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
House of Braganza of 1826 stated that ""The Reigning Dynasty of the Most Serene House of Braganza Shall Continue in the Person of Lady Princess Maria da Glória, by the Abdication and Cession of Her August Father Lord Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil, Legitimate Heir and Successor of Lord João VI."". After the revolution of 1910, King Manuel II settled in England until his death in 1932. He was childless, and descendants of Miguel of Braganza (the usurper of 1826) claimed the throne. In 1920–22, the two (of the now four) branches of the House of Braganza negotiated an alleged pact under which