House of Habsburg de Brazos

  

House of Habsburg de Brazos Casa de Habsburg de Brazos
Country	Brazoria
Parent house	House of Habsburg
Titles	Monarch of Brazoria (1820-1931; 1989-present)
Founded	1576
Founder	John of Austria
Current head	Juan Carlos II
Ethnicity	Spanish German

The House of Habsburg de Brazos (Spanish: Casa de Habsburg de Brazos), sometimes referred to as the House of Brazória (Spanish: Casa de Brazoria), is the royal house of the Kingdom of Brazoria. Founded in 1576 by John of Austria, the House of Habsburg de Brazos is a de facto cadet branch of the Austrian House of Habsburg, though the two are very much distantly related. The house is the oldest continuous ruling house in North America and is one of the oldest ruling houses in the world.

The founder of the House of Habsburg de Brazos was John of Austria. A bastard son of Charles V, John was legitimized by his half-brother Philip II following his efforts of in the early colonization of Brazoria. Taking a leading role in the development of Brazoria, John established the cadet branch of Habsburg de Brazos in 1576, taking its name partially from the Brazos River. For three centuries, the House of Habsburg de Brazos established itself as a major force in the politics of the Intendency of Texas, finding support among the conservative Spanish-speaking Brazoreños settlers. Following the establishment of the Kingdom of Brazoria, the provisional government elected the house as the royal house of Brazoria. The head of the house, Juan Fernando, would be crowned as Juan I of Brazoria following the brief Brazorian War of Independence in 1821.

The House of Habsburg de Brazos ruled Brazoria for the entirety of the nineteenth century, with Habsburg de Brazos kings overseeing major events in Brazorian history, such as the New Mexico Crisis and the Spanish-American War. During the early twentieth century, the house came under increase scrutiny during the scandalous and controversial reign of Rodolfo. That, along with economic downturn and a general resentment towards the monarchy, saw the eventual abolition of the monarchy under the reign of Esteban III in 1931 and the self-imposed exile of the house to the Kingdom of Sierra. Initially recognizing the abolition, the house revived its claim to the defunct throne of Brazoria during the Brazorian Civil War, supporting the White Army in its unsuccessful attempt to prevent the establishment of the Brazorian Confederation by the landonist Crimson Army. Maintaining their claim to the throne, the House of Habsburg de Brazos would be influential in the rise of the Yellowrose Movement in Brazoria.

In 1989, the Yellowrose Revolution would see the fall of landonism in Brazoria and the restoration of the House of Habsburg de Brazos as the royal house, with its head, John Charles being anointed as Juan Carlos II. Despite this, many of its subsidiary titles would not be restored until the Pecan Revolution of 2000, which saw the restoration of the Brazorian nobility alongside democratization. In the modern era, the House of Habsburg de Brazos is composed of a total of TBD members and is considered one of the last mainline cadet branches of the House of Habsburg, alongside the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and the House of Austria-Este.

History

Origins

The House of Habsburg de Brazos is the sole cadet branch of the Spanish Habsburgs, themselves a branch of the House of Habsburg. The house is descended from John of Austria, an illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He only met his father a handful of times and was recognized as his son in his will. He was educated at the University of Alcalá de Henares alongside his nephews, Carlos, Prince of Asturias, son and heir of his half-brother Philip II of Spain, and Alessandro Farnese, the son of another one of Charles's illegitimate children. With the completion of his education, John enlisted into the services of his half-brother, joining the Spanish Navy and participating in battles against the Ottoman Empire near Malta.

In 1572, John traveled to North America, where he established the settlement of Puerto Real in what constitutes as modern-day Brazoria. His efforts in establishing a permanent settlement in the area, along with fears surrounding royal succession, resulted in his legitimization by his half-brother as a full member of the House of Habsburg. Despite his legitimatization, he was not granted to privilege of using the style of Royal Highness and was treated as an outsider at the Spanish court. As a result, John focused much of his attention on the colonization efforts in what is now referred to as the Intendency of Texas, marrying his first cousin, Archduchess Helena of Austria and leaving Spain for the final time in 1574.

The birth of John and Helena's first child, Carlos Fernando, prompting John to form the House of Habsburg de Brazos, a separated branch of the House of Habsburg and the sole cadet branch descended from the Spanish Habsburgs. John took the name of Brazos from the Brazos River, which bordered the Presidio of the Brazos, a fort in central Brazoria and his family's primary residence within the Intendency of Texas. Following John's death in 1576, his descendants played influential roles in the formation of the Intendency of Texas.

Titles

Monarch

King/Queen of Brazoria

Ceremonial Titles

• Duke/Duchess of the Brazos
• Count/Countess of Grand Llano