Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
Duarte III. Pio de Bragança, full name: Dom Duarte Pio João Miguel Gabriel Rafael de Bragança ( born May 15, 1945 in Bern, Switzerland ) is since 1976 head of the erstwhile royal house of Braganza and claimant to the throne of Portugal.
Life
Duarte is the eldest son of Nuno Duarte (1907-1976) and his wife Maria Francisca Luísa Amélia Vitória (1914-1968), the daughter of Pedro de Alcântara Luís Filipe d' Orléans - Bragança, Prince of Grão Pará and Elisabeth Countess of Dobrzensky Dobrženitz. Together with his two brothers, Miguel Rafael Gabriel Xavier Teresa Maria Félix de Bragança ( b. 1946 ) and Henrique Nuno João Miguel of Bragança ( b. 1949 ), he grew up in Switzerland and France.
On 27 May 1950, the Portuguese National Assembly lifted up his legal banishment of 1834 and 1910. 1951 Duarte visited Portugal for the first time, accompanied by his aunt, Dona Filipa. Since 1952 he lives with his parents and brothers in Portugal.
From 1957 to 1959 Duarte was enrolled in Santo Tirso at school " Colégio Nuno Álvares ". In 1960 he went to the Military University in Lisbon. His military service rendered Dom Duarte 1968-1971 in Angola from. He received the rank of lieutenant at sea and worked as a helicopter pilot in the Portuguese Air Force in Angola, which was involved at the time in the Portuguese Colonial War. In 1972 he took part with a multi-ethnic Angolan group in the organization of an independent list of candidates to the National Assembly. This led to his expulsion from Angola by the arrangement of the Prime Minister Marcelo Caetano ( 1906-1980 ). Later Duarte continued his contacts with various political leaders in the Portuguese -speaking countries.
In 1995, Nikolaus of Sandizell in Portugal, the joint-stock company " arqueonautas, Archeology Subaquatica SA ", one of the world 's leading marine archaeological companies. Duarte is the Company prior to the Supervisory Board as President.
East Timor
Duarte was a supporter of the independence of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony which was occupied by Indonesia in 1975 by force. Even before the political leaders of the world looked at this situation as a problem, Duarte organized several national and international campaigns in the interest of East Timor. These included " Timor Ajudar 87 Vamos " and " Lusitânia Expresso " 1992. 1997 Duarte struck before the Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Habibie Bacharuddin to hold a referendum on the independence of East Timor. 1999, after President Habibie of Indonesia was that the referendum was held which led to the independence of East Timor.
See also: History of East Timor
Marriage and Family
On 14 May 1995 Duarte married in Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon, Dona Isabel Inês de Castro Curvello de Heredia ( born November 22, 1966), daughter of Dom Jorge de Heredia and his wife Dona Raquel Leonor Pinheiro Cuvello. For the wedding went on the entire European aristocracy, and the state television broadcast live over the wedding ceremony. The marriage produced three children:
- Afonso de Santa Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Bragança (born 25 March 1996)
- Maria Francisca Isabel Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Paula Bragança (born 3 March 1997)
- Diniz de Santa Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Francisco João Bragança (* November 25, 1999 )
The legitimists
1834 King Michael I ( 1802-1866 ) was forced into exile. Neither he nor his descendants gave up their claim to the Portuguese throne ever, that saw themselves as anti-kings to Mary II (1819-1853) or the ruling after her rulers of the house of Saxe-Coburg- Gotha. It was not until 1921, there comes the final reconciliation of the two warring lines. Meanwhile, the Revolution of 1910 had ended the monarchy in Portugal, and the last Portuguese King Manuel II ( 1889-1932 ) was in exile in England. Since Emanuel had no issue, certain Duarte Nuno II (1907-1976), a grandson of King Michael, as his successor. Since 1976, his son is Duarte III. Pio head of the House of Braganza and therefore theoretically pretender to the throne, would Portugal still a monarchy.