Brazilian imperial family
| Brazilian imperial family Família imperial brasileira House of Braganza-Brazil House of Brazil | |
|---|---|
| Parent house | House of Aviz by the way of the House of Braganza |
| Country | Brazil |
| Founded | 1822 |
| Founder | Pedro I |
| Current head | Vassouras branch: Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza Petrópolis branch: Pedro Carlos Orléans-Braganza |
| Final ruler | Pedro II |
| Titles | |
| Estate | Brazil |
| Deposition | 1889 |
| Cadet branches | House of Orléans-Braganza House of Saxe-Coburg and Braganza |
The Imperial House of Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese: Casa Imperial Brasileira) is a Brazilian dynasty of Portuguese origin and a cadet branch of the House of Braganza. It reigned over the Brazilian Empire from 1822 to 1889, beginning with the proclamation of Brazilian independence by Dom Pedro of Braganza, then Prince Royal of Portugal, and ending with the deposition of Emperor Pedro II during the military coup that established the First Brazilian Republic.
Members of the Imperial House are dynastic descendants of Emperor Pedro I. After the abolition of the monarchy, leadership of the imperial legacy came to be claimed by descendants of Emperor Pedro II, giving rise to two competing lines within the House of Orléans-Braganza: the Direct Line called Petrópolis branch and a Cadet Line called Vassouras branch. The Petrópolis line is headed by Prince Dom Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (born 1945) and the only descendants residing in the Imperial Palace of Grão-Pará in the Imperial City of Petrópolis, while the Vassouras branch is led by his second cousin, Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza.
The rivalry between the two branches dates to 1946, when Dom Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza repudiated the statement of not making usage of his dynastic rights made by his father, Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará, following the latter’s marriage in 1908. Since then, both lines have maintained competing claims to the symbolic headship of the former Brazilian imperial family.