Imperial Family of Brazil 1: Ending 2021

[Julia]

part IV

In Brazil, young Pedro II was kept in ignorance as to most of the events faced by his sister in Lisbon. The child emperor was placed under a regency until he reached the age required by law to begin his reign without supervision. In an effort to avoid Pedro II becoming a philandering womanizer, as his father had been, his tutors centered on raising his conscientiousness and morality. They also built within Pedro and his sisters a deep love and respect for the historical figure represented by their long-suffering mother. In doing so, the tutors of the imperial children turned Empress Leopoldina into a semi-divine figure who would be an ever present part throughout the life of Pedro II in particular.

The regency came to an end in 1840, when young Pedro, by then a tall, blue-eyed Germanic youth, was but fifteen years of age. Brazilian politicians had engulfed themselves in an increasing power struggle which was leading the empire to ruin. To put an end to political squabbling it was decided that Pedro II's majority would be declared before it was due. Doing so, the politicians believed, would allow the emperor to play a mediating role in the constant power struggles of the country's leading political parties. Soon after Pedro II's coronation the royal succession once again became an issue. The Braganzas had been very good at producing offspring, unfortunately for the dynasty most of these children were little Infantas. According to the laws of succession in Brazil, women would only succeed in the absence of a male prince. This also posed a problem concerning the search for suitable husbands for the emperor's sisters. For after all, these prospective husbands would have to be brought to Brazil and their children raised as Brazilian princes. In the 1840's not many European princelings were willing to travel halfway across to world to settle in an empire that at times seemed tittering on the brink of collapse. Hence, Pedro II had to be married off very soon to perpetuate the existence of the dynasty into the future.

Emissaries were sent to Europe. The main royal courts were visited and the results were less than satisfactory. Not only was there an absence of marriageable princesses, but those who remained unmarried were of a less than attractive nature. The Brazilian emissaries, rebuffed by the principal European courts, then headed to those which were not as politically relevant. One of these minor kingdoms was located in the city of Naples, where a branch of the Spanish royal family had ruled for over a century as Kings of the Two Sicilies. In fact, Pedro II's great-grandfather, King Carlos IV of Spain, was a brother of Ferdinand I of the Two-Sicilies, grandfather of the princess who was chosen as Pedro II's bride. Princess Theresa of the Two-Sicilies, a quiet and unpretentious soul, did not inherit any of the good looks held by some members of her family. It has been said that upon meeting his bride for the first time, the day before their marriage, Pedro II was simply dismayed at having to share his future with such an unbecoming royal bride. "They deceived me...I can't make her my wife. She is terrible," a deeply upset Pedro moaned . One of his tutors is purported to have reminded Pedro of the sad fate of his own mother and of his cavalier obligation towards fulfilling the needs of the imperial nursery. Nonetheless, and regardless of his misapprehension concerning Theresa, Pedro II married his Neapolitan cousin and settled to the procreation of a new generation of Braganza infants. Pedro's sisters, Francisca and Januaria, also married European princes at about the same time. Francisca of Braganza was married to Prince Philippe of Bourbon-Orleans, the fourth son of King Louis-Philippe of France; Januaria of Brazil was married to Prince Louis of the Two-Sicilies, Count of Aquila, brother of Empress Theresa.

Within a year of their marriage, Pedro II and Theresa were the parents of a little boy. Prince Affonso of Brazil was born in 1845 and his arrival brought a further closeness to the loveless union of his parents. One year later another child arrived, Princess Isabel. Yet, the imperial couple's increasing domestic happiness was seriously affected by the untimely death of their firstborn in 1847. The little Prince Affonso was found dead in his crib, without any apparent medical reason for this most unexpected event. the initial sadness caused by Affonso's death was lifted by the birth of a third child in that same year, Princess Leopoldina. Pedro II's sadness at the loss of his only male child was relieved by the birth of a second son in 1848, Pedro, Prince Imperial of Brazil. However, within two years of this happy event, death would take the little prince away. Desolate by the death of his son, Pedro II penned a sonnet in which his utter frustration was revealed:

"Twice have I already suffered death,
For the father dies, whose eyes see his son dead.
Mine is the most dismal of fates:
During sweet infancy I lacked father and mother--
And now my own small sons are gone."

After the loss of their second son, Pedro and Theresa were unable to have any more issue. The emperor resigned himself to having his daughter Isabel created Princess Imperial of Brazil, the official heiress of the empire. His inner sadness was extemporized by the abandoning of former court festivities and the transformation of his entourage into a serious and hardworking enterprise. The emperor gradually abolished many of the ceremonies that had previously demanded great pomp and circumstance, while also opening the imperial family to more contact with a larger number of Brazilian subjects.

 

[Julia]

part V

Pedro II gained widespread recognition as a liberal ruler. At the time of his enthronement, Brazil was suffering under the evil system of slavery. A large majority of Brazilians were considered the property of their owners. The slave trade also enjoyed a booming business. Pedro II was repulsed by the trading of human beings as property. The slave trade also brought Brazil into open conflict with Great Britain, the world's dominant power at the time, as well as a sworn enemy of slavery. Once a slave trading nation herself, great Britain had long ago discovered that this practice did more harm than good. Besides disrupting ancient tribes in the colonies, the slave trade interrupted the socio-economic advancement of those colonies where it was still in practice. To bring an end to this despicable business, London finally abolished it and tried to force other slave trading nations to follow suit.

In 1826 Great Britain and Brazil signed a pact to bring an end to the slave trade. In exchange for the recognition of Brazil's independence, Great Britain obtained Pedro I's promise to abolish the slave trade in his empire. Pedro I tried to keep his promise, although imperial efforts were considerably disrupted by the actions of pirates and bootleg slave traders whole smuggled their human cargo into Brazil. Two decades after signing the pact, Great Britain and Brazil were forced to renegotiate a settlement of the slave trade issue. Given the enormous size of Brazil, many plantations and agricultural enterprises had experienced economic chaos by the disruption of the slave trade. An absence of hired hands had caused the collapse of many crops. Faced with this economic chaos, Pedro II was convinced by some of his advisers not to renew the pact with Great Britain. London's reaction was swift and a fleet of patrol boats was dispatched to police the Brazilian coastline. Unable to defend its coastline, the Brazilian eventually bowed to London's demands and in 1850 Pedro II and his government brought about a change in position. Brazilian efforts to interfere with Great Britain maritime policy along the coasts of the empire were Abandoned. More than a decade later Pedro II took the momentous decision to personally strike against Brazilian slave owners. Another pact was signed with Great Britain whereby "human traffic from Africa, Asia or any other continent remained forever forbidden." In 1871, Pedro II sponsored a law liberating the womb of all female slaves. This meant that every child born from a slave from then on would be free from birth. A further strike against slavery was delivered in 1885 when the imperial government declared that all slaves over the age of 60 years were free. Three years later, and acting as regent for her absent father, Princess Isabel finally abolished slavery in Brazil. This act of sublime liberalism gained Isabel the title of "Redemptress," yet it cost the dynasty its imperial throne.

By the mid-1860's, Dom Pedro II's two surviving daughters reached marriageable age. The crown needed to secure the imperial succession and suitable consorts were in great demand for the Brazilian princesses. Not wanting to pass up this opportunity to ally his family to yet another great dynasty, King Leopold I of Belgium played an important role in securing that two of his nephews would find future, careers and happiness in Brazil. The two young princes were also grandsons of King Louis-Philippe of France and his wife Marie-Amelie of Bourbon-Sicilies, an aunt of Dom Pedro's wife. Thus it was with great trepidation that Duke Louis-Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Prince Gaston of Bourbon-Orleans arrive at the end of 1864 in Rio de Janeiro. The royal matchmakers had chosen Louis-Augustus as the future husband of the Imperial Princess Isabel, while Gaston would marry Princess Leopoldina. In the end no amount of intervention from the parents made the two sisters change their mind, Isabel fell in love with Gaston, while Leopoldina happily chose Louis-Augustus. Dom Pedro himself was rather satisfied knowing that his two daughters would marry for love and not for reasons of state, which had been the case between him and his wife.

The two marriages turned out successfully, for both Isabel and Leopoldina were very happy with their respective consorts. Within a year of their wedding Leopoldina and Louis-Augustus became the parents of a healthy boy. And even though Leopoldina of Brazil died unexpectedly in 1871 at the age of twenty-four years, she and her husband had four little sons by then. Louis-Augustus was devastated by the loss of his wife, as were her grief-stricken parents, and the widower never again married. Louis-Augustus eventually settled in Brazil with his dynastic children. When the Brazilian throne was overthrown, Louis-Augustus and his sons returned to Europe, settling in Austria where their family had large properties from their Kohary inheritance.

Imperial Princess Isabel and Prince Gaston of Bourbon-Orleans remained childless for the first decade of their marriage. Their first child, Luiza Victoria was born in 1874. A very weak baby, the little princess only survived birth by a few hours. In October of 1875 Isabel gave birth to a healthy boy who was baptized with the name of Pedro d'Alcantara. It was this little prince who guaranteed the direct line of succession for yet another generation, for if his parents had remained childless the crown would have passed to the descendants of Leopoldina. Nevertheless, the imperial nursery rapidly filled with the arrival of two more healthy sons, Luis born in 1878, and Antoine born in 1881. The birth of seven grandsons provided Pedro II with a large degree of satisfaction, while it also served to smooth his unhappiness at being unable to father a son.

 

[Julia]

part VI

The placid existence of the Brazilian imperial family came to an end in the late 1880's. Although initially a conservative ruler, Pedro II eventually recognized the inherent unfairness of the slavery system affecting so many millions of his subjects. As mentioned before, Pedro gradually passed laws that liberated his subjects. By the late 1880's it was just a matter of time before the emperor abolished slavery in Brazil altogether. Unfortunately for the Crown, Brazilian landowners and the country's military leadership were not keen on the liberalizing policies of Pedro II. The abolition of slavery subjected landowners to higher capital investment in manpower, and since these conservative groups were the mainstay of the military, the armed forces were predisposed to side with the land owning classes. Dom Pedro was traveling in Europe when Princess Isabel, acting as regent in her father's stead, passed a law abolishing slavery in Brazil on May 13, 1888. This law, commonly known as the Golden Law, not only brought international praise to the Brazilian imperial family, but also condemned the Crown. The landowners quickly organized and built opposition to the monarchy. Revolts broke out in different regions of the country. In many instances these revolts were helped by Brazil's republican neighbors, countries that had always resisted having an emperor in Latin America.

Princess Imperial Isabel's decree eventually led to the proclamation of the Brazilian republic on November 16, 1889. Pedro II and his family were politely exiled to Europe. The Brazilian exiles first settled in Portugal, where Dom Pedro's nephew King Carlos I reigned. It was not long after the their arrival in Portugal, that Pedro II and his family suffered the loss of Empress Donna Theresa. The Empress was devastated by their exile from the land where she had settled almost half a century before. She died unexpectedly, some have argued that she died of grief, on December 28, 1889. Dom Pedro II followed his wife two years later, when he died while visiting Paris on December 5, 1891.

While Princess Leopoldina's children settled in Austria, Princess Imperial Isabel and Prince Gaston established themselves in France. Gaston, a grandson of King Louis-Philippe, had properties in France. The Chateau d'Eu, located in Normandy, became their primary residence. The couple also possessed properties in Paris, where they became leading members of among royalist groups. Upon Dom Pedro II's death, Isabel became titular Empress of Brazil and her eldest son, Dom Pedro d'Alcantara received the title of Prince Imperial of Brazil. In 1908, two weeks prior to his wedding, Dom Pedro renounced his rights to the Brazilian crown, as well as those of any future descendants. This he did in order to marry Countess Elisabeth Dobrzensky de Dobrzenicz, a Czech aristocrat. The Imperial Brazilian succession was passed then to Isabel and Gaston's second son, Prince Dom Luis, who in 1908 married his cousin princess Maria-Pia of Bourbon-Sicilies.

Dom Pedro d'Alcantara and his wife were the parents of five children. Isabelle, their eldest child, married her cousin Prince Henri of Bourbon-Orleans, Count of Paris, and present Head of the House of Bourbon-Orleans. The other children are: Dom Pedro Gastao, married to Princess Maria-Esperanza of Bourbon-Orleans, an aunt of King Juan Carlos I of Spain; Donna Francisca, who married her cousin Dom Duarte of Braganza, Duke of Braganza; Dom Joao, a businessman in Brazil; and Donna Theresa who married a Portuguese commoner.

Prince Imperial Dom Luis of Brazil and his wife were the parents of three children: Dom Pedro-Henrique, who married Princess Maria of Bavaria; Dom Luis who died unmarried; and Donna Pia-Marie, who married Count René de Nicolaÿ. Prince Imperial Dom Luis died in Cannes, on March 26, 1920. His younger brother, Prince Dom Antoine, an officer in the Austrian Imperial Army, had died at the end of the Great War in November of 1918. Prince Dom Antoine died unmarried.

The deaths of her two youngest sons saddened the last years of Princess Isabel and Prince Gaston. Isabel died in 1921 never having seen Brazil since her family were exiled three decades earlier. Prince Gaston of Bourbon-Orleans survived his wife by less than a year. He died on board a ship destined to Brazil in 1922. By then, the Brazilian government had abrogated to banishment of the Imperial Family, and Gaston, accompanied by his only surviving son and his family, decided to return to the land of his wife. Already in frail health, for by then Gaston was in his eightieth year, he did not survive the journey.

 

[Julia]

conclusion

The abrogation of the law of exile not only allowed the Orleans-Braganzas to return to Brazil, but it also restored ownership of many of their properties. Since then, many of the descendants of Isabel and Gaston have settled in Brazil. They continue to hold leading positions among the country's ruling elite, as well as deriving great respect from many of their former subjects. In fact, a few years ago Brazil held a referendum to select the country's form of government. the restoration of the imperial crown was one of the choices offered to the Brazilian people. Many of the Orleans-Braganza actively campaigned in favor of the monarchy, which in the end received about 20% of the popular vote. After one century of republicanism, this result was nothing short of impressive for the heirs of Dom Pedro II.

Today, the Brazilian Imperial Family remains divided in two opposing branches. On the one side are the descendants of Dom Pedro d'Alcantara, particularly Dom Pedro Gastao, who refuse to recognize their ancestor's renunciation of his rights in 1908. On the other side are the grandchildren of Prince Imperial Dom Luis, most oh whom have retained their dynastic rights. Experts in these sort of issues have argued that the document signed by Dom Pedro d'Alcantara in 1908 was irrevocable. Even Princess Isabel, before her death, refused to allow the revocation of her son's renunciation. Thus, it seems that the descendants of Dom Luis have a solid dynastic hold on their Brazilian inheritance. Yet, if Brazil were to choose a new monarchy as a from of government, many feel that all descendants of Dom Pedro II have the right to present themselves as candidates to the Brazilian people.

 

[Anna_R]

No Plebiscito realizado no Brasil, em 1993, a Casa Imperial de Orléans e Bragança obteve mais de 11% dos votos do povo brasileiro, algo em torno de 10 milhões de votos para que a monarquia fosse restaurada em nosso país. Mas infelizmente, por termos uma população de mais de 50% de analfabetos "funcionais', não há em nosso país um melhor esclarecimento e conhecimento por parte da grande massa da população a cerca do sistema monarquico de governo.

Translating what Juscelino wrote:

On the referendum of 1993, the Imperial Hpuse of Orleans & Bragança got more than 11% of the votes, something like 10 million votes, to have the monarchy restored in Brazil. But unfortunately, due to the fact we have a population of a lot of people who doesn't like changes, there isn't in Brazil, relevant information knowledge about the Monarchist system.

 

[joytotheworld]

http://elle.abril.com.br/livre/192/gente.html

An article on Paola de Orleans e Bragrança. It's in Portuguese I think but if you can read Spanish it is pretty similar.

 

[Anna_R]

Dies the Prince D. João de Orleans & Bragança

The Prince was 88 years old and died on June 26th, after a stroke. He'd been in the hospital for two months.

His body was cremated and his ashes were taken to Paraty, a city in Rio de Janeiro.

More information (in portuguese): http://rjtv.globo.com/RJTV/0,19125,VRV0-3114-99824-20050627-341,00.html

Below, it's a picture of his grandson, also named Prince D. João, during the wake.

 

[Marengo]

91-y/o D. Esperanza de Borbon dos Sicilas y Orleans y Orleans Braganca died 2 days ago in Spain. She is the wife of D. Pedro-Gastao, who some consider to be the head of the imperial house of brazil. She also is an aunt to HM The King of Spain, D. Duarte, Duke of Braganca (head of the portuguese RF) and the count of Paris. Her former son-in-law is Crownprince Alexander of Yougoslavia.
She will be buried in Spain.

 

[juscelino]

Casamento Imperial

O casamento de S.A.R Princesa Senhora Dona Maria Francisca de Orleans e Bragança (*18/8/1979) com o brasileiro Bernardo Ratto de Almeida Braga foi o evento social do ano no Rio de Janeiro em meados de 2005. A princesa é filha do empresário e principe Dom Eudes de Orleans e Bragança e de Mercedes Neves da Rocha. O noivo é filho do cineasta italiano Gianni Ratto, radicado no Brasil, e da banqueira Maria do Carmo Nabuco de Almeida Braga, herdeira de uma das famílias mais ricas do país, e, acionista do Grupo Icatu - um dos maiores do Brasil, ligado a area das finanças.

Maria Francisca é Desenhista Industrial graduada pela Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, uma das mais tradicionais do Brasil.

 

[tiaraprin]

Translation of Article From Portuguese

Translation of above article:

The Marriage of HRH Princess Maria Francisca of Orleans and Branganza (born 8/18/1979) with Brazilian businessman Bernardo Ratto de Almeida Braga was the social event of the year in Rio de Janeiro in 2005. The princess is the daughter of businessman Prince Eudes of Orleans and Braganza and Mercedes Neves de Rocha. The groom is the son of Italian film maker Gianni Ratto and Banker Maria do Carmo Nabuco de Almeida Braga, heiress of one of the richest families of the country and a member of Grupo Icatu--One of the two great financial groups of Brazil.

Maria Francisca is an industrial designer who graduated from Pontifica Universidade Catolica of Rio de Janeiro, one of the greatest schools of Brazil.

 

[Marengo]

are the children from the morganatic marriages also princes/princesses? Or are only the children of Christine de Ligne and Antonio of Orleans-Braganca entitled to this (they are the only ones in line of succession anyway).

 

[jacadenasso]

The children from equal marriages (a prince who marry a princess or viceversa) are in line to the throne of Brazil, and are Prince(ss) of Brazil, Prince(ss) of Orleans-Braganza, with the style Imperial and Royal Highness and the honorary prefix Dom/Dona.
The children from unequal marriages are Prince(ss) of Orleans-Braganza, with the style Royal Highness and the honorary prefix Dom/Dona.

Only the children of Dom Antonio and Dona Leonor are in line to the throne, the rest are all considered morganauts.

 

[Marengo]

Thanks for clearing that up. Arw they referred to X de Brazil/ Prince X de Brazil in brazilian magazines? Or, like the others, as Prince X de Orleans-Braganca?

 

[Anna_R]

Thanks for clearing that up. Arw they referred to X de Brazil/ Prince X de Brazil in brazilian magazines? Or, like the others, as Prince X de Orleans-Braganca?

For the men, they're referred as "Don" *** de Orleans e Bragança. For the women, they normally are called just Princesses.

 

[Marengo]

Where does the (former) imperial live? Still in Petropolis or did they move somewhere else? Are they rich?

 

[Anna_R]

Where does the (former) imperial live? Still in Petropolis or did they move somewhere else? Are they rich?

Some of them (the older branch of the family mostly), still lives in Petropolis. The others, for what I read, are spread in Rio, São Paulo and Paraty.

I'll do a more thorough research to see if I find something more on it.

 

[Marengo]

thanks! I saw some lovely pictures of an estate in petropolis in the book of Isabelle of Paris (l'histoire de ma vie), so that was why I was wondering...

 

[Anna_R]

From: http://entretenimento.globo.com/Entretenimento/Ego/Noticia/0,,AA1165115-5276,00.html (in Portuguese)

The Commoner Prince

Dom João Henrique Maria Gabriel Gonzaga de Orleans e Bragança is the only child and heir of the prince dom João Maria, who died last year and of princess Fátima Chirine, who died in 1990. Great-great-grandson of dom Pedro II and great-grandson of princess Isabel, the noble, who chose a low-profile life and won the nickname of João Prince. He doesn't get involved in political subjects and doesn't have any official engagements.

Two weeks ago he went through thousands of miles through the inner Piauí, where he took many pictures with his new hasselblad (the camera that is the dream of any professional photographer). The 800+ pictures will be published in a book dedicated to the State of Piauí. The book shall be published in May.
João became one of the most popular characters in the Brazilian Royal Family. At 51, he enjoys surfing with his 19 year old son, likes "cachaça" and plays the tambourine. "I can't give up on this. It's an addiction," says, referring to the instrument.

Charming, dom João talks so enthusiastically about de Brazilian diversity that he's able to convince the high society laduies that cities like Juazeiro do Norte are more interesting than the South of France. “I've learned to appreaciate what is worth. When I was a kid, my friends would go to Disney and I would go camping in remote locations with my father”, he says with pride.

In this pictorial, João shows exclusively each phase of his career as a photographer - which he insist to call a hobby. From the pictures in Xingu on 1978 to the cowboys in the interior of Brazil in 2006.

To see some of the pictures taken by the Prince, go here: http://entretenimento.globo.com/Entretenimento/Ego/Galeria/0,,GF29011-5276,00.html

 

[Toledo]

Only the children of Dom Antonio and Dona Leonor are in line to the throne, the rest are all considered morganauts.

Morganauts! That great description got my mind to imagine all the unequal marriages we discuss in here bundled up into a space trip voyage!

 

[Rebeca]

I have a question that can seem without pertinence, because I'm Brazilian, but if Brazil went a monarchy still today, who would the emperor be?
And Crown Prince or Crown Princess

 

[Elsa M.]

I have a question that can seem without pertinence, because I'm Brazilian, but if Brazil went a monarchy still today, who would the emperor be?

The current head of the Brazilian Imperial House is Prince Luís de Orléans Bragança, the great-great-grandson of Brazil's last Emperor, D. Pedro II.

 

[Anna_R]

I have a question that can seem without pertinence, because I'm Brazilian, but if Brazil went a monarchy still today, who would the emperor be?
And Crown Prince or Crown Princess

The Emperor would be the head of the Brazilian Imperial House, Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza.
The Prince Imperial, title reserved to the heir to the throne, would be Prince Luiz's brother Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza
The third in line is Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza, followed by his children:

4th. Prince Pedro Luís of Orléans-Braganza (1983)
5th. Prince Rafael (1986)
6th. Princess Amélia (1984)
7th. Princess Maria Gabriela Fernanda (1989)

 

[Benjamin]

Dom Antônio's wife, Princess Christine de Ligne, is a first cousin to the Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

 

[Anna_R]

Dom Antônio's wife, Princess Christine de Ligne, is a first cousin to the Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

Yes, and she's also, through her maternal side, descendant of King John VI of Portugal, Miguel I of Portugal, and is a great-great-niece of Brazil's first emperor, Pedro I.

 

[Benjamin]

POSTCARD FROM BRAZIL

FAMILY TREE

The head of the only genuine royal monarchy in North or South America is the fifty-two-year-old Brazilian prince, Dom João Henrique Maria Gabriel Gonzaga de Orleans e Bragança. He makes his living by developing tourist resorts and also by selling hearts of palm from his eight-hundred-acre palm-tree plantation; publishes books—eight so far—of his photographs of Brazil; heads environmental campaigns; and keeps his twenty-five hundred acres of rain forest untouched.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060918ta_talk_ross

 

[Toledo]

That was one great article you found there Benjamin! It also mentions the family relations between the Imperial House of Brazil and the Royal House of Egypt. We hardly heard anything on Princess Fawiza's daugther and I did not know it was such a nice love story between two princess of two different backgrounds. Here is the quote about Princess Fawiza's beautiful daugther:

"...The family moved back here in 1929, and my father served as a major in the Air Force. There is a beautiful story of my mother and father. She was an Egyptian princess, Fatma Chirine. My father met her in Cairo when, as a pilot, he was inaugurating a flight between Rio and Cairo. King Farouk bitterly forbade her to marry my father, so they ran away,” he said, giving a long laugh. He continued, “My sister, Princess Melekper Tousson, lives in Paris and works in the Quai d’Orsay. She called me today on the cell. She wants to know what your British journalist here at the festival, Christopher Hitchens, is saying about Lebanon...”

 

[RubyPrincess168]

How is the royal family of Brazil viewed by the people today(fascination, disdain, pride, etc)? There seem to be so many royals. I noticed in past posts there were mentions of one or two referendums to restore the monarchy and received a respectible response, although by no means a majority.

 

[Benjamin]

Heir of D. Peter 2º attacks abortion, gays and the MST
03/10/2006: Luiz Antonio Ryff
If Luiz Gastão Maria Pious Jose of Orleans and Bragança could, he certainly would go back in time. A time when Brazil was ruled by a monarch, where nobiliárquicos headings awarded those that they served to the country and the imperial family, where Church and State were not separate, where divorce was forbidden, the homosexuals were not tolerated, where the men were not equal.
Article in Portuguese
English Translation

 

[Anna_R]

How is the royal family of Brazil viewed by the people today(fascination, disdain, pride, etc)? There seem to be so many royals. I noticed in past posts there were mentions of one or two referendums to restore the monarchy and received a respectible response, although by no means a majority.

Indiference, that's the word. As the Republic came in 1889, no one really has a clue of how was to live in any other regime.

They're respected, they sometimes are featured in the news - when there's a big event coming up or something, but they're treated mainly as any millionaires would be treated by the Brazilian people and media, a kind of celebrities...

 

[Anna_R]

POSTCARD FROM BRAZIL

FAMILY TREE

The head of the only genuine royal monarchy in North or South America is the fifty-two-year-old Brazilian prince, Dom João Henrique Maria Gabriel Gonzaga de Orleans e Bragança.

D. João is not the head of the Brazilian Imperial House. The head is D. Luís Gastão Maria José Pio.