Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza
Dom Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | June 24, 1950||||
Spouse | Princess Christine of Ligne | ||||
Issue |
Prince Pedro Luiz Princess Amélia Prince Rafael Princess Maria | ||||
| |||||
House | House of Orléans-Braganza | ||||
Father | Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza | ||||
Mother | Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria |
Brazilian imperial family (Vassouras branch) |
---|
|
Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza (born June 24, 1950), whose baptismal name is Antônio João Maria José Jorge Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança e Wittelsbach, is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil.[1]
Parents and early life
Antônio was born in Rio de Janeiro, the sixth son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza and of his wife, Princess Maria of Bavaria.[2]
In 1976, Antônio earned a bachelor's degree in Engineering (with a specialization in Major Structural Projects) from the University of Barra do Piraí.[1]
Dynastic claims
Dom Antônio's eldest brother is Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza, the current Head of the Brazilian Imperial Family and, from a monarchist perspective, de jure Emperor Luiz I of Brazil.[3] After Dom Luiz in the succession order comes the next brother, Prince Bertrand, born 1941, who, as heir presumptive to the throne would be the Prince Imperial[4] if his eldest brother were actually reigning, and who is often accorded that style in royalist circles. Although he is the sixth brother, Antônio follows Bertrand in the succession order because three older brothers renounced their claims to the throne in order to marry commoners. Some Brazilian royalists consider the marriage of Prince Antônio with Princess Christine de Ligne as a mésalliance or morganatic, since the Princes de Ligne were never a sovereign family, nor a mediatised family.[5][nb 1]
Painting
Antônio is an artist, usually painting water color landscapes depicting buildings, ranches, and farms typical of colonial Brazil . In May 1999 he held an exhibition, "A Herança Portuguesa no Brasil Colonial" (The Portuguese Heritage in Colonial Brazil) at Ipanema Park in Portugal.[6] In 2001 he held exhibitions at Curitiba and at Joinville.[7] His work has also been displayed in the Crystal Palace in Petropolis, the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro, and the Galeria Quadrante and the Museu da Casa Brasileira in São Paulo.[6]
Marriage and family
In 1981, he married Princess Christine de Ligne (born 11 August 1955 in Belœil), daughter of Antoine, 13th Prince de Ligne (head of one of Belgium's foremost noble families) and his wife, Princess Alix of Luxembourg. The civil ceremony took place on September 25 and the religious ceremony on September 26, both at Belœil.[8]
The couple have four children:[8]
- Prince Pedro Luiz Maria José Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga of Orléans-Braganza (12 January 1983 in Rio de Janeiro – 1 June 2009), he was a passenger on the Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the ocean while traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
- Princess Amélia Maria de Fátima Josefa Antônia Miguela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga of Orléans-Braganza (born 15 March 1984 in Brussels), married on 14 July 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Alexander James Spearman (born 27 March 1984 in Perth), son of Lochain Alexander Spearman and Pilar Garrigues y Carnicer. They have two sons:
- Alexander Joaquim Pedro Spearman (born 30 August 2016 in Madrid)
- Nicholas Rafael William Spearman (born 20 February 2018 in Madrid)
- Prince Rafael Antonio Maria José Francisco Miguel Gabriel Gonzaga of Orléans-Braganza (born 24 April 1986 in Rio de Janeiro)
- Princess Maria Gabriela Josefa Fernanda Iolanda Miguela Rafaela Gonzaga of Orléans-Bragança (born 8 June 1989 in Rio de Janeiro)
Antônio lives with his family in Petrópolis.[9]
Titles and honors
Styles of Prince Antônio | |
---|---|
| |
Reference style | His Royal Highness |
Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
Alternative style | Sir |
Titles and styles
He has been styled as Prince and as His Royal Highness throughout his life.[1]
Honors
Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Dom Pedro I[10] Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Rose
He was a recipient of the following foreign honors:
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies - Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Ancestry
Notes
- ↑ The Brazilian dynasty's marital standard was never bound by the royal intermarriage rules which restricted sovereign German dynasties to reigning and mediatized families following the 1815 Congress of Vienna. Nonetheless it is true that the Princes de Ligne had sold the immediate principality of Edelstetten in 1804, therefore they were not officially included among the Holy Roman Empire's princely families that retained immediate status until its abolition in 1806, which later became the cut-off date for the prerogatives retained by mediatized dynasties.
References
- 1 2 3 Casa Imperial do Brasil - Biografia de D. Antônio de Orleans e Bragança Archived August 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine..
- ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991): Band XIV, 32.
- ↑ NÉMETH-TORRES, Geovani (2008) (in Portuguese). A odisséia monarquista no Plebiscito Nacional de 1993. In: Veredas da História Archived September 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.. Rio de Janeiro: Ano I, n. 1. Abr. 2008. ISSN 1982-4238.
- ↑ Constituição Politica do Imperio do Brazil, art. 105.
- ↑ >
- 1 2 "Príncipe brasileiro expõe aguarelas no Ipanema", Jornal de Notícias (May 4, 1999).
- ↑ "Arte real" Archived October 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., Anexo (30 maio, 2001).
- 1 2 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991): Band XIV, 34.
- ↑ http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0,,EMI75853-15227,00-A+ESPERANCA+SE+FOI.html
- ↑ BUYERS, Christopher. The Royal Ark.
External links
Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza Cadet branch of the House of Orléans Born: June 24 1950 | ||
Titles in pretence | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Prince Bertrand |
— TITULAR — Vassouras line of succession to the Brazilian throne 2nd position Reason for succession failure: Empire abolished in 1889 |
Succeeded by Prince Rafael |