Brazilian imperial family

The Imperial House of Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese: Casa Imperial Brasileira) is a Brazilian dynasty of Portuguese origin and a cadet branch of the House of Braganza. It reigned over the Brazilian Empire from 1822 to 1889, beginning with the proclamation of Brazilian independence by Dom Pedro of Braganza, then Prince Royal of Portugal, and ending with the deposition of Emperor Pedro II during the military coup that established the First Brazilian Republic.

Members of the Imperial House are dynastic descendants of Emperor Pedro I. After the abolition of the monarchy, leadership of the imperial legacy came to be claimed by descendants of Emperor Pedro II, giving rise to two competing lines within the House of Orléans-Braganza: the Direct Line called Petrópolis branch and a Cadet Line called Vassouras branch. The Petrópolis line is headed by Prince Dom Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (born 1945) and the only descendants residing in the Imperial Palace of Grão-Pará in the Imperial City of Petrópolis, while the Vassouras branch is led by his second cousin, Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza.

The rivalry between the two branches dates to 1946, when Dom Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza repudiated the statement of not making usage of his dynastic rights made by his father, Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará, following the latter’s marriage in 1908. Since then, both lines have maintained competing claims to the symbolic headship of the former Brazilian imperial family.

History

thumb|left|[[Pedro II of Brazil|Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil, with his wife Teresa Cristina, and their daughters Isabel (in blue gown) and Leopoldina, 1857]]

Founded by Pedro of Braganza, until then Prince Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, member of the House of Braganza, heir apparent to the Portuguese throne and the King's representative in the Kingdom of Brazil as Prince Regent, the Imperial House of Brazil was sovereign from 7 September 1822, when Prince Pedro proclaimed the independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves and was subsequently acclaimed as Emperor of Brazil on 12 October that same year until 15 November 1889, when a military coup d'état took place and the proclamation of the Brazilian republic overthrew the monarchy.

thumb|alt=Photograph of a group of people assembled on a columned porch at the top of a flight of steps, with one older lady seated, one younger lady leaning on the arm of an older bearded man, two younger men and three small boys|The last picture of the reigning imperial family in Brazil, 1889

Prince Pedro, then, was acclaimed as Emperor of Brazil throughout the land. The constitution of the Brazilian Empire of 1824 – the first Brazilian constitutional charter – was organized two years after independence, with the emperor being the head of state and head of government of the Empire of Brazil, as well as head of the moderator power and the executive power. He reigned until 7 April 1831 when he abdicated due to a long ideological conflict between with a sizable parliamentary faction over the role of the monarch in the government and other obstacles. Pedro I's successor in Brazil was his five-year-old son, Pedro II. As the latter was still a minor, a weak regency was created. The power vacuum resulting from the absence of a ruling monarch as the ultimate arbiter in political disputes led to regional civil wars between local factions. Having inherited an empire on the verge of disintegration, Pedro II, once he was declared of age, managed to bring peace and stability to the country, which eventually became an emerging international power. Even though the last four decades of Pedro II's reign were marked by continuous internal peace and economic prosperity, he had no expectation to see the monarchy survive beyond his lifetime and made no effort to maintain support for the institution. The next in line to the throne was his daughter Isabel, but neither Pedro II nor the ruling classes considered a female monarch acceptable. Lacking any viable heir, the Empire's political leaders saw no reason to defend the monarchy. After a 58-year reign, on 15 November 1889 the Emperor was overthrown in a sudden coup d'état led by a clique of military leaders whose goal was the formation of a republic headed by a dictator, forming the First Brazilian Republic.

Post monarchy

thumb|right|Princess Isabel, then-[[Head of the Imperial House of Brazil, her husband the Count of Eu, their son Prince Luís, his wife Princess Maria di Grazia, and their children Pedro Henrique, Luiz Gastão, and Pia Maria (on Isabel's lap), 1913]]

With the proclamation of the Brazilian republic on 15 November 1889, the imperial family went into exile in Portugal, Spain, France and Austria-Hungary. In the party that accompanied the imperial family were included many loyal subjects and nobles, as politicians such the Viscount of Ouro Preto, the deposed last Prime Minister of the Empire, as well the Emperor's particular doctor. Prince August Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, grandson of Emperor Pedro II was the only member of the imperial family not boarded to exile because he was on board the cruiser Almirante Barroso, on a circumnavigation trip. Subsequently, upon receiving the news of the deposition of the monarchy, he was sent into exile. In addition to the ban, the Republican government confiscated and auctioned many of the assets of the imperial family. In 1890, thirteen auctions of Imperial House goods were made. Empress Teresa Cristina died in the first months of exile. Later Emperor Pedro II died in France, where he received a head of state's funeral by the French government. The imperial family settled in the Château d'Eu, former residence of King Louis Philippe of France and property of Gaston of Orléans, Count d'Eu, husband of Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, heiress of Pedro II and de jure Empress-in-Exile of Brazil.

Despite the prohibition then in force, Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza tried to disembark in Rio de Janeiro in 1906, but was prevented by local authorities. Finally, President Epitácio Pessoa, by presidential decree of 3 September 1920, revoked the Banishment Law. The Imperial Family was then able to return to Brazilian soil. The occasion was used to repatriate the remains of the last emperor and his consort, who would be transferred from Portugal a year later. Of the nine members of the imperial family originally exiled, only two returned to Brazil alive: Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará and his father, Prince Gaston, Count of Eu, who died the following year aboard the ship Massilia, on their way to Brazil to celebrate the centenary of independence. The State gave back possessions of the Imperial Family to the Petrópolis Branch exclusively, to Prince Dom Pedro de Alcântara, within those possessions was the Palácio do Grão-Pará in Petropolis, where the Direct Line of Descendants of the last Emperor, the Petrópolis Branch still resides until today. On the other hand, not all the family returned immediately to Brazil, and the Vassouras branch, present clamoring to the Brazilian throne, did only return after the end of World War II.

Repatriation

Currently, the remains of five members of the imperial family are interred in the Imperial Mausoleum within the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara in Petrópolis: Emperor Pedro II and Empress Teresa Cristina, whose mortal remains were transferred from the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza in Lisbon in 1921, during the centenary of Brazil's independence; Princess Isabel and her husband, Prince Gaston, Count of Eu, who were moved from the cemetery of Eu, Seine-Maritime in 1953; and Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará, who was transferred from the cemetery of Petrópolis in 1990 alongside his wife, Countess Elisabeth Dobrzensky of Dobrzenicz. Prince Luiz and Prince Antônio are interred in the Royal Chapel of Dreux, France, where Prince Luiz's wife, Princess Maria di Grazia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, was also interred in 1973. Princes Pedro Augusto, August Leopold, Joseph Ferdinand, and Ludwig Gaston are interred in the crypt of the St. Augustine's Church in Coburg, Germany, where their mother, Princess Leopoldina, was interred in 1871.

In 1954, the remains of the first empress, Maria Leopoldina, were transferred from the Convent of Saint Anthony in Rio de Janeiro to the Imperial Crypt and Chapel within the Monument to the Independence of Brazil in São Paulo. Several children of both emperors are interred at the Convent of Saint Anthony: Prince Miguel, Prince João Carlos, Princess Paula, Prince Afonso and Prince Pedro Afonso, and Princess Luísa Vitória. In 1972, to mark the sesquicentennial of independence, the remains of Emperor Pedro I were transferred from the Pantheon of the House of Braganza to the Imperial Crypt and Chapel in São Paulo. The body of his second wife, Empress Amélie, was transferred there from the Braganza Pantheon in 1982. That same year, the body of their daughter, Princess Maria Amélia, was transferred from the Braganza Pantheon to the Convent of Saint Anthony.

File:Olhares sobre o Museu do Ipiranga 2017 041.jpg|The Imperial Crypt and Chapel in the Monument to the Independence of Brazil in São Paulo, serves as the burial place of Emperor Pedro I (also King Pedro IV of Portugal) and his two wives

File:Petropolis-Cathedral1.jpg|The tombs of Emperor Pedro II and other members of the imperial family in the Imperial Mausoleum, housed within the Cathedral of Petrópolis

File:Convento de Santo Antônio do Largo da Carioca 09.jpg|A mausoleum at the Convent of Saint Anthony in Rio de Janeiro, where several princes and princesses of the Empire of Brazil are interred.

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Dynastic question

The so-called Brazilian dynastic question concerns inheritance rights to the titles of Head of the Brazilian Imperial House, Prince Imperial of Brazil, Prince of Grão-Pará and Prince of Brazil, who consequently would indicate the preferred heirs to the Brazilian imperial throne. The primacy in the line of succession is disputed by some members and partisans of the dynastic branches of Petrópolis and Vassouras.

In 1908, Dom Pedro de Alcântara, then Prince Imperial of Brazil in exile, wanted to marry Countess Elisabeth Dobržensky de Dobrženicz (1875–1951), whose family had belonged to the nobility of the kingdom of Bohemia since 1339, and whose legitimate members, male and female, bore the title of baron since 1744 and of count or countess since issuance of Austrian letters patent on 21 February 1906. The countess did not, however, belong to a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty, as both Orléans and Braganza traditions expected of brides. Although the constitution of the Brazilian Empire did not require dynasts to marry equally, it made the marriage of the heir to the throne dependent upon the sovereign's consent. As Prince Dom Pedro wanted to marry with his mother's blessing, he made a statement to not make usage of his rights to the throne of Brazil at Cannes on 30 October 1908. The statement, unsigned, was sent to the Brazilian Monarchical Directory, an official body created to manage monarchical interests in the country. To solemnize this, Dom Pedro, aged thirty-three, wrote the statement translated here:

This renunciation was followed by a letter from Isabel to royalists in Brazil:

If the 1908 renunciation of Pedro de Alcântara was valid, his brother Luiz (and eventually, Pedro Henrique) became next in the line of succession after their mother.

Prince Pedro de Alcântara did not dispute the validity of the renunciation. Though he did not claim the headship of the Imperial House himself, in 1937 he did say in an interview that his renunciation "did not meet the requirements of Brazilian Law, there was no prior consultation with the nation, there was none of the necessary protocol that is required for acts of this nature and, furthermore, it was not a hereditary renunciation."

The dynastic dispute over the Brazilian crown began after 1940 when Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza, eldest son of Pedro de Alcântara repudiated his father's renunciation and claimed the headship of the Brazilian Imperial House.

Pedro Gastão actively campaigned in support of Brazil's 1993 referendum on restoration of the Brazilian monarchy, which would have postponed for subsequent decision by Parliament of which descendant of the former imperial family should occupy the throne if monarchy had been re-instated, but the option of restoration was defeated despite garnering approximately 7 million votes. Several of Pedro Gastão's grandchildren also have dual citizenship.

Branches

thumb|150px|Coat of the House of Orléans-Braganza

thumb|150px|Coat of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Braganza

House of Orléans-Braganza

With the marriage of Isabel of Braganza, Princess Imperial of Brazil, with Prince Gaston of Orléans, Count d'Eu in 1864, the Imperial House associated itself with the House of Orléans, that composes the French royal family. Thus began a new dynastic branch of Brazil: Orléans-Braganza, which never had the opportunity to reign in Brazil.

Of the four children of the couple, two have generated offspring and this branch of the family has more than thirty members. Many are those who renounced for themselves and their descendants any rights in succession to the imperial throne, losing titles and precedence in the imperial family.

In 1909, Prince Gaston engaged in negotiations with Philippe, Duke of Orléans, resulting in a document signed by nearly all the male-line princes descended from France's citizen-king, Louis Philippe, called the Pacte de Famille (or "Declaration of Brussels"): the title of Prince of Orléans-Braganza was created, and the style of Royal Highness recognized, exclusive to male-line descendants of that branch of the family. With the birth of Dom Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará and eldest son of Princess Isabel, the Saxe-Coburg-Braganza branch yielded first place in the line of succession to the Orleans-Braganza branch.

The only members of the Saxe-Coburg-Braganza branch who still retain Brazilian nationality, which was a constitutional requirement to succeed to the now defunct Brazilian throne, are the descendants of Princess Teresa Cristina of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, daughter of Augusto Leopoldo. Her Brazilian nationality was recognized by the government of Brazil only in 1922; her four children were registered in the consulate of Brazil in Vienna as Brazilian citizens.

Dom Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (2007–present): eldest son of Pedro Gastão live at the Imperial Palace of Grão-Pará.
Heir: Dom Pedro Tiago of Orléans-Braganza (born in 1979), recognized by several Imperial and Royal Families around the World as the Imperial Prince of Brazil.

Past members and some descendants of the imperial family

thumb|[[Portrait of Maria II by Thomas Lawrence. As the reigning Queen of Portugal, Maria II remained a member of the Brazilian imperial family and heir presumptive to her brother, Pedro II, as Princess Imperial of Brazil. She held this status until 30 October 1835, when she was formally excluded from the Brazilian line of succession following her definitive accession to the Portuguese throne.]]

Dom Pedro I of Brazil (1798–1834)
Dona Maria II of Portugal (1819–1853)
Miguel, Prince of Beira (1820)
Dom João Carlos, Prince of Beira (1821–1822)
Dona Januária Maria, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1822–1901)
Princess Dona Paula Mariana of Brazil (1823–1833)
Princess Dona Francisca Carolina of Brazil (1824–1898)
Dom Pedro II of Brazil (1825–1891)
Dom Afonso Pedro de Alcântara, Prince Imperial of Brazil (1845–1847)
Dona Isabel Cristina, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921)
Dom Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Orléans-Braganza (1875–1940)
Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza (1911–2003)
Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (1913–2007)
Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (born 1945)
Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza (born 1979)
Filipe Rodrigo of Orléans-Braganza (born 1982)
Maria da Glória of Orléans-Braganza (born 1946)
Maria Francisca of Orléans-Braganza (1914–1968)
João Maria of Orléans-Braganza (1916–2005)
Prince Dom Luiz Maria of Orléans-Braganza (1878–1920)
Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza (1909–1981)
Luiz of Orleans-Braganza (1938–2022)
Eudes Maria of Orléans-Braganza (1939–2020)
Luiz Philippe of Orléans-Braganza (born 1969)
Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza (born 1941)
Antônio João of Orléans-Braganza (1950–2024)
Pedro Luiz of Orléans-Braganza (1983–2009)
Rafael Antônio of Orléans-Braganza (born 1986)
Eleonora Maria of Orléans-Braganza (born 1953)
Henrique Antônio de Ligne (born 1989)
Luís Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (1911–1931)
Pia Maria of Orléans-Braganza (1913–2000)
Prince Dom Antônio Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (1881–1918)
Princess Dona Leopoldina of Brazil (1847–1871)
Prince Pedro Augusto of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1866–1934)
Prince Augusto Leopoldo of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1867–1922)
Princess Teresa Cristina of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1902–1990)
Carlos Tasso of Saxe-Coburg and Braganza (born 1931)
Prince José Fernando of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1869–1888)
Dom Pedro Afonso, Prince Imperial of Brazil (1848–1850)
Princess Dona Maria Amélia of Brazil (1831–1853)

Genealogy

Genealogical tree of the Brazilian branch House of Braganza and the subsequent House of Orléans-Braganza, cadet branch and current Imperial Family.

Armorial

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!width = "4%" bgcolor = "#FFDEAD"|Coat of arms