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
Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza ("Rafael Antonio Maria José Francisco Miguel Gabriel Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança e Ligne"; 26 April 1986) is a member of the former Imperial House of Brazil, which reigned as emperors until 1889. As the younger but only surviving son of Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza, he is expected to eventually take up the claim to Brazil's defunct throne. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Rafael Antônio lives in the Itaim Bibi neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil. He graduated in Production Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. He speaks Portuguese,