Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
From Freepedia
Duarte Pio of Bragança (born May 15 1945) is the 24th Duke of Bragança and the presumptive heir to the throne of Portugal. He is the eldest son of Duarte Nuno of Bragança (1907-1976) by his wife Maria Francisca de Orleans e Bragança, Princess of Brazil. His baptismal godfather was Pope Pius XII. Although it has been a republic for nearly a century, the Duke of Bragança is personally popular in Portugal. The births of his children were treated as national events, while his wedding was attending by the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic.
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Styles
Monarchy supporters give the Duke the style SAR O Duque de Bragança (equivalent to HRH The Duke of Bragança).
Birth & education
Duarte Pio was born during his father's exile in Switzerland. He was physically born in the Portuguese Embassy in Bern: embassies are regarded as the territory of their country so his birth was legally on Portuguese soil. In 1950 Portugal abolished the Ban Law, which excluded the Royal Family from the country, allowing the duke and his family to return. Duarte was educated in the Military College and graduated in Agronomic Sciences.
Clashes with Portugal's fascist regime
During the Portuguese Wars in Africa, Duarte Pio served as an Air Force Lieutenant in Angola from 1968 to 1971. Later he was connected with Angolan nationalist leaders, a fact that got him into trouble with the Portuguese Fascist regime. However, he proceeded with his contacts with local population, including ethnic and religious leaders.
Inherited title
He inherited the Duchy of Bragança and the claim to the Portuguese throne in 1976, when his father died.
Campaigner for East Timor
Duarte Pio was a public campaigner for the rights of East Timor. Formerly a Portuguese colony, it was forcibly occupied and subsequently ruled as an oppressed province by Indonesia. Even before the political leaders of the world considered Timor an issue, Duarte Pio organized several national and international campaigns for the cause of Timor.
Marriage
In May 13 1995, Duarte Pio married Isabel de Herédia, a Portuguese businesswoman. The ceremony, celebrated in the Monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon, was attended by the principal Portuguese political figures, including the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic, and representatives of most European Royal Houses, and was a nationwide event.
Children
Three children have been born from this marriage:
- Afonso of Bragança, Prince of Beira, Duke of Barcelos and future Duke of Bragança (born 1996)
- Maria Francisca of Bragança, Princess of Portugal (born 1997)
- Dinis of Bragança, Duke of Porto (born 1999)
See also: Duchy of Bragança – Portuguese monarchs
External Links
- Duke of Braganza D. Duarte Biography site. Claims it is the official web site but it is not.
- Fundacao da Casa de Bragança Foundation of the House of Bragança.
