Jaime, Duke of Braganza among the nobility against the Crown. After his father's death, Jaime's family, the House of Braganza, were banished to Castile and their properties and vast wealth were seized by the Portuguese Crown. After King John II's death in 1495, the throne passed to his first cousin, King Manuel I of Portugal. In 1498, King Manuel I, having been a powerful nobleman before his ascension to the throne, forgave the House of Braganza and welcomed them back to Portugal. He returned all their possessions and then some, but demanded devout loyalty from Duke Jaime of Braganza. Seeking to demonstrate the power
House of Orléans-Braganza to the marriage. Isabel and Leopoldina were not informed until Gaston and August were mid-Atlantic. Arriving in early September, Gaston described the princesses as "ugly", but thought Isabel less so than her sister. For her part, Isabel in her own words "began to feel a great and tender love" for Gaston.[65] The two couples: Gaston and Isabel; August and Leopoldina; were engaged on 18 September. On 15 October 1864 at Rio de Janeiro, Prince Gaston married Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil and heiress of the Empire. It was from that marriage the royal house of Orléans-Braganza was formed. The couple