Line of succession to the former Brazilian throne
The 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. The Petrópolis branch, headed by Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza, is descended from Princess Isabel's eldest son, Pedro de Alcântara, while the Vassouras branch, headed by Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza, is descended from her second son, Luís. In 1908 D. Pedro de Alcântara (Petrópolis Branch) reputedly renounced his successory rights.
Overview
After the death of Pedro II in 1891, his eldest daughter, Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil became the pretender to the deposed Brazilian throne. Her headship of the Brazilian Imperial House lasted until her death in 1921, when she was succeeded by her elder grandchild, Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza. Pedro Henrique was the elder son of Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza (1878–1920), second child of Isabel and a veteran of World War I who had died in 1920 from a disease he contracted in the trenches.
Isabel's eldest child, Pedro de Alcântara had renounced his title as a Brazilian prince in 1908, which if valid, put his brother Luís (and eventually, Pedro Henrique) next in the line of succession after their mother. Prince Pedro de Alcantara never disputed the validity of the renunciation during his lifetime. Though he never claimed the headship of the Imperial House himself in 1937 he said 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 rejected his father's renunciation and claimed the headship of the Brazilian Imperial House.
After the death of Pedro Gastão in 2007, his eldest son Prince Pedro Carlos and siblings declared themselves republicans.,
The Brazilian monarchy operated under male-preference primogeniture. Persons in the line of succession must hold Brazilian nationality, marry equally and be Roman Catholics.
Petrópolis line of succession
- Head: HI&RH Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1945)
- HI&RH Prince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza, Prince Imperial of Brazil (b. 1979)
- HI&RH Prince Felipe Rodrigo of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1981)
- HRH Prince Afonso Duarte of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1948)
- HRH Princess Maria of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1974)
- HRH Princess Júlia of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1977)
- HRH Prince Manuel Álvaro of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1949)
- HRH Prince Manuel Afonso of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1981)
- HRH Princess Luisa Christina of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1978)
- HRH Prince Francisco of Orléans-Braganza (b.1956)
- HRH Prince Francisco Teodoro of Orléans-Braganza (b.1979)
- HRH Prince Gabriel of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1989)
- HRH Princess Maria Isabel of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1982)
- HRH Princess Maria da Gloria, Duchess of Segorbe (b. 1946)
- HRH Princess Cristina of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1950)
- HSH Princess Ana Teresa Sapieha-Rozanska (b. 1981)
- HSH Princess Paola Sapieha-Rozanska (b. 1983)
- HRH Prince João Henrique of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1954)
- HRH Prince João Philippe of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1986)
- HRH Princess Maria Christina of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1989)
- HRH Diane, Duchess of Württemberg (b. 1940)
- HRH Princess Teresa Maria of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1919)
- Elisabeth Orléans e Bragança e Martorell (b. 1959)
- Maria-Teresa Martorell Salgado, (b. 1988)
- Maria do Carmo Cálem (b. 2002)
- Núria Orléans e Bragança e Martorell (b. 1960)
- Followed by the Vassouras branch
Vassouras line of succession
- Head: HI&RH Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1938)
- HI&RH Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza, Prince Imperial of Brazil (b. 1942)
- HI&RH Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1950)
- HRH Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1986)
- HRH Princess Amélia of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1984)
- HRH Princess Maria Gabriela of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1989)
- HRH Princess Isabel Maria of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1944)
Saxe-Coburg branch
Since 1908, the Saxe-Coburg branch has not been considered dynastic by either the Head of the Brazilian Imperial House or by Brazilian monarchists.
In fiction
In science fiction, Robert Heinlein's novel Time for the Stars depicts its protagonists returning to Earth after a galactic voyage lasting several centuries, and landing at Rio de Janeiro, where they are greeted by "Emperor Dom Pedro III", who presents them with a medal on behalf of the World Government. Heinlein does not specify the circumstances under which, in the future depicted, the Brazilian monarchy was restored.
Bibliography
- BrHistória magazine, issue 4, Year 1.São Paulo: Duetto, 2007.
- Santos, Alexandre Armando dos. A Legitimidade Monárquica no Brasil. São Paulo: Artpress, 1988.
- Silva, Paulo Napoleão Nogueira da. Monarquia: verdades e mentiras. São Paulo: GRD, 1994.
See also
- Brazilian Imperial Family
- Prince Imperial of Brazil
- Empire of Brazil
- History of Brazil
External links
References
fr:Liste des prétendants au trône brésilien it:Linea di successione al trono del Brasile pl:Pretendenci do tronu Brazylii pt:Linha de sucessão ao trono brasileiro