Prince Imperial of Brazil
Encyclopedia
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Overview
According to article 105 of the Constitution of 1824, the title should be used to designate to the first in line to the imperial throne. The Constitution also specifies that the eldest son of the Imperial Prince should be designated the Prince of Grão-ParáPrince of Grão-Pará
The Prince of Grão-Pará was the title bestowed on the eldest son of the Prince Imperial of Brazil. The title holder was the second in the line of succession to the throne of the Empire of Brazil, after the Prince Imperial...
, indicating the second in line of succession.
The last Emperor of Brazil, Pedro II
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...
, died in 1891, two years after the abolition of the Brazilian monarchy. His 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....
, was the last holder of the title during the existence of the Empire. Since then, the title has been used by the heir to the Head of the Brazilian Imperial House.
All the Brazilian princes (the Imperial Prince, the Prince of Grão-Pará and the other princes) were guaranteed a seat at the Senate
Senate of Brazil
The Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States...
after they reached the age of 25. However, for various reasons, including premature death and marriage with foreign dynasts, only D. Isabel
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....
actually sat in the Senate, becoming the first Brazilian woman to be a senator.
Finally, according to the Constitution and some later rules created by the Brazilian Imperial House, the princes in the line of succession must marry with members of other dynastic houses in order to keep the égalite de naissance
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
to maintain their imperial titles. A princess who marries the head of another dynastic house would not transmit her Brazilian titles to their offspring, and the princes could not assume a foreign throne and keep their Brazilian titles. These restriction are aligned to Portuguese and French royal traditions, as well as to the Salic Law
Salic law
Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...
.
Princes Imperial of Brazil
- Maria II of Portugal (1819–1853), who was heiress presumptive from 1822 to 1825, after which she was created Princess of Grão-Pará due to the birth of her brother PedroPedro II of BrazilDom 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...
. She ascended the Portuguese throne in 1826, as Maria II of Portugal, and was no longer regarded as direct heiress to Brazil. - Pedro II of BrazilPedro II of BrazilDom 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...
(1825–1891), who was the imperial heir from 1825 until his accession to the Brazilian throne in 1831. - Januária, Princess Imperial of BrazilJanuária, Princess Imperial of BrazilJanuária Maria of Braganza was a Brazilian princess and Portuguese infanta . She was the second daughter of Pedro I of Brazil and IV of Portugal and his wife Maria Leopoldina, Archduchess of Austria...
(1822–1901), Princess Imperial from 1831 to 1845, until the birth of her nephew AfonsoAfonso, Prince Imperial of BrazilDom Afonso was the Prince Imperial and heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Brazil. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the eldest child of Emperor Dom Pedro II and Dona Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza...
. She married in 1844 Prince Louis of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, count of AquilaPrince Louis, Count of AquilaPrince Luigi Carlo Maria Giuseppe of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Aquila was a member of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.-Family:...
. - Afonso, Prince Imperial of BrazilAfonso, Prince Imperial of BrazilDom Afonso was the Prince Imperial and heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Brazil. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the eldest child of Emperor Dom Pedro II and Dona Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza...
(1845–1847), eldest son of Emperor Pedro II. - Pedro, Prince Imperial of BrazilPedro, Prince Imperial of BrazilPedro Afonso Cristiano Leopoldo Eugénio Fernando Vicente Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga was the fourth and last child of the Emperor D. Pedro II of Brazil and D. Teresa Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies....
(1848–1850), the other, and then only surviving, son of Pedro II. - Isabel, Princess Imperial of BrazilIsabel, Princess Imperial of BrazilDona Isabel , nicknamed "the Redemptress", was the heiress presumptive to the throne of the Empire of Brazil, bearing the title of Princess Imperial....
(1846–1921), Princess Imperial from the death of her elder brother Afonso in 1847 until the birth of her younger brother Pedro in 1848, and from Pedro's death in 1850 onwards. She married in 1864 Prince Gaston d'Orléans, comte d'Eu.
Claimants
Isabel, the last Princess Imperial, never ascended the throne because it was overthrown by revolution in 1889. After the 1891 death of her father, the last Brazilian emperor de facto, she became the Head of the Imperial House of Brazil, and gave the title of Prince Imperial to her eldest son, Prince Pedro de Alcântara of Orléans-Braganza. The title was not recognized by the Brazilian government, which had adopted a republican constitution.- Prince Pedro de Alcântara of Orléans-Braganza (1875–1940), who was styled Prince of Grão-ParáPrince of Grão-ParáThe Prince of Grão-Pará was the title bestowed on the eldest son of the Prince Imperial of Brazil. The title holder was the second in the line of succession to the throne of the Empire of Brazil, after the Prince Imperial...
from 1875 to 1891, adopted the style of Prince Imperial on the death of his grandfather Pedro II. On the insistence of his mother, Pedro de Alcântara renounced his Brazilian titles in 1908 to marry a non-royal, Countess Elisabeth Dobržensky de DobrženiczCountess Elisabeth Dobržensky de DobrženiczCountess Elisabeth Maria Dobržensky de Dobrženicz was the daughter of Johann Wenzel Count Dobrzensky of Dobrzenicz and his wife, Elisabeth Countess Kottulinsky, Baroness of Kottulin and Krzižkowitz ....
. The title of Prince Imperial and his place in the line of succession were transferred to his brother Prince Luis. - Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza (1878–1920), was styled Prince Imperial from 1908, after his brother's renunciation. Prince Luís and his brother Antônio GastãoPrince Antônio Gastão of Orléans-BraganzaCaptain Prince Antônio Gastão of Orléans-Braganza MC; was a Brazilian prince who served in the forces of the British Empire during World War I.-Life:...
, both died before their mother. As Pedro had renounced his rights of succession for himself and his descendants, the title of Prince Imperial was bestowed on Luís's eldest son, Pedro Henrique. - Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza , was a great-grandson of the last emperor of Brazil, Pedro II, and one of two claimants to the abolished throne.-Early life in Europe:...
(1909–1981), claimant of the title Prince of Grão-Pará from 1909 to 1920, seeing that his uncle, the former Prince of Grão-Pará and Prince Imperial, renounced his Brazilian titles in 1908. Claimed the title Prince Imperial from the death of his father in 1920 until the death of his grandmother in 1921.
Pedro de Alcântara died in 1940, the last member of the Brazilian Imperial House who had lived at the time of the Empire. His son, Prince Pedro Gastão
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...
, challenged Pedro Henrique's right to the succession in 1946, on the basis that his father's renunciation had no legal force. As a result, the Brazilian imperial family were split between a branch living at Petrópolis
Petrópolis
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....
, led by Pedro Gastão and descended from Pedro de Alcântara, and another at Vassouras
Vassouras
Vassouras is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 33,206 and its area is 552 km².Vassouras is known for its colonial-era coffee farms, including Fazenda Santa Eufrasia ....
, led by Pedro Henrique and descended from Luís.
Claimants descended from Prince Luís
- Prince Luís Gastão of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Luís Gastão of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Luís Gastão of Orléans-Braganza was a member of the House of Orléans-Braganza, and was descended from the Brazilian Imperial Family.-Life:...
(1911–1931), younger brother of Pedro Henrique, claimant of the title of Prince Imperial from the death of his grandmother in 1921 until his own death in 1931. - Princess Pia Maria of Orléans-Braganza (1913–2000), younger sister of Pedro Henrique, claimant of the title of Princess Imperial from the death of her brother Luís Gastão in 1931 until the birth of her nephew Luís in 1938.
- Prince Luís of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Luís of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Luís of Orléans-Braganza is one of the two claimants to the defunct Brazilian throne, and head of the Vassouras branch of the Brazilian Imperial House...
(born 1938), claimant of the title Prince Imperial from 1938 to 1981, until succeeding his father Prince Pedro Henrique as Head of the Vassouras branch of the Brazilian Imperial House. - Prince Bertrand of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Bertrand of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil. According to the disputed claims of the Vassouras branch of the family, he is first in the line of succession to the defunct Brazilian throne, and consequently the current Prince Imperial of Brazil.-Biography:The...
(born 1941), Prince Luís's younger brother and current claimant of the title since 1981.
Claimants descended from Prince Pedro de Alcântara
- Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza is one of two claimants to the defunct Brazilian throne, and head of the Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian Imperial House.-Life:...
(born 1945), son of Prince Pedro Gastão, claimant of the title until succeeding his father as Head of the Petrópolis branch of the imperial house in 2007. - Prince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-BraganzaPrince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza is a member of the Brazilian Imperial Family. According to the claims of the Petrópolis branch, he is the current Prince Imperial of Brazil and therefore first in line of succession to the defunct Brazilian throne.-Biography:He was born in Petrópolis the son...
(born 1979), son of Prince Pedro Carlos and claimant of the title Prince of Grão-Pará until 2007, and currently of that of the title Prince Imperial.
See also
- Prince of BrazilPrince of BrazilPrince of Brazil was a title used in the Kingdom of Portugal, for the heir of the royal House of Braganza.The title was created by King John IV of Portugal on 27 October 1645 in favor of his eldest son and heir prince Teodósio, soon after Portugal had got rid of its Spanish rulers...
, the title used by the heir to the throne of Portugal - Line of succession to the Brazilian throneLine of succession to the Brazilian throneThe Brazilian monarchy came to an end on November 15, 1889, following a military coup which overthrew Emperor Dom Pedro II. The current Brazilian Imperial Family is split into two branches: the Petrópolis and the Vassouras...