Thanks for these quotes. Lecen. But does it matter for their claim that they are republican? Archduke Otto renounced his rights to the Austrian throne officially I believe but he is still egarded as head of the Austrian Imperial family (though the move caused much chagrin among his brothers). And are ALL of the petropolis branch 'republican'? I believe Manuel of Orleans-Braganca is more sympathetic to his heritage for example.
But untill they 'officially' renounce their rights to the throne, wouldn't they be the head of the Imperial House, dispite their actions? Note that in this reasoning I am already presuming that the marriage to Countess Elisabeth Dobrensky was valid under the houselaws of the Brazilian Imperial family.
Hello Marengo!
To understand the "dynastic dispute" in Brazil someone must first understand the history of the brazilian Imperial Family after the end of the monarchy.
1908-1922 The final years of Exile
In 1908, after years of engagement, Dom Pedro (Don Peter), eldest son and heir of Isabel (Izabella) decided to marry Countess Elisabeth Dobrensky. His mother told him that he could marry her, but he would have to renounce his position as a brazilian prince.
He did so.
So, his brother, the second son of Izabella,
Dom Luís (Don Louis), became the heir, and received the title "
Prince Imperial" (All the others are called just "Prince"), and also married with a princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
After their marriage, Don Peter married with Countess Elisabeth Dobrensky.
The first Izabella´s grandson to born was
Dom Pedro Henrique (Don Peter Henry), son of Don Louis, and he was called "Prince of Great-Pará" (the title that the son of the heir of the Emperor had the right to receive).
Four years later,
Dom Pedro Gastão (Don Peter Gaston), eldest male son of Don Peter, who renounced, was born.
Things started to go bad when both Don Louis and his younger brother enlisted themselves to go fight for Great Britain in World War I. Don Louis returned home with a illness who would only get worse and worse and finally took his life in 1920. His younger brother died from a plane crash in 1918.
In 1921, Izabella died. So, Don Peter Henry, son of Don Louis became, at age 12, Head of the Imperial House of Brazil and de jure Emperor as "Dom Pedro III". His grandfather, the old Gaston, count d´Eu, took him to Brazil in 1920 (the republican government allowed the princes to returned, at last) so that the brazilian could meet the heir to the throne (Izabella didn´t go because she was already to sick) and returned there in 1922, so that the brazilians could meet their new "Emperor", but he died in the middle of the voyage.
1922-1945 - Not yet in Brazil
Don Peter Henry returned to France and there he grew up and lived with his two siblings and his mother, who was never attached to Brazil because she never lived there. But what she really wanted, was to make sure that he could marry with a princess and living in Europe, it would be easier.
Meanwhile, Don Peter, eldest son of Izabella and only son that still was alive, moved to Brazil with his family.
From 1922 to 1940, when he died, he always made it clear that it was his nephew, not him, the heir to the throne.
But to brazilian monarchists, it was just to hard to wait for an emperor that would never return (Since 1889 that no heir to the imperial throne returned to Brazil), but even so, they kept their loyalty to Don Peter Henry, a prince they never met.
Don Peter grew and later married Elizabeth, german princess of Bavaria, and had four children: Don Louis, Don Eudes, Don Bertrand and Izabella. When he finally had money to move to Brazil, in 1939, II Wolrd War started and he was kept in France until 1945, when he finally moved to Brazil.
But since 1940, Don Peter Gaston, son of Don Peter, was claiming the throne, saying that his father renounce was invalid.
Few monarchists supported him and none tried to bring back the monarchy for real. Don Peter Gaston, who lived in Brazil and had the money to do so (he owned palaces in Brazil and the Palace of Eu in France) never done anything to brinck back the monarchy too, but would only keep claiming the title.
1945-1981 The lost years
When Don Peter Heny moved to Brazil, all monarchist supported him, but he didn´t have any money, and soon went to live in a distant brazilian state, in the country, too far from cities. And he himself never made any real move to support or to try to bring back monarchy.
Meanwhile, his cousin, Don Peter Gaston, although he didnt´spend money or tried to create or support any monarchist movement, lived in palaces and appeared in countless parties, as a true bon vivant. And he kept claiming the throne.
1981-1993 More lost years
When Don Peter Henry died in 1981, his son, the childless and ultra-conservative, Don Louis became the Head of the Imperial Family, and his brother and also childless Don Bertrand, became his heir.
They have some... views, that do not please most of people whom met them. They hate leftists, they prefer to not talk to divorced couples and homossexuals and dont like very much of anyone who has another religion if not catholicism, etc...
Although Don peter Gaston kept claiming the throne, he didn´t get any real support, but as he lived in Petrópolis ("The Imperial City") and lived in a palace and was always appearing in parties, magazines, TV, etc., for many brazilians who didn´t know very much about monarchy, he was a prince. Meanwhile, the strong opposition to Don Louis and Don Bertrand woulny grow more and more.
Everything changed when occured a plebiscit in Brazil to choose between republic and monarchy. It was a battle that monarchist could never win, because they had no money and no support, and republican would keep telling awful lies, like "if monarchy returns, slavery will also return!", or "if monarchy returns, the king can send anyone he wants to death".
And to make things worse, Don Louis and Don Bertrand, including his family, were not allowed to promote monarchy in TV, only Don Peter Gaston and his family.
1993- Today - A New Age
After the plebiscit, new monarchists groups appeared averywhere in Brazil. All suppoprted and still supports Don Louis (mostly, because his brother,
Don Antony, who is married with a princess of Ligne and has children of their own does not share his older brothers view).
Every year at least two-three monarchyst events occurs. Sometimes in Rio de Janeiro, others in São Paulo, or even in Florianópólis. This year, it will happen in Rio, São Paulo, Salvador, Recife and Alagoas (Brazil is commemorating 200 years of the portuguese Royal Family travel to that country and the monarchists are taking advantage of that fact).
Don Peter Gaston died last year. He was already living for quite a few years in Spain. All his son and daughters and grandchildren had made it clear that they didn´t care about monarchy. He has a nephew, called "
Dom Joãozinho" (Little Don John), that very few monarchists support. But he himself is only a nephew and his son doesn´t care about monarchy either. Although Dom Joãozinho had sometimes made it clear that he wanted to become an Emperor, he doens´t has any group supporting him and he doens´t do anything to bring monarchy back (he, like his uncle, it´s one those kind of princes that when asked, they made it clear that they want to be Emperor, but doing something by themselves... never!).
So, what every brazilian monarchist is wating, sadly, is the day when Don Antony becomes the head of the brazilian Imperial House and his oldest son, Don Peter Louis, becomes his heir.
since 1981, to Princess Christine of Ligne (from a Belgian Princely Family).
