Fernando II, Duke of Braganza various titles of his father, the most important and noteworthy being the title of Duke of Braganza. At this time, the House of Braganza was the most powerful noble house in the Kingdom of Portugal (with its seat at Vila Viçosa) and one of the most powerful ones in all of the Iberian Kingdoms. During that period, the Dukes of Braganza resided at Vila Viçosa Castle. When King John II of Portugal succeeded his father, King Afonso V, he sought to bring down the power of the Portuguese nobility, which had greatly flourished under his father's reign. The King heavily
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,