Afonso II of Brazil

  

Afonso II
Emperor of Brazil
Reign	April 4, 2006
Coronation	July 7, 2006
Predecessor	Pedro V
Heir apparent	Luís, Prince Imperial
Born	(1979-09-20) September 20, 1979 Rio de Janiero, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Consort	Maria de Araújo
Issue	Luís, Prince Imperial Princess Juliana Prince Pedro Prince João
Names Afonso João Alberto de Bragança e Mecklemburgo
Royal house	Braganza
Father	Pedro V
Mother	Sophie of Mecklenburg

Afonso II (Afonso João Alberto Bragança e Mecklemburgo; born September 20, 1979) is the current reigning Emperor of Brazil, succeeding to the throne in 2006. He is also the head of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza, the longest reigning royal house in the Americas.

Afonso was born at the Palácio Imperial in Rio de Janeiro to Pedro V and Princess Sophie of Mecklenburg. He was born an only child and was tutored at the Palácio Imperial. He attended the Imperial University of Rio de Janiero, where he was educated in philosphy, political science, and medical science. After receiving a military education at the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras, he served in the Brazilian Army from 2002 to 2006. In 2002, he married Brazilian noblewoman Maria de Araújo. Together, they have four children: Luís, Juliana, Pedro, and João.

In 2006, Afonso ascended to the throne following the sudden death of his father. From 2006 to 2015, he was the youngest hereditary sovereign in the world, assuming the throne at age twenty-eight. Since assuming the throne, he had overseen various important events in modern Brazilian history, including the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2008, entrance into the Conference of American States in 2016, and the decline of diplomatic relations between United People's Committees and the United Commonwealth with the Amazonas incident of 2021 and the Second Caribbean crisis. Since ascending to the throne, Afonso remains a popular figurehead amongst the Brazilian people, retaining a popular approval rating of 87%. Despite his popular, Afonso has been accused of contributing to democratic backsliding in Brazil. He has overseen an unprecedent expansion of imperial power during his reign and has sidestepped parliamentary actions through controversial constitutional loopholes in order to pursue policies that may sometimes contradict the government.

Early life and education

Afonso João Alberto Bragança e Mecklemburgo was born on September 20, 1979 at the medical wing of the Palácio Imperial in Rio de Janeiro to Pedro V and Princess Sophie of Mecklenburg. His birth was considered a miracle, as his parents had suffered three separate miscarriages prior to Afonso, and was celebrated amongst the public and the imperial family. Due to the emotional strain the miscarriages had on his parents, Afonso was raised as a only child. However, he was raised alongside his paternal cousins and maintain a strong bond with them. On October 1, weeks following his birth, Afonso was baptized at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro into the Avignon Catholic faith

Afonso was privately educated at the Palácio Imperial from the ages of five to fourteen. For his secondary education, Afonso attended St. Michael's International School, a prestigious boarding school in the Kingdom of Sierra. At St. Michael's, he boarded with his cousin, Prince Carlos and was a member of the fencing and soccer teams. During his sophomore year, he was accidently stabbed in the shoulder during fencing practice and was taken to hospital, where he required stiches. He graduated from St. Michael's International School in 1997 and returned to Brazil to attend the Imperial University of Rio de Janeiro.

At the Imperial University, Afonso studied philosophy, political science, and health science. For the first year of his university education, Afonso stayed on campus, again being roommates with Prince Carlos. In 1998, the two, alongside three other friends, began renting an apartment just outside campus. Afonso declined the salary awarded to the Prince Imperial of Brazil by the General Assembly during his university years, instead donating his salary to charity and working on-campus as a student mentor to pay for his shared apartment. Following a security incident in 1999, the Chamber of Deputies increased the security surrounding Afonso. He graduated from the Imperial University of Rio de Janeiro in 2001 with degrees in political and medical science.

In 2002, Afonso received his military education at the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras, as is customary for the heir to the throne. Following the completion of his military education, he was commissioned as an officer in the Brazilian Army and was stationed in the Amazon near the border between Brazil and the United People's Committees. He served as an active duty official from 2002 to 2006, becoming a member of the reserved corps after ascending to the throne. In the same year, Afonso married Brazilian noblewoman Maria de Araújo in a elaborate wedding ceremony.

Prince Imperial

Shortly following his birth, Afonso was made Prince Imperial of Brazil, the traditional title of the heir apparent to the Brazilian throne, by his father. He is the youngest individual to assume the position of Prince Imperial, displacing Pedro II & V. Traditionally, the eldest child of the sovereign is made prince or princess imperial following their sixteenth birthday. Afonso's confirmation as prince imperial at such a young age was done by Pedro V as a political maneuver to ensure security in dynastic succession. As he was an infant, there was never a confirmation ceremony affirming his status as the prince imperial, unlike the previous heirs to the throne.

At the age of eighteen, Afonso began to take in the responsibilities of the heir apparent to the throne, and following his completion of his secondary education in the Kingdom of Sierra, he began to make more frequent public appearances by himself. His first solo public engagement was on April 12, 1998, where he celebrated Easter Day alongside his cousin, Prince Carlos, in São Paulo. In 1999, he engaged in his first solo state visit, traveling to Brazoria and meeting Juan Carlos II and Prince Esteban. There was some concern amongst the Brazilian government of the trip, as the young Afonso was only twenty years of age and was inexperienced in diplomacy. Despite this, the trip was viewed as a success.

In the summers of 2000 and 2001, Afonso engaged on various regional tours in Brazil, visiting poverty-stricken communities and assisting in charity work. His public engagements began to slow down in 2002 as he completed his military education and after being commissioned into the Brazilian Army, it was announced that he would cease his public engagements while serving as active member of the army. Despite this, he did occasionally appear at public events hosted by members of his family and continued to frequently appear alongside his family at special events and celebrations, including Independence Day, Victory Day, and other holidarys.

Emperor of Brazil

Ascension and coronation

Afonso inherited the Brazilian throne on April 4, 2006. His father, Pedro V, had unexpectedly passed away at the Palácio Imperial at the age of sixty-seven, succumbing to heart failure. His death came as a shock to both the country and the imperial family, as Pedro appeared to be in relative good health prior to his death. The death of Pedro V and the ascension of Afonso to the Brazilian throne was announced to the public approximately an hour after the emperor had passed away and resulted in a large gathering of mourners at the Palácio Imperial. At the time of his father's death, Afonso was located at the Palácio Rio, which acted as he and his family's residence in Rio de Janeiro.

Three months following his ascension to the throne, his coronationa ceremony was held in the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. His coronation was attended by various foreign and royal dignitaries, including the then-King and Queen of the Kingdom of Sierra, the then-Prince and Princess of Wales, the King and Queen of Brazoria, the King and Queen of Superior, and the then-Prince and Princess Royal of France. Also in attendance was Prince Christian-Sigismund of Prussia, who represented his nephew, the German Emperor, and Manuel, Prince Royal, who represented the King of Portugal. A member of the Portuguese branch of the House of Braganza attending Afonso's coronation was seen as a sign of the mending of relations between the Brazilian and Portuguese branches of the house.

See also

• Monarchy of Brazil
• Brazilian imperial family