu, renounced his succession rights. Ten days later on 31 July 1920 Duarte Nuno’s father, Miguel II, abdicated his claim to the Portuguese throne in favour of Duarte Nuno. Henceforth the Miguelists recognised Duarte Nuno as King Duarte II of Portugal, even though Portugal had become a republic in 1910 when Maria II’s great-grandson, King Manuel II
(who was still living in 1920), was sent into exile. Duarte Nuno used Duke of Braganza as a title of pretense
.
Since Duarte Nuno was only twelve years old when he succeeded as Miguelist claimant to the Portuguese throne, his aunt, Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarães
, acted as regent
for him until he attained his majority. In 1921, she issued a manifesto
outlining the family’s goals for the restoration of the monarchy.
The abdication of Duarte Nuno’s father was intended to improve the relationship between the two monarchist groups in Portugal: the supporters of the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg line of Manuel II and the supporters of the Miguelist line of Duarte Nuno. The Braganza-Saxe-Coburg line was called "constitutional" because it had accepted a liberal
constitution for Portugal.
absolutism
, while the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha's
adhered to Constitutional monarchy
.
In 1912, Duarte Nuno’s father, Miguel, met with Manuel to try to come to some agreement so that there would not be two claimants to the Portuguese throne, both living in exile. Their representatives alegally signed the Pact of Dover by which Miguel recognised Manuel as king, while Manuel recognised the succession rights of Duarte Nuno should Manuel and his uncle Afonso die without children. The pact was unpopular with the supporters of both sides, some claiming that it was never actually signed.
On 17 April 1922 a second agreement called the Pact of Paris was signed by the representatives of Duarte Nuno and Manuel in which Manuel agreed that the Cortes should select his heir if he died without descendants, while Duarte Nuno agreed to ask and recommend that his followers accept Manuel as king-in-exile.
Strictly speaking the Pact of Dover and the Pact of Paris were only private agreements and had no legal value. Nor did King Manuel agree to any provision in the latter pact which contravened Portugal's last monarchist constitution. But the agreements were important steps in reconciling the Miguelist and the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg branches of Portugal's royal family, and helped move the supporters of each toward a united monarchist movement.
In 1927, Duarte Nuno’s father died. On 2 July 1932 Manuel II died. Henceforth, the majority of monarchists, both Miguelist and constitutional, supported Duarte Nuno as claimant to the Portuguese throne. João António de Azevedo Coutinho, the head of Causa Monárquica and Manuel II’s lieutenant while he was in exile, published a declaration in support of Duarte Nuno. Later Duarte Nuno was received in audience in Paris by Manuel’s mother, Queen Amelie.
While Duarte Nuno was accepted by most monarchists, there were some constitutionalists who continued to contest his claim. Duarte Nuno was undoubtedly the legal heir of his grandfather, Miguel I, but there were doubts about whether he was the legal heir of the last reigning king of Portugal, Manuel II. Articles 87 and 88 of the Constitutional Charter of 1826, in force when the monarchy was overthrown, stated that the throne passed first to the descendants of Queen Maria II (from whom Duarte Nuno was not descended), and only when they were extinct to collateral heirs. Maria II had living descendants in 1932, but none of these had Portuguese nationality. Article 89 of the 1826 Charter stipulated that "no foreigner may succeed to the crown of the kingdom of Portugal".
There was also some doubt about Duarte Nuno’s nationality. Duarte Nuno’s grandfather had been sent into exile by the law of 19 December 1834. Neither Duarte Nuno nor his father were born in Portugal, but Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria had granted extraterritoriality
to Duarte Nuno’s birthplace. Article 8 of the 1826 Charter stated that Portuguese citizenship is lost "by those who are banished by sentence". The fact that Duarte Nuno and his father had not been born in Portugal, and the fact that their family had been banished from Portugal, could therefore be used as arguments against them by their opponents (D. Duarte's line was not banished by judicial sentence, however the 1834 constitution in force at the time of D. Miguel I's banishment did not protect the citizenship of those exile
d by law). On the other hand, when the Constitutional Charter of 1826 was re-instated in 1842, it cancelled the 1834 charter's clause depriving Miguel I and his heirs of succession rights as dynasts
. Their banishment had not, however, been stipulated in that charter, but in a separate law that was not repealed until 1950.
A small minority of monarchists looked for a candidate other than Duarte Nuno. Manuel's genealogical
heir at his death in 1932 was ex-Crown Prince George of Saxony (a great-grandson of Maria II), but he was not Portuguese; he was also a Catholic priest. The genealogical heir of Maria II's younger brother Emperor Pedro II of Brazil
was his grandson Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
; he too was not Portuguese, but the fact that he was Brazil
ian and therefore imbued with Portuguese culture made him a somewhat attractive candidate. The closest heir who was undoubtedly Portuguese was Constança Berquó de Mendonça, 4th Duchess of Loulé
(a great-great-granddaughter of King John VI
), but her branch of the family put forth no claim at that time. Later, a lady calling herself Maria Pia de Saxe-Coburgo e Bragança, claimed to be the bastard
daughter of King Charles I
, also claimed to have succession rights. Her supporters played upon the traditional rivalry between the Miguelist line and the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg ang Gotha line to advance her cause.
monk Frei Estevao from the monastery of Cucujaes. Duarte Nuno attended school at the Abbey of Ettal
in Bavaria
and the Abbey of Clairvaux
in France
and then completed his secondary education in Regensburg
. He received a degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Toulouse
. Although forbidden entry to Portugal by the law of exile against the descendants of Miguel I, he visited the country in secret in 1929.
in Brazil
, Duarte Nuno married Princess Maria Francisca of Orleans-Braganza
(8 September 1914 - 15 January 1968), daughter of Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão Para. The marriage was particularly popular since Maria Francisca was the great-granddaughter of Pedro II of Brazil
, the younger brother of Queen Maria II. The marriage thus united the two rival lines of the Portuguese royal family. Maria Francisca and her family were also viewed as representatives of a liberal monarchy as opposed to the traditional conservatism of Duarte Nuno's family.
Duarte Nuno and Maria Francisca had three sons:
, relinquished to Maria Francisca and her heirs his rights to the title of Duke of Braganza
, which had been created in 1816 in favor of his great-great-grandfather, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil.
In 1826, Emperor Pedro I succeeded as King Pedro IV of Portugal, but two months later he was forced to abdicate in favor of his daughter, Maria II, although he remained emperor of Brazil. Some jurist
s held that Pedro had continued to be Duke of Braganza. Certainly after Pedro abdicated as emperor of Brazil and returned to Portugal in 1831, he used the title Duke of Braganza until his death in 1834. These same jurists held that the title passed to Pedro's son and heir in Brazil, Emperor Pedro II who, after he was deposed in 1889, used the title during his exile in France. The title was then inherited by Pedro II's daughter Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
, then by her eldest son Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão Para, and then in turn by his son, Pedro Gastão. Under traditional Portuguese nobiliary
law, Prince Pedro Gastão could alter the succession to the title by relinquishing it to his sister. Accordingly, Duarte Nuno regarded his wife and himself as the holders of the title of Duke of Braganza from the creation of 1816.
in which he was seriously injured. He was presented with a residence in Portugal by the Fundação Casa de Bragança.
Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar
thought about restoring the monarchy in 1951, after the death of President Óscar Carmona
, but he chose instead to maintain the post of republican Head of State
as it had appeared in the Constitution of 1933.
In 1974, Duarte Nuno handed over his residence, the Palácio de São Marcos, to the University of Coimbra. From then until his death two years later, he lived in southern Portugal with his unmarried sister, the Infanta Filippa. American author Walter J. P. Curley interviewed Duarte Nuno near the end of his life, and his book Monarchs in Waiting describes Duarte Nuno as suffering from "nervous depression" since the death of his wife.
Duarte Nuno was Grand Master
of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
and Sovereign of the Order of Saint Isabel
. He was a Bailiff
Grand Cross
of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
and a Knight of the (Austrian) Order of the Golden Fleece
.
Duarte Nuno is buried in the Augustinian monastery in Vila Viçosa
, the traditional burial place of the dukes of Braganza.
Cabral, Antonio. El-Rei D. Duarte II: rei morto, rei posto, a sua vida, os seus direitos, paginas de historia. Lisbon: Livraria popular de F. Franco, 1934.
Galvão, Manuel de Bettencourt e. O Duque de Bragança. Lisbon: Edições Gama, 1945.
Miranda, Jorge O Constitucionalismo luso-brasileiro. Lisboa: Comissão nacional para as comemorações dos descobrimentos Portugueses. 2001 ISBN-972-787-034-1
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
to the throne of Portugal from 1920 until his death.
Birth
Duarte Nuno Fernando Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Francisco Xavier Raimundo António de Bragança was born at SeebensteinSeebenstein
Seebenstein is a town in the district of Neunkirchen in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
Castle in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the son of Miguel II, Duke of Braganza
Miguel II, Duke of Braganza
Miguel II of Braganza was the Miguelist claimant to the throne of Portugal from 1866 to 1920. He used the title Duke of Braganza.-Biography:...
and of his second wife, Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg was a Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and a member of the House of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg by birth and an Infanta of Portugal, Duchess consort of...
. Duarte Nuno had two older half-brothers and eight sisters.
His paternal grandparents were Miguel of Portugal
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. His maternal grandparents were Charles Henry, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, and Princess Sophia of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
.
Duarte Nuno’s father was the Miguelist
Miguelista
In the history of Portugal, a Miguelista was a supporter of the legitimacy of the king Miguel I of Portugal. The name is also given to those who supported absolutism as form of government, in opposition to the liberals who intended the establishment of a constitutional regime in Portugal....
claimant to the throne of Portugal who opposed his cousins, the reign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
ing line of the House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
The House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a branch of the House of Braganza that ruled the Kingdom of Portugal from 1853 until the declaration of the republic in 1910....
descended from Queen Maria II. Duarte Nuno’s family had been disinherited and banished
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
by Maria II for rebellion. In spite of this, with the permission of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
, Portuguese soil had been placed under the bed where he was born, so that Duarte Nuno and his siblings could claim to have been born on Portuguese soil in order to comply with the Portuguese law of succession.
The day after his birth, Duarte Nuno was baptised at Seebenstein. His godparents were his aunt the Infanta Adelgundes and the husband of another aunt, the Infante Alfonso Carlos of Spain, Duke of San Jaime (both of whom were represented by proxies).
Succession as Miguelist claimant
Duarte Nuno’s second brother, Prince Francis Joseph of BraganzaPrince Francis Joseph of Braganza
Prince Francis Joseph of Braganza was a member of the exiled branch of House of Braganza and an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army. During his life he was involved in a number incidents ranging from sex scandals to swindles...
, died in 1919, and on 21 July 1920 his eldest brother, Prince Miguel, Duke of Viseu, renounced his succession rights. Ten days later on 31 July 1920 Duarte Nuno’s father, Miguel II, abdicated his claim to the Portuguese throne in favour of Duarte Nuno. Henceforth the Miguelists recognised Duarte Nuno as King Duarte II of Portugal, even though Portugal had become a republic in 1910 when Maria II’s great-grandson, King Manuel II
Manuel II of Portugal
Manuel II , named Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Francisco de Assis Eugénio de Bragança Orleães Sabóia e Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha — , was the last King of Portugal from 1908 to 1910, ascending the throne after the assassination of his father and elder brother Manuel...
(who was still living in 1920), was sent into exile. Duarte Nuno used Duke of Braganza as a title of pretense
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
.
Since Duarte Nuno was only twelve years old when he succeeded as Miguelist claimant to the Portuguese throne, his aunt, Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarães
Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarães
Infanta Adelgundes of Portugal, Duchess of Guimarães was the fifth child and fourth daughter of Miguel of Portugal and his wife Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. A member of the House of Braganza by birth, Adelgundes became a member of the House of Bourbon-Parma through her marriage to...
, acted as 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...
for him until he attained his majority. In 1921, she issued a manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
outlining the family’s goals for the restoration of the monarchy.
The abdication of Duarte Nuno’s father was intended to improve the relationship between the two monarchist groups in Portugal: the supporters of the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg line of Manuel II and the supporters of the Miguelist line of Duarte Nuno. The Braganza-Saxe-Coburg line was called "constitutional" because it had accepted a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
constitution for Portugal.
Succession as Constitutional claimant
After the death of his uncle Afonso in 1920, ex-King Manuel II had no close relatives who could claim the throne according to the Constitutional Charter of 1826 (the constitution in force from 1842 until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1910). The conflict between the Miguelist line and the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha's was not just about which person should be sovereign; it was also about how much power the sovereign should have. The Miguelists upheld Portugal's tradition of autocraticAutocracy
An autocracy is a form of government in which one person is the supreme power within the state. It is derived from the Greek : and , and may be translated as "one who rules by himself". It is distinct from oligarchy and democracy...
absolutism
Absolutism (European history)
Absolutism or The Age of Absolutism is a historiographical term used to describe a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites...
, while the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha's
House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
The House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a branch of the House of Braganza that ruled the Kingdom of Portugal from 1853 until the declaration of the republic in 1910....
adhered to Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
.
In 1912, Duarte Nuno’s father, Miguel, met with Manuel to try to come to some agreement so that there would not be two claimants to the Portuguese throne, both living in exile. Their representatives alegally signed the Pact of Dover by which Miguel recognised Manuel as king, while Manuel recognised the succession rights of Duarte Nuno should Manuel and his uncle Afonso die without children. The pact was unpopular with the supporters of both sides, some claiming that it was never actually signed.
On 17 April 1922 a second agreement called the Pact of Paris was signed by the representatives of Duarte Nuno and Manuel in which Manuel agreed that the Cortes should select his heir if he died without descendants, while Duarte Nuno agreed to ask and recommend that his followers accept Manuel as king-in-exile.
Strictly speaking the Pact of Dover and the Pact of Paris were only private agreements and had no legal value. Nor did King Manuel agree to any provision in the latter pact which contravened Portugal's last monarchist constitution. But the agreements were important steps in reconciling the Miguelist and the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg branches of Portugal's royal family, and helped move the supporters of each toward a united monarchist movement.
In 1927, Duarte Nuno’s father died. On 2 July 1932 Manuel II died. Henceforth, the majority of monarchists, both Miguelist and constitutional, supported Duarte Nuno as claimant to the Portuguese throne. João António de Azevedo Coutinho, the head of Causa Monárquica and Manuel II’s lieutenant while he was in exile, published a declaration in support of Duarte Nuno. Later Duarte Nuno was received in audience in Paris by Manuel’s mother, Queen Amelie.
While Duarte Nuno was accepted by most monarchists, there were some constitutionalists who continued to contest his claim. Duarte Nuno was undoubtedly the legal heir of his grandfather, Miguel I, but there were doubts about whether he was the legal heir of the last reigning king of Portugal, Manuel II. Articles 87 and 88 of the Constitutional Charter of 1826, in force when the monarchy was overthrown, stated that the throne passed first to the descendants of Queen Maria II (from whom Duarte Nuno was not descended), and only when they were extinct to collateral heirs. Maria II had living descendants in 1932, but none of these had Portuguese nationality. Article 89 of the 1826 Charter stipulated that "no foreigner may succeed to the crown of the kingdom of Portugal".
There was also some doubt about Duarte Nuno’s nationality. Duarte Nuno’s grandfather had been sent into exile by the law of 19 December 1834. Neither Duarte Nuno nor his father were born in Portugal, but Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria had granted extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations...
to Duarte Nuno’s birthplace. Article 8 of the 1826 Charter stated that Portuguese citizenship is lost "by those who are banished by sentence". The fact that Duarte Nuno and his father had not been born in Portugal, and the fact that their family had been banished from Portugal, could therefore be used as arguments against them by their opponents (D. Duarte's line was not banished by judicial sentence, however the 1834 constitution in force at the time of D. Miguel I's banishment did not protect the citizenship of those exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d by law). On the other hand, when the Constitutional Charter of 1826 was re-instated in 1842, it cancelled the 1834 charter's clause depriving Miguel I and his heirs of succession rights as dynasts
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
. Their banishment had not, however, been stipulated in that charter, but in a separate law that was not repealed until 1950.
A small minority of monarchists looked for a candidate other than Duarte Nuno. Manuel's genealogical
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
heir at his death in 1932 was ex-Crown Prince George of Saxony (a great-grandson of Maria II), but he was not Portuguese; he was also a Catholic priest. The genealogical heir of Maria II's younger brother Emperor Pedro II of Brazil
Pedro II of Brazil
Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
was his grandson Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza was one of two claimants to the Brazilian throne and head of the Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian Imperial House.-Biography:Prince Pedro Gastão was the son of Prince Pedro de Alcântara...
; he too was not Portuguese, but the fact that he was 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 and therefore imbued with Portuguese culture made him a somewhat attractive candidate. The closest heir who was undoubtedly Portuguese was Constança Berquó de Mendonça, 4th Duchess of Loulé
Duke of Loulé
Duke of Loulé is a Portuguese title that was originally granted to the family of Moura Barreto.The dukedom was created by a royal decree of King Luis I of Portugal, dated from October 3, 1862, to his grand-uncle Nuno José Severo de Mendoça Rolim de Moura Barreto, 2nd Marquis of Loulé and 9th Count...
(a great-great-granddaughter of King John VI
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...
), but her branch of the family put forth no claim at that time. Later, a lady calling herself Maria Pia de Saxe-Coburgo e Bragança, claimed to be the bastard
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
daughter of King Charles I
Carlos I of Portugal
-Assassination:On 1 February 1908 the royal family returned from the palace of Vila Viçosa to Lisbon. They travelled by train to Barreiro and, from there, they took a steamer to cross the Tagus River and disembarked at Cais do Sodré in central Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the open...
, also claimed to have succession rights. Her supporters played upon the traditional rivalry between the Miguelist line and the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg ang Gotha line to advance her cause.
Education
Duarte Nuno’s first tutors were two Portuguese ladies, Maria Luisa Castelo and Maria das Dores de Sousa Prego. Later he was taught by the BenedictineOrder of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
monk Frei Estevao from the monastery of Cucujaes. Duarte Nuno attended school at the Abbey of Ettal
Ettal Abbey
Ettal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the village of Ettal close to Oberammergau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. With a community of more than 50 monks, with another five at Wechselburg, the Abbey is one of the largest Benedictine houses and is a major attraction for...
in 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...
and the Abbey of Clairvaux
Clairvaux Abbey
Clairvaux Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 km from Bar-sur-Aube, in the Aube département in northeastern France. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; a high-security prison, the Clairvaux Prison, now occupies the grounds...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and then completed his secondary education in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
. He received a degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Toulouse
University of Toulouse
The Université de Toulouse is a consortium of French universities, grandes écoles and other institutions of higher education and research, named after one of the earliest universities established in Europe in 1229, and including the successor universities to that earlier university...
. Although forbidden entry to Portugal by the law of exile against the descendants of Miguel I, he visited the country in secret in 1929.
Marriage and children
On 15 October 1942, in the cathedral of PetropolisPetrópolis
Petrópolis , also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro....
in 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...
, Duarte Nuno married Princess Maria Francisca of Orleans-Braganza
Princess Francisca of Orléans-Braganza
Dona Maria Francisca, Princess of Orléans-Braganza, Duchess of Braganza , was a great-granddaughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil through his daughter Isabel, Princess Imperial and titular Empress....
(8 September 1914 - 15 January 1968), daughter of Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão Para. The marriage was particularly popular since Maria Francisca was the great-granddaughter of Pedro II of Brazil
Pedro II of Brazil
Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
, the younger brother of Queen Maria II. The marriage thus united the two rival lines of the Portuguese royal family. Maria Francisca and her family were also viewed as representatives of a liberal monarchy as opposed to the traditional conservatism of Duarte Nuno's family.
Duarte Nuno and Maria Francisca had three sons:
- Duarte PioDuarte Pio, Duke of BraganzaDom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza , is the 24th Duke of Braganza and a pretender to the throne of Portugal.-Birth and education:...
, current Duke of Braganza (born 1945). - Miguel, 7th Duke of ViseuInfante Miguel, Duke of ViseuThe Infante Miguel, Duke of Viseu is the second son of Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza and his wife Princess Maria Francisca of Orleans-Braganza...
(born 1946). - Henrique, 4th Duke of CoimbraInfante Henrique, Duke of CoimbraThe Infante Henrique, Duke of Coimbra , born 6 November 1949, is the third son and youngest child of Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza and his wife Princess Francisca of Orléans-Braganza...
(born 1949).
Transfer of 1816 title of Duke of Braganza
In 1945, Maria Francisca’s brother, Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza was one of two claimants to the Brazilian throne and head of the Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian Imperial House.-Biography:Prince Pedro Gastão was the son of Prince Pedro de Alcântara...
, relinquished to Maria Francisca and her heirs his rights to the title of Duke of Braganza
Duke of Braganza
The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...
, which had been created in 1816 in favor of his great-great-grandfather, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil.
In 1826, Emperor Pedro I succeeded as King Pedro IV of Portugal, but two months later he was forced to abdicate in favor of his daughter, Maria II, although he remained emperor of Brazil. Some jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
s held that Pedro had continued to be Duke of Braganza. Certainly after Pedro abdicated as emperor of Brazil and returned to Portugal in 1831, he used the title Duke of Braganza until his death in 1834. These same jurists held that the title passed to Pedro's son and heir in Brazil, Emperor Pedro II who, after he was deposed in 1889, used the title during his exile in France. The title was then inherited by Pedro II's daughter Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
Dona Isabel , nicknamed "the Redemptress", was the heiress presumptive to the throne of the Empire of Brazil, bearing the title of Princess Imperial....
, then by her eldest son Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão Para, and then in turn by his son, Pedro Gastão. Under traditional Portuguese nobiliary
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...
law, Prince Pedro Gastão could alter the succession to the title by relinquishing it to his sister. Accordingly, Duarte Nuno regarded his wife and himself as the holders of the title of Duke of Braganza from the creation of 1816.
Return to Portugal
On 27 May 1950 the National Assembly repealed the laws of exile of 19 December 1834 and 15 October 1910. Duarte Nuno, however, did not return to Portugal until 1952 on account of a car accident in ThionvilleThionville
Thionville , is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.-Demographics:...
in which he was seriously injured. He was presented with a residence in Portugal by the Fundação Casa de Bragança.
Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
thought about restoring the monarchy in 1951, after the death of President Óscar Carmona
Óscar Carmona
António Óscar Fragoso Carmona, ComC, GCA, ComSE, was the 11th President of Portugal , having been Minister of War in 1923.-Political Origin:...
, but he chose instead to maintain the post of republican Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
as it had appeared in the Constitution of 1933.
In 1974, Duarte Nuno handed over his residence, the Palácio de São Marcos, to the University of Coimbra. From then until his death two years later, he lived in southern Portugal with his unmarried sister, the Infanta Filippa. American author Walter J. P. Curley interviewed Duarte Nuno near the end of his life, and his book Monarchs in Waiting describes Duarte Nuno as suffering from "nervous depression" since the death of his wife.
Duarte Nuno was Grand Master
Grand Master (order)
Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various orders of knighthood, including various military orders, religious orders and civil orders such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orange Order...
of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
The Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa is an dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Braganza, the former Portuguese Royal Family...
and Sovereign of the Order of Saint Isabel
Order of Saint Isabel
The Order of Queen Saint Isabel is a dynastic order of which the Grand Mistress is the Duchess of Braganza.- History :...
. He was a Bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
Grand Cross
Grand Cross
The phrase Grand Cross is used to denote the highest grade in many orders of knighthood. Sometimes the holders of the highest grade are referred to "knights grand cross" or just "grand crosses"; in other cases the actual insignia itself is called "the grand cross".Alternatively, in some other...
of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
and a Knight of the (Austrian) Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
.
Duarte Nuno is buried in the Augustinian monastery in Vila Viçosa
Vila Viçosa
Vila Viçosa is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 195.0 km² and a total population of 8,745 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora....
, the traditional burial place of the dukes of Braganza.
Ancestry
Further reading
D. Duarte Nuno de Bragança, um rei que não reinou: testemunhos sobre a vida e a obra de D. Duarte II, Chefe da Casa Real Portuguesa. Lisbon, 1992.Cabral, Antonio. El-Rei D. Duarte II: rei morto, rei posto, a sua vida, os seus direitos, paginas de historia. Lisbon: Livraria popular de F. Franco, 1934.
Galvão, Manuel de Bettencourt e. O Duque de Bragança. Lisbon: Edições Gama, 1945.
Miranda, Jorge O Constitucionalismo luso-brasileiro. Lisboa: Comissão nacional para as comemorações dos descobrimentos Portugueses. 2001 ISBN-972-787-034-1