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 Luiz Gastão of Orléans-Braganza in Dreux. After his death, his sister Princess Pia Maria became the titular heir of her brother Pedro Henrique, until the birth of Pedro Henrique's son, also called Prince Luiz, in 1938. Prince Luiz Gastão of Orléans-Braganza Prince Luiz Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (; 19 February 19118 September 1931) was a member of the House of Orléans-Braganza, and was descended from the Brazilian Imperial Family. Prince Luiz Gastão was born at Cannes, France, the second son of Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza (1878–1920), and his wife, Princess Maria di Grazia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1978–1963). His father was the second son of Prince