Duke of Braganza
| Duke of Braganza | |
|---|---|
| Former Monarchy | |
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| Ducal Coat of arms | |
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| Duarte Pio | |
| First monarch | Afonso I |
| Last monarch | Luis I |
| Official residence | |
| Monarchy started | 1442 |
| Monarchy ended | 1 February 1908 |
| Current pretender | Duarte Pio |
The title Duke of Braganza (Portuguese: Duque de Bragança) 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 sometimes also as Prince of Beira. The tradition of the heir to the throne being titled Duke of Braganza was revived by various pretenders after the foundation of the Portuguese Republic on 5 October 1910 to signify their claims to the throne.
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[edit] History of Dukedom
[edit] Feudal dukes
The Duke of Braganza holds one of the most important dukedoms in Portugal, see Duchy of Braganza (Bragança) . Created in 1442 by King Afonso V of Portugal for his uncle Afonso, Count of Barcelos (natural son of King John I of Portugal), it is one of the oldest fiefdoms in Portugal.
By 1640, Portugal was on the verge of rebellion against Spanish rule, and a new Portuguese king had to be found. The choice fell upon the eighth duke of Braganza, João II, who had a claim to the throne of Portugal both through his grandmother Catherine of Guimarães, a legitimate granddaughter of King Manuel I, and through his great-great-grandfather, the 4th duke of Braganza, a nephew of King Manuel I. Duke João II was a modest man without particular ambitions to the crown. Legend has it that his wife Luisa of Guzman urged him to accept the offer by saying, "I'd rather be Queen for one day than duchess for a lifetime". He accepted the leadership of the rebellion against Spain, which was successful, and was acclaimed King John IV of Portugal on 1 December 1640.
[edit] Dukedom in the Braganza monarchy
After the accession of the House of Braganza to the Portuguese throne in 1640 as a replacement for the Philippine Dynasty of Spanish Habsburgs, the Dukedom of Braganza became linked to the crown. Duke of Braganza became the traditional title of the heir to the Portuguese throne, together with or alternate to Prince of Beira, much as Prince of Wales is in the United Kingdom. After the 8th Duke had ascended the royal throne, he elevated his son and heir Teodósio to the newly-created rank of Prince of Brazil in 1645, but granted the Duchy of Braganza to his brother, the Infante Duarte, who died in 1649 in Spanish captivity. Then it was granted to king's second son, the future Afonso VI of Portugal.
From this onwards, the Duke of Braganza was kept for the heir apparent of the throne – in its strictest sense. Although the other title for an unavoidable heir, that of Prince of Brazil, was from time to time granted even to female heirs, the Duke of Braganza was always reserved only for the male heir except for two extraordinary creations, in 1683 and 1711. These two creations are deemed invalid by some legalists, who accordingly number the dukes in a way that Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, the last Duke of Braganza during the period of Portuguese monarchy, is reckoned to be the 21st Duke. The present table reflects a numbering that specifies him as the 21st Duke.
When Emperor Pedro I of Brazil abdicated his throne in 1831, he retained his title Duke of Braganza. After his death in 1834, it was (possibly erroneously[weasel words]) regarded to have reverted to the Portuguese crown and passed to his grandson Pedro of Coburg upon his birth in 1837. However, in 1889, Pedro I's son and heir, the deposed emperor Pedro II of Brazil, took over the use of this ducal title[citation needed]. At that point, for two subsequent years, there were two dukes[citation needed]: the deposed emperor Pedro II who lived in France, and the very young Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, in Lisbon.
On 1 February 1908 King Charles I of Portugal was murdered with his eldest son and heir, Luís Filipe, the last individual during the monarchy to carry that title. Carlos was succeeded by Manuel II of Portugal but for a short time: on 5 October 1910, a republic was instituted, and the king was exiled. King Manuel II then settled in England.
[edit] Dukes in the post-monarchy era
After the foundation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910, the tradition of the heir to the throne being titled Duke of Braganza was revived by various pretenders to signify their claims to the throne.
In the last years of the deposed king Manuel II of Portugal, the dukedom of Bragança allegedly passed to Miguel II, son of the exiled king Miguel I of Portugal, who was living in the Austrian Empire. His branch of the Braganza family allegedly became heirs to the crown in 1932, when Manuel II died without children. These Braganzas were officially allowed to return to the country in 1950 and have lived there ever since.
Presently, the commonly acknowledged duke of Braganza and Portuguese heir is Duarte Pio of Braganza (born 1945). Unlike some European countries (such as Greece), which continue to forbid the presence of the heirs of former royal houses in their lands, republican Portugal and its claimants to the throne have long been reconciled, a fact shown when among the guests at the wedding of Duarte Pio was the President of the Portuguese Republic and the country's prime minister of Portugal.
[edit] List of Dukes of Braganza
[edit] See also
- Portuguese nobility
- Duke of Barcelos
- Duke of Guimarães
- List of Portuguese monarchs
- List of dukes of Braganza
- List of Portuguese Dukedoms
- Kings of Portugal family tree
- House of Burgundy
- House of Aviz
- Philippine Dynasty
- House of Braganza
- Timeline of Portuguese history
[edit] External links
[edit] Bibliography
- "Nobreza de Portugal e Brasil", Vol. II, pages 433/449. Published by Zairol Lda., 1989, Lisbon.
