Infante Afonso, Prince of Beira
Encyclopedia
Dom
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...

 Afonso, Prince of Beira
(Dom Afonso de Santa Maria de Bragança; born 25 March 1996), is the eldest son of Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza , is the 24th Duke of Braganza and a pretender to the throne of Portugal.-Birth and education:...

, who is the current pretender to the former Portuguese throne and head of the House of Braganza
House of Braganza
The Most Serene House of Braganza , an important Portuguese noble family, ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial Empire, from 1640 to 1910...

.

Biography

Afonso was born in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, the eldest child of Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza , is the 24th Duke of Braganza and a pretender to the throne of Portugal.-Birth and education:...

, and Isabel de Herédia
Isabel de Herédia
Dona Isabel Inês, Duchess of Braganza , and wife Raquel Leonor Pinheiro Curvelo, is the wife of Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança, current claimant to the Portuguese throne and Duchess of...

. As heir to his father, he bears the style Royal Highness
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...

, and title of Prince of Portugal. He is not however styled as an Infante of Portugal
Infante of Portugal
Infante of Portugal is the royal title of the Kingdom of Portugal, granted to the sons or daughters of the King and Princes of Portugal who were not the heir to the throne. It is also used to denote a grandson or granddaughter in the male line of a reigning monarch. Female consorts of Infantes of...

, as this title is traditionally reserved for the younger royal children, the result of a royal warrant issued in 1455 by Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...

, to celebrate the birth of the future John II
John II of Portugal
John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...

.

On 1 June 1996, in the Cathedral of Braga
Braga Cathedral
The Cathedral of Braga is one of the most important monuments in the city of Braga, in Northern Portugal. Due to its long history and artistic significance it is also one of the most important buildings in the country.-History:...

, Afonso was baptised by Eurico Dias Nogueira
Eurico Dias Nogueira
Eurico Dias Nogueira is a Portuguese Prelate of Roman Catholic Church.Eurico Dias Nogueira was born in Dornelas do Zêzere, Portugal, ordained a priest on 22 December 1945. Nogueira was appointed bishop to the Diocese of Vila Cabral on 10 July 1964 and ordained bishop on 6 December 1964...

, Archbishop of Braga and Primate of all the Spains. He received the names Afonso de Santa Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael de Bragança. Since his birth he has been styled (15th) Prince of Beira
Prince of Beira
Prince of Beira is a title in Portugal, normally given to the second heirs to the throne and/or to the eldest daughter of the monarch. It was thus attributed to persons of the royal family especially esteemed by the sovereign...

 and (20th) Duke of Barcelos
Duke of Barcelos
The Dukes of Barcelos was an Nobility title granted by King Sebastian of Portugal on 5 August 1562, to the Duke of Braganza heir, during his father's life....

. These are the titles traditionally reserved for the prince second in the line of succession to the throne.

His godparents are Princess Helene of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his uncle, Afonso Miguel de Herédia.

Immediately after his baptism at Sé de Braga, Braga's Cathedral
Braga Cathedral
The Cathedral of Braga is one of the most important monuments in the city of Braga, in Northern Portugal. Due to its long history and artistic significance it is also one of the most important buildings in the country.-History:...

, the young Prince was consecrated in nearby Guimarães
Guimarães
Guimarães Municipality is located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the Braga District. It contains the city of Guimarães.The present Mayor is António Magalhães Silva, elected by the Socialist Party.-Parishes:-Economy:...

 to Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, (Our Lady of the Olive Tree), where his ancestor John I
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...

 (founder of the House of Aviz
House of Aviz
The House of Aviz is a dynasty of kings of Portugal. In 1385, the Interregnum of the 1383-1385 crisis ended with the acclamation of the Master of the Order of Aviz, John, natural son of king Peter I and Dona Teresa Lourenço as king...

), along with his illegitimate son Afonso, Duke of Braganza (founder of the House of Braganza
House of Braganza
The Most Serene House of Braganza , an important Portuguese noble family, ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial Empire, from 1640 to 1910...

), had been to thank her for his victory at the battle of Aljubarrota, in 1385, against his niece Queen Beatrice of Portugal
Beatrice of Portugal
Beatrice was the only surviving child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Telles de Menezes. She married King John I of Castile. In the absence of a male heir, she claimed the throne of Portugal, supported by her husband. This led to the 1383–1385 Crisis, in which the Portuguese...

 and her husband John I of Castile
John I of Castile
John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...

.

Afonso, Prince of Beira, will inherit his father's title Duke of Braganza
Duke of Braganza
The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...

if he survives him, the title formerly borne by the first in the line of succession to the throne. The Prince also has the title Duke of Barcelos
Duke of Barcelos
The Dukes of Barcelos was an Nobility title granted by King Sebastian of Portugal on 5 August 1562, to the Duke of Braganza heir, during his father's life....

, as this is the title traditionally borne by the eldest son of the Duke of Braganza.

Ancestry



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