Infante João, Duke of Beja (; en, John; 16 March 1842 – 27 December 1861) was a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

infante ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

'' (prince) and member of the House of Braganza."While remaining

patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...

dynasts of the duchy of

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present- ...

according to pp. 88, 116 of the 1944 ''

Almanach de Gotha The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First publish ...

'', Title 1, Chapter 1, Article 5 of th
1838 Portuguese constitution
declared, with respect to

Ferdinand II of Portugal '' Dom'' Ferdinand II ( Portuguese: ''Fernando II'') (29 October 1816 – 15 December 1885) was a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, and King of Portugal ''jure uxoris'' as the husband of Queen Maria II, from the birth ...

's issue by his first wife, that 'the Most Serene House of Braganza is the reigning house of Portugal and continues through the Person of the Lady Queen Maria II'. Thus their mutual descendants constitute the Coburg line of the House of Braganza"

Early life

Infante João was born in Lisbon the third son of

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Maria II of Portugal , image = Queen Maria II by John Simpson.jpg , caption = Portrait by John Simpson, 1835 , succession = Queen of Portugal , reign = , predecessor = Pedro IV , successor = Miguel I , reg-type = Regents , regent ...

and

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Fernando II. He was created

Duke of Beja Duke of Beja ( pt, Duque de Beja) was an aristocratic Portuguese title and royal dukedom, associated with the Portuguese Royal House. List of the Dukes of Beja # Infante Fernando, 2nd Duke of Viseu (1433–1470), King Duarte I's third son (se ...

and held the additional title of Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke in Saxony as a dynast of the

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (; german: Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) is a European royal house. It takes its name from its oldest domain, the Ernestine duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, its members later sat on the thrones of Belgium, Bu ...

Military

João received a military education and was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of a cavalry regiment. He was visiting England and France with his brother the

Duke of Porto Duke of Porto (Portuguese ''Duque do Porto'') is a royaly-held noble title of Portuguese nobility. The title's namesake is from the city of Porto, in the north of Portugal. History The title was created in 1833 for Maria, Princess Royal ...

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the throne, when they were summoned to return to Portugal by their brother King Pedro V who was dying of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

or cholera. Their brother died on 11 November 1861 before they could return along with their fifteen-year-old brother

Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

. With his death the Duke of Porto became King Luís I and João became heir presumptive to the throne. He did not remain heir for long as he died a month later of the same illness that killed his brothers in Lisbon on 27 December 1861 aged 19 and unmarried.

Ancestry

References

1842 births 1861 deaths House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Portuguese infantes 108 People from Lisbon 19th-century Portuguese people Burials at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora Constables of Portugal Deaths from typhoid fever Deaths from cholera 3 3 3 Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa Sons of kings {{Portugal-royal-stub