João VII of Portugal

  

João VII
King of Portugal
Reign	January 23, 2000
Coronation	May 6, 2000
Predecessor	Monarchy Restored Pedro VI (de jure; as Portuguese monarch) Agosto Henrique de Palmela (de facto; as head of state of Portugal)
Heir apparent	Manuel, Prince Royal
Born	(1950-01-24) January 24, 1950 Paris, Île-de-France, North France (present-day France)
Consort	Princess Maxima of Austria-Este (m. 1969)
Issue	Manuel, Prince Royal Infante Afonso Infante João Carlos Infanta Antonia Infante Gabriel Infanta Mariana Infanta Olívia, Duchess of Guadalupe
Names João Pedro Afonso de Bragança e Rohan
Royal house	Braganza
Father	Afonso, Duke of Braganza
Mother	Marie Charlotte of Rohan
Religion	Avginon Catholic

João VII (João Pedro Afonso de Bragança e Rohan; born January 24, 1950) is the current King of Portugal and the Algarves. Beginning his reign in 2000, he is the first and currently only monarch of the January Restoration.

João was born in exile in Paris to Afonso, Duke of Braganza and Marie Charlotte de Rohan. A grandson of Pedro VI, João was expected to inherited the Braganza claims to the then defunct Portuguese throne from his father. He attended the Collège Stanislas de Paris, where he met Maxima of Austria-Este. The two were married in 1972 and have seven children. João inherited the claim to the defunct Portuguese throne in 1990 following the death of his father.

During the Iberian Revolution of 2000, João traveled to Portugal, where he was declared the restored King of Portugal and the Algarves by the Portuguese provisional government on January 23, 2000. His enthronement coincided with Portuguese independence from the Iberian Union of Socialist Republics. He was crowned as João VII on May 6, 2000. While a constitutional monarch, he has retained a large influence in the proceedings of government. Under his rule, the monarchy has retained various special privileges, and João has frequently involved himself in the proceedings of his governments. While international watchdogs have accused him of contributing to democratic backsliding in Portugal, he has nevertheless retain high approval ratings.

Early life and education in exile

João Pedro Afonso de Bragança e Rohan was born on January 24, 1950 in Paris, France. He was born to Afonso de Braganza, the Duke of Braganza and pretender to the then-defunct Portuguese throne, and Marie Charlotte de Rohan, a French-Breton noblewoman of the ancient House of Rohan. João was born the second child and only son of the couple, having an older sister, Maria Benedicta, and a younger sister, Maria Alfonza. A grandson of Pedro VI, João was expected to one day inherit the claim to the defunct Portuguese throne. João was raised in exile in Paris; his family was barred from re-entry to Portugal, which at the time was a constituent socialist republic of the Iberian Union of Socialist Republics.

João was privately educated at his family's private residence in Paris from the age of 5 to 11. While being privately tutored, João learned to speak French, English, and Spanish, on top of his native Portuguese. From the ages of 12 to 18, João attended the Lycée Henri-IV, a prestigious and rigorous secondary school in Paris. While at the Lycée Henri-IV, João was an active member of the school's competitive swiming team. After completing his secondary education in 1968, João attended Oxford University in the United Kingdom, earning degrees in political science and world history.

While on holiday in the Netherlands, João met and befriended Princess Maxima of Austria-Este. The two form a romantic relationship in 1968 and became married the following year. Their first meeting was organized by their respective parents, according to biographer Henrique de Abbas, as Alfonso wanted João to marry into a family of equal status rather than of lower noble rank, a trend that had started to become popular amongst royal families of the time. The couple went on to have seven children: Manuel (b. 1970), Afonso (b. 1972), João Carlos (b. 1973), Antonia (b. 1975), Gabriel (b. 1976), Mariana (b. 1977), and Olívia (b. 1980).

Pre-restoration activities

In 1972, João was at the center of diplomatic incident between North France and the Iberian Union, in which he was honorably discharged from the North French Army six months after deployment due to diplomatic protests from the Iberian Union, who asserted that João's enlistment in the army was covert preparation for a Portuguese uprising. In 1999, João was made an honorary colonel of the French Army by Henry VII following his ascension to the French throne...

King of Portugal

Restoration, enthronement, and coronation

Main article: January Restoration