Prince Pedro Luiz of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Pedro Luiz of Orléans-Bragança (12 January 1983 – 1 June 2009) was the son of Prince António of Orléans-Bragança, and was third in the line of succession to the former Brazilian throne, abolished in 1889.

Prince Pedro Luiz
Born(1983-01-12)12 January 1983
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died1 June 2009(2009-06-01) (aged 26)
Atlantic Ocean
Burial
Vassouras, Brazil
Full name
Portuguese: Pedro Luiz Maria José Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga de Orleans e Bragança
HouseOrléans-Bragança
FatherPrince António of Orléans-Bragança
MotherPrincess Christine of Ligne

His childless uncle, Prince Luiz of Orléans-Bragança is pretender to the former imperial crown of Brazil and one of two claimants to be head of the former dynasty. Prince Luiz' heir is another childless uncle, Prince Bertrand (born 1941), and his own father, Prince António, is second in line. Some monarchists expected Prince Pedro Luiz to eventually become the pretender on the deaths of his father and uncles. Pedro Luiz' younger brother, Prince Rafael, took his place in the line of succession upon legal declaration of Pedro Luiz' death in the crash of Air France Flight 447.

Family

Prince Pedro Luiz was born on 12 January 1983[1] in Rio de Janeiro, the elder of the two sons of Prince António of Orléans-Bragança and his Belgian wife, Princess Christine of Ligne.[2]

His name in full was Pedro Luiz Maria José Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga de Orleans e Bragança.[3] His paternal grandparents were Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Bragança, one of two claimants to be head of the Brazilian Imperial House, and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria. His maternal grandparents were Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne, and Princess Alix of Luxembourg. His mother's family, the House of Ligne is one of the oldest and most prominent Wallonian noble families still extant in Belgium. Christine is a niece of Grand Duke Jean, who reigned in Luxembourg until his abdication in 2000.

His father's two elder brothers, Luiz — one of two current claimants to be head of the Brazilian Imperial Family — and Bertrand — the next in line — are unmarried and have no offspring. His father António is therefore heir to the claim after his older siblings, and Pedro would, in due course, have been a claimant to the traditional headship of the Imperial House of Brazil, and the nominal Brazilian crown. As with most republics, Brazilian constitutional provisions do not allow for the institution of a Royal House.[4]

Pedro descended from all monarchs of the Kingdom of Portugal, including John VI (Dom João VI) of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, and the later monarchs of independent Brazil, emperors Peter I and Peter II (Dom Pedro I and Dom Pedro II). He was also a descendant of Louis Philippe I d'Orléans, King of the French in the male line, and a distant nephew, by descent, of John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen, the 17th-century Dutch prince who was governor of Dutch Brazil in the 1600s.[5]

Career

Pedro Luiz held dual Brazilian-Belgian citizenship[6] and was fluent in Portuguese, English and French.[7] The prince moved in infancy with his family to Petrópolis and was enrolled in the Instituto Social São José (Saint Joseph Social Institute), in which education was directed by nuns, and took secondary studies at the Ipiranga School.[7] He graduated in Business Administration in 2005 from IBMEC in Rio de Janeiro after matriculation in 2001, and undertook postgraduate education in economics at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas.[5] After that he worked at the Mariani Bank in Rio de Janeiro until the end of 2007[7] when he moved to Luxembourg, where he was hired by BNP Paribas (a leading European bank) and did investment management for several companies.

As a member of the "Vassouras branch" of the Brazilian Imperial Family, he did not share in the income which still flows from all land transactions in Petrópolis under the nineteenth century emphyteutic lease (in contrast to the rival "Petrópolis branch") and was thus able to live comfortably, but "without great luxury".[3] He had no car. He traveled around Rio de Janeiro on foot or by bus. With regard to his lifestyle, he once stated in an interview: "We lead a normal life; we are citizens like everyone else and work to live".

Dynastic role
Styles of
Prince Pedro Luiz
Reference styleHis Royal Highness[8][9]
Spoken styleYour Royal Highness

In 1993 Brazilians voted on whether to restore the monarchy in a referendum, Luiz and Bertrand, known for their political beliefs, were denounced not only by some monarchists,[5] but also by four of their own younger brothers, who tried unsuccessfully to convince them to renounce their traditional claims to the throne in favor of their brother António, and the young Pedro Luiz.[10] Then only ten years old, Pedro Luiz was seen beside his father during the monarchist restoration campaign. Luiz and Bertrand recognized that Pedro Luiz would be a better choice if the monarchy were to be reinstated by the Brazilian people, but that option was not successful with 6,840,551 Brazilians, 13% of the total tally, voted in favor of parliamentary monarchy.[5]

Concerning his status as a prince of a deposed dynasty and of the responsibilities inherent in that position, he affirmed: "We carry this burden and must set an example".[3] He was in search of a suitable fiancée of royal blood, considered an obligation for the future head of the Imperial House of Brazil. In 1999 he became honorary president of Brazil's Monarchist Youth, and also held the Grand Crosses of the Order of Pedro I and of the Order of the Rose.

Pedro Luiz had expressed some opinions about Brazilian politics aside from the monarchy. Regarding the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva he stated, "I am very pleased with the economic performance of Brazil, all derived from the policy of Lula da Silva. I am a supporter of the political choices of the Brazilian government which, in my opinion, is diminishing the [economic] gap among Brazilians".

Pedro Luiz was considered by many Brazilian monarchists as the prince that gathered "all the hopes and aspirations [of restoration]" due to the "vigor of youth and the seriousness of his character".[5] Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança and heir of the abolished Portuguese crown, affirmed: "[Pedro Luiz] is a very intelligent person. I have the best reports of him."[11]

Death

Luiz was killed in the crash of Air France Flight 447 on 1 June 2009.[12] His double-cousin Princess Alix of Ligne had planned to travel with him, but took an earlier flight instead.[13] Pedro Luiz' body was among those retrieved from the ocean and was buried in Vassouras in the family's mausoleum on 5 July.[14][15]

Genealogy

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

Pedro Luiz was a member of the House of Orléans-Braganza, a sub-branch of the House of Bourbon, itself a branch of the House of Capet and of the Robertians.

Pedro Luiz' patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Dukes of Orléans, the Kings of France, the Dukes and Counts of Vendôme, the Counts of La Marche, the first Duke of Bourbon, a Count of Clermont, and before them, again the Kings of France. The line can be traced back more than 1,200 years and is one of the oldest in Europe.

Patrilineal descent
  1. Robert I of Worms and Rheingau, d. 764
  2. Thuringbert of Worms and Rheingau
  3. Robert II of Worms and Rheingau, 770–807
  4. Robert III of Worms and Rheingau, 808–834
  5. Robert IV the Strong, 820–866
  6. Robert I of France, 866–923
  7. Hugh the Great, 895–956
  8. Hugh Capet, 941–996
  9. Robert II of France, 972–1031
  10. Henry I of France, 1008–1060
  11. Philip I of France, 1053–1108
  12. Louis VI of France, 1081–1137
  13. Louis VII of France, 1120–1180
  14. Philip II of France, 1165–1223
  15. Louis VIII of France, 1187–1226
  16. Louis IX of France, 1214–1270
  17. Robert, Count of Clermont, 1256–1317
  18. Louis I, Duke of Bourbon, c. 1280 – 1342
  19. James I, Count of La Marche, 1315–1362
  20. John I, Count of La Marche, 1344–1393
  21. Louis, Count of Vendôme, c. 1376 – 1446
  22. Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme, 1428–1478
  23. François, Count of Vendôme, 1470–1495
  24. Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, 1489–1537
  25. Antoine of Navarre, 1518–1562
  26. Henry IV of France, 1553–1610
  27. Louis XIII of France, 1601–1643
  28. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, 1640–1701
  29. Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, 1674–1723
  30. Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, 1703–1752
  31. Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, 1725–1785
  32. Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, 1747–1793
  33. Louis Philippe I, King of the French, 1773–1850
  34. Louis, Duke of Nemours, 1814–1896
  35. Gaston, comte d'Eu, 1842–1922
  36. Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza, 1878–1920
  37. Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, 1909–1981
  38. Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza, 1950–
  39. Prince Pedro Luiz of Orléans-Braganza, 1983–2009

See also

References
  1. SANTOS, Alexandre Armando dos (1988) (in Portuguese). A Legitimidade Monárquica no Brasil. São Paulo: Artpress, Anex V.
  2. NUNOMURA, Eduardo (2009) (in Portuguese). Perfil do príncipe Pedro de Orleans-Bragança, passageiro do voo 447. In: O Estado de S. Paulo, 2009-06-01.
  3. ROGAR, Silvia (2001) (in Portuguese). Príncipes descalços. In: Veja, n. 1700, p. 86, 2001-05-16.
  4. SANTOS, Alexandre Armando dos (1988) (in Portuguese). A Legitimidade Monárquica no Brasil. São Paulo: Artpress, p. 55
  5. BrHistória (2007) (in Portuguese), Ano I, n. 4. São Paulo: Duetto, p. 59.
  6. De Standaard Online (2009) (in Dutch). Belgisch-Braziliaanse prins onder de slachtoffers. In: De Standaard Online, 2009-06-02.
  7. CAUSA IMPERIAL (2009) (in Portuguese). Brava Gente Brasileira, n. 6, jun. 2009.
  8. Almanach de Gotha (1942). Gotha: Justus Perthes, p. 34.
  9. Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser Band XIV (1984). Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke, p. 25.
  10. BERGAMO, Mônica (1993) (in Portuguese). Que rei sou eu. In: Veja, ed. 1273, p. 25, 1993-02-03.
  11. NEVES, Céu (2009) (in Portuguese). D. Duarte Pio Duque de Bragança: "Vou mandar celebrar uma missa para os amigos". In: Diário de Notícias, 2009-06-02.
  12. Uol Notícias (2009) (in Portuguese). Descendente de família real brasileira estava no voo AF 447, 2009-06-01.
  13. MENDONÇA, Martha (2009) (in Portuguese). Princesa belga quase embarca no voo 447. In: Época, 2009-06-02.
  14. Redação Terra (2009) (in Portuguese). Corpo de príncipe que estava no voo 447 é enterrado no Rio, 2009-07-06.
  15. Redação SRZD (2009) (in Portuguese). Corpo de príncipe brasileiro que estava no voo 447 é enterrado no Rio, 2009-07-06.

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