House of Braganza House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza (), or the Brigantine Dynasty ("Dinastia Brigantina"), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin, a branch of the House of Aviz. The house was founded by Afonso I, 1st Duke of Braganza, illegitimate son of King John I of Portugal, founder of the House of Aviz, and would eventually grow into one of the wealthiest and most powerful noble houses of the Iberian Peninsula of the Renaissance period. The Braganzas came to rule the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves after successfully deposing the Philippine Dynasty
House of Braganza in 1921. She was succeeded by her grandson, Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, as Head of the Imperial House of Brazil, and he by his son and current Head, Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza. With the end of the banishment of the Imperial Family in 1920, some princes returned to live in Brazil, while another remained in Europe. After the end of World War II, Prince Pedro Henrique, then Head of the Imperial House and married to Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria, returned to Brazil with his family. The Imperial House of Brazil divided into rival branches because of the renunciation