Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza

Duarte Pio of Bragança (born May 15 1945, Berne), pron. IPA [du'aɾtɨ piw], is the 24th Duke of Bragança and the pretender to the throne of Portugal.

Duarte Pio
Pretender
Born	May 15 1945
Regnal name claimed	none
Title(s)	Duke of Bragança
Throne(s) claimed	Portugal
Monarchy abolished	1910
Last monarch	Manuel II
Connection with	third cousin once removed
Royal House	House of Bragança

He is the eldest son of Duarte Nuno of Bragança (1907-1976) by his wife Princess Maria Francisca de Orleans e Bragança (1914-1968). His godfather was Pope Pius XII. Although Portugal has been a republic for nearly a century, the births of his children were treated as national events, while his wedding was attended by the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic.

Styles

The vast majority of monarchic supporters give the Duke the style SAR O Duque de Bragança (equivalent to HRH The Duke of Bragança).

Birth and education

Duarte Pio was born during his father's exile in Switzerland. In 1950 Portugal repealed the Ban Law, which excluded the Royal Family from the country, allowing the duke and his family to return. Duarte was educated in the Military College and graduated in Agronomic Sciences.

Clashes with Portugal's fascist regime

During the Portuguese Wars in Africa, Duarte Pio served as an Air Force Lieutenant of the Republican Army (and therefore he swore fidelity to the Republic) in Angola from 1968 to 1971. He was later connected with Angolan nationalist leaders, a fact that got him into trouble with the Portuguese Fascist regime. He proceeded with his contacts with local population, however, including ethnic and religious leaders.

Inherited title

He inherited the Duchy of Bragança and the claim to the Portuguese throne in 1976, when his father died.

Opposition to Duarte Pio's claims and Legal and Constitutional Considerations

The last Monarchic Constitution of 1838 in the article 98 perpetually excluded from the succession the collateral line of the usurper king Miguel of Portugal and all his descendants, of which now Duarte Pio of Bragança is one. This proscription was confirmed also in the 1910 with a decree of the first Repubblic Governement (art.3 of this decree). Only in the 1950 with the intervention of the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar this law was revoked. Many monarchists assert no value to this dictator act because only a monarchic authority, as the Cortes, could modify this monarchic law and not a Repubblic authority as in this case. They affirm was only a political favour.

Another important point concerning the opposition of Duarte Pio claims and rivendications as Duke of Braganza is the fact he born in Berna, in Swiss territory, and his father was Austrian. So in really Duarte Pio of Braganza is a Swiss born. Infact the Ban Law prevented to enter in portuguese territory (as in this case could be the embassy) to all Braganza exponents and so also these miguelist exponents. The last Constitution excluded to succession also who born out portuguese territory, as is the case of Duarte Pio.

The miguelist supporters claim the validity of a supposed “Pact of Paris” in the 1922 when a representative of the king Manuel II of Portugal would have abdicated in favour of Duarte Nuno of Braganza that would have become the Duke of Braganza. The truth is there are no proof of this “pact” and to the end in that year the king Manuel was in good health and so there are no reason of him hypothetical abdication in favour of a pretender exclused from the last Monarchic Constitution.

Another objection to Duarte Pio claim is based in the fact he served the Repubblican Army as an Air Force Lieutenant in Angola from 1968 to 1971. An important principle of the International Law, called "Debellatio", establishes that when a pretender serve the Repubblican Army and therefore swear fidelity to Repubbic consequently lose all the rights as pretender to the throne.

Duarte Pio of Braganza now affirms to be the closest relative to the last king of Portugal. The opponents to Duarte assert also if for absurdity we don't consider the existence of the others two declared pretenders, in really there are others 35 pretenders more close as relative to the last king of Portugal than Duarte Pio of Braganza and so with more rights in the dynastic succession according to the article 96 of the last monarchic Constitution.

Is interesting to note also the unique monarchic Party in Portugal, the P.P.M. (the Popular Monarchic Party) excludes as legitimate head of the Royal House of Portugal Duarte Pio of Braganza for the reasons above exposed.

The Duarte Pio opposition claims the rights as legitimate heir of the Royal House of Portugal of Maria Pia of Braganza or the Duke of Loulé.

Campaigner for East Timor

Duarte Pio was a public campaigner for the rights of East Timor. Formerly a Portuguese colony, it was forcibly occupied and subsequently ruled as an oppressed province by Indonesia. Even before the political leaders of the world considered Timor an issue, Duarte Pio organized several national and international campaigns for the cause of Timor. However, when the country got its independence, Duarte Pio was not invited to the national celebrations.

Ancestors

Duarte's ancestors in three generations

Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza	Father: Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza	Father's father: Miguel II, Duke of Braganza	Father's father's father: Miguel of Portugal
			Father's father's mother: Adelheid of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
		Father's mother: Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort	Father's mother's father: Charles Henry, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort
			Father's mother's mother: Princess Sophia of Liechtenstein
	Mother: Princess Maria Francisca of Orléans-Braganza	Mother's father: Pedro, Prince of Grão-Pará	Mother's father's father: Gaston, comte d'Eu
			Mother's father's mother: Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
		Mother's mother: Elisabeth, Countess Dobrzensky of Dobrzenicz	Mother's mother's father: John Vaclav II, Count Dobrzensky
			Mother's mother's mother: Elisabeth Josepha of Kottulinsky

Marriage

In May 13 1995, Duarte Pio married Isabel de Herédia, a Portuguese businesswoman. The ceremony, celebrated in the Monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon, was attended by the principal Portuguese political figures, including the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic, and representatives of most European Royal Houses, and was a nationwide event.

Children

Three children have been born from this marriage:

• HRH Afonso of Bragança, Prince of Beira, Duke of Barcelos and future Duke of Bragança (born March 25, 1996)
• HRH Maria Francisca of Bragança, Infanta of Portugal (born March 3, 1997)
• HRH Dinis of Bragança, Duke of Porto (born November 25, 1999)

See also: Duchy of Bragança – Portuguese monarchs

External links

• Official Website of the Duke of Braganza
• Fundacao da Casa de Bragança Foundation of the House of Bragança.