Pedro Afonso, Prince Imperial of Brazil

Who was Pedro Afonso, Prince Imperial of Brazil?

Dom Pedro Afonso was the Prince Imperial and heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Brazil. Born at the Palace of São Cristóvão in Rio de Janeiro, he was the second son and youngest child of Emperor Dom Pedro II and Dona Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. Pedro Afonso was the much needed male heir to the throne, which had been put in jeopardy by the death of his older brother Dom Afonso.

Pedro Afonso's early death of fever at the age of one devastated the Emperor, and the imperial couple had no further children. Pedro Afonso's older sister Dona Isabel became heiress, but Pedro II remained unconvinced the she could ever be accepted by the ruling circles due to her gender. He excluded Isabel from matters of state, failing to provide training for her possible role as monarch. With no surviving male children, the Emperor started to believe that the imperial line was destined to end with his own death.