Luiz Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (6 June 1938 – 15 July 2022) was the head of the Vassouras branch of the

House of Orléans-Braganza The House of Orléans-Braganza (Portuguese: ''Casa de Orléans e Bragança'') is a Brazilian noble house of Portuguese and French origin.Podesta, Don. 20 April 1993Claimants Dream of New Brazilian Monarchy It is a cadet branch of the House of B ...

and a claimant to the defunct Brazilian throne. The Vassouras branch claims the throne in opposition to the Petrópolis branch of the Orléans-Braganzas, headed by Pedro Carlos Orléans-Braganza. Although Luiz and Pedro Carlos respectively were and are great-grandchildren of Princess Isabel (daughter of Emperor D. Pedro II), of the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Ame ...

, they disputed leadership over the

Brazilian Imperial Family The Brazilian Imperial Family (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Família Imperial Brasileira'') is a Brazilian Dynasty of Portuguese origin that ruled the Empire of Brazil from 1822 in Brazil, 1822 to 1889 in Brazil, 1889, after the proclamation of indepe ...

due to a dynastic dispute concerning their fathers, who were cousins. Luiz actively claimed the defunct throne and participated in matters concerning Brazil's imperial past.

Early life

Luiz Gastão Maria José PioCasa Imperial do Brasil – Biografia de D. Luiz de Orleans e Bragança
. was born on 6 June 1938 in

Mandelieu-la-Napoule Mandelieu-la-Napoule (; oc, Mandaluec la Napola; locally spelled Mandelieu-La Napoule) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera, just to the s ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, as the oldest son of Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, the Vassouras great-grandson of Emperor

Pedro II of Brazil Don (honorific), Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimity, Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the List of monarchs of Brazil, second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. ...

, and his wife, Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria, granddaughter of King

Ludwig III of Bavaria Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfried; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially he served in the Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold the rank of Oberl ...

. Luiz was born after the

revocation Revocation is the act of recall or annulment. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making void of some deed previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is called a suspension. Cont ...

of the

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

that had been imposed on the Imperial family by Brazil's first Republican government, the aftermath of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

detained the entire family in Europe until 1945, when the Vassouras branch of the family was finally

repatriated Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

, settling first in the town of

Petrópolis Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...

(

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

), then to Jacarezinho ( Paraná). In 1957, Luiz returned to Europe to finish his studies, where he graduated in chemistry at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's List of universities in Germany, sixth-oldest u ...

. Returning to Brazil in 1967, his family having already moved to

Vassouras Vassouras (, lit. 'Brooms') is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 37,083 (2020) and its area is 552 km².IBGE /ref> Vassouras is known for its colonial-era coffee farms and significant royal ...

(

), Luiz became a member of the Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, a traditionalist

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

organization which opposes socialistic

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

and supports conservative politics based on Catholic social doctrine and the principles promoted by

Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira (December 13, 1908 – October 3, 1995) was a Brazilian intellectual and traditionalist Catholic activist, best known for the foundation of Tradition, Family and Property organization. Biography Early life Co ...

. Alongside

Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza (Portuguese: ''Duarte Pio de Bragança'': born 15 May 1945) is the current Duke of Braganza, claimant to the title of King of Portugal of the dormant Portuguese throne, as the head of the House of Braganza. The Miguel ...

, his Portuguese counterpart and second cousin, he opposed same-sex marital unions, as of a 2015 declaration.

Succession

On 1981, he succeeded Pedro Henrique as the claimant to the Brazilian throne in the Vassouras branch. According to Brazilian

legitimist The Legitimists (french: Légitimistes) are royalists who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession to the French crown of the descendants of the eldest branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They re ...

claims, he was ''de jure'' Emperor of Brazil ("Dom Luiz I of Brazil"). He and two of his younger brothers,

Bertrand Bertrand may refer to: Places * Bertrand, Missouri, US * Bertrand, Nebraska, US * Bertrand, New Brunswick, Canada * Bertrand Township, Michigan, US * Bertrand, Michigan * Bertrand, Virginia, US * Bertrand Creek, state of Washington * Saint-Bert ...

and

Antônio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

, engaged in

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...

proselytism in Brazil. They played major roles during the campaign for the 1993 plebiscite, which represented the first official opportunity for a return of the monarchy to Brazil since the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889. In it, the people were asked to choose which form of government, presidential or

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

, and which form of state organization,

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

, Brazil should have. The monarchist cause was not successful, receiving 13.2% of the vote against 66% for the republic. Dom Luiz resided in a house with "no luxury nor splendor" in Higienópolis, a borough of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil.

Death

Luiz died in São Paulo on July 14, 2022 having been hospitalized for a month. On July 15, 2022, the President of Brazil

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...

and the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

signed a decree declaring a period of one day of official mourning for the death of Luiz.

Honours

As Head of the House of Orléans-Braganza, Luiz Gastão held the following positions:Pró-Monarquia. (2022)
Anuário da Casa Imperial do Brasil
São Paulo: Pró-Monarquia, 25. * Imperial Order of Christ (Brasil)

Grand Master and Sovereign of the Imperial Order of Christ *

Imperial Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz (Brazil) - ribbon bar

Grand Master and Sovereign of the Imperial Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz * PRT Order of Saint James of the Sword - Knight BAR

Grand Master and Sovereign of the Imperial Order of Saint James of the Sword * BRA - Order of the Southern Cross - Knight BAR

Grand Master and Sovereign of the Imperial Order of the Southern Cross * Imperial Order of Pedro I

Grand Master and Sovereign of the Imperial Order of Emperor Pedro I * 436px ribbon bar of the Order of the Rose (Brazil)

Grand Master and Sovereign of the Imperial Order of the Rose Luiz has also been decorated with a number of other honours: * ESP Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Justicia BAR

ESP Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Justicia BAR

Bailiff Grand Cross of the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (SMOCG) ( it, Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio, es, Sagrada Orden Militar Constantiniana de San Jorge), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order ...

PRT Ordem de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao de Vila Vicosa Cavaleiro ribbon

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa The Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (also known as The Order of Our Lady of Conception of Vila Vicosa; pt, Ordem de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Vila Viçosa) is a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Braganza, the f ...

Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

Knight of the

Order of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic Church, Catholic order of ...

Medal of Honor (Special Class) of the Association of Monarchic Autarchs of Portugal

Ancestry

References

External links

Official website of the Imperial House of Brazil
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Luiz of Orleans-Braganza 1938 births 2022 deaths People from Alpes-Maritimes Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian monarchists Brazilian traditionalist Catholics Luiz of Orleans-Braganza, Prince Luiz of Orleans-Braganza, Prince Princes Imperial of Brazil Heads of the Imperial House of Brazil Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa Bailiffs Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Knights of the Holy Sepulchre