House of Braganza Manuel II named as his heir Duarte Nuno of Braganza, grandson of Miguel. Duarte Nuno, now Duke of Braganza, remained the Braganza pretender until his death in 1976. In 1942, he married a great-granddaughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, uniting the two lines of the House. In 1950 Portugal repealed the law of exile against the Braganzas, and D. Duarte Nuno moved to the country in 1952. Duarte Nuno was succeeded as pretender by his son, Duarte Pio of Braganza (born 1945). Duarte Pio served in the Portuguese Armed Forces and took the customary oath of allegiance to the
Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza and participates in matters concerning Brazil's imperial past. Luiz Gastão Maria José Pio was born on 6 June 1938 in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, as the oldest son Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, the Vassouras great-grandson of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, and his wife, Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria, granddaughter of King Ludwig III of Bavaria. Through his father, he is a member of the Vassouras branch of the House of Orléans-Braganza, a cadet branch of the House of Braganza and the House of Orléans. Through both of his parents, Luiz is a cousin to many heads of royal families throughout