House of Braganza great difficulty under the reign of King João II. By the tenure of the third duke, Fernando II, the House of Braganza was undoubtedly one of the greatest noble houses of Portugal and Iberia as a whole. Fernando II continued the House's legacy of acquisition and gained the title of Duke of Guimarães. To the Duke and the House's downfall, however, King João II's reign concerned itself with the royal consolidation of power and the diminishment of the nobility. In his mission to centralize power, the King executed many nobleman of the great houses of Portugal, alongside confiscating their properties
Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza (born June 24, 1950), whose baptismal name is "Antônio João Maria José Jorge Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança e Wittelsbach", is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil. Antônio was born in Rio de Janeiro, the sixth son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza and of his wife, Princess Maria of Bavaria. In 1976, Antônio earned a bachelor's degree in Engineering (with a specialization in Major Structural Projects) from the University of Barra do Piraí. Dom Antônio's eldest brother is Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza, the current Head of