Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza
Prince Dom Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza (Bertrand Maria José Pio Januário Miguel Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança; 2 February 1941) is the head of the Vassouras branch of the Imperial House of Brazil and pretender to the title of Emperor of Brazil since 2022.
Bertrand
Born in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, the third child of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria. He was the third and last child of the couple to be born abroad, and came to Brazil at the age of four. In Brazil, he graduated in law from the University of São Paulo and became a student of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira and a devoted member of Tradition, Family and Property and later the Instituto Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.[1] Prince Bertrand is an avid traditionalist conservative, anticommunist, and outspoken advocate of right-wing Christian policies. Chaste, the Prince succeeded his brother as Head of the Imperial House of Brazil and is the main activist and spokesperson for the restoration of the monarchy, having gained prominence in the national media and, on occasion, in the international media. He is frequently invited by public and private institutions, including the Federal Government, to participate in official events, as well as to participate in monarchic events and meetings and to travel the country campaigning for the monarchy.[2][3]
Although Prince Bertrand and Prince Pedro Carlos are great-grandsons of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, of the House of Braganza, they disputed the leadership of the Brazilian Imperial Family due to a dynastic dispute regarding their parents, who were cousins. A member of the Brazilian Imperial House, Prince Bertrand is closely related to the House of Braganza and the House of Orléans (Orleanist claimants), both through his paternal lineage, and with the House of Wittelsbach, through his maternal lineage. He is the great-grandson of Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil and King Louis III of Bavaria.[4][5][6]
Roles[edit]
In recent years, Bertrand is coordinator and spokesman of the movement Paz no Campo (Peace in the fields), and has traveled all over Brazil lecturing for farmers and entrepreneurs in defense of private property and free enterprise.[11][12]
As the activist and spokesman of the Brazilian Imperial House for the restoration of the monarchy, Bertrand has gained prominence in the national media and, on some occasions, international media,[13] with the rise and spread of monarchist movements throughout the country.[14] He participates annually in public meetings with monarchists,[15] in addition to attending other meetings and conducting lectures, often at the invitation of private institutions, municipal governments and legislative assemblies, mainly for public events related to Brazil's monarchical past.[16] In 2016 he gave an interview to Mariana Godoy on her program on RedeTV!, gaining notoriety with the general public.[17] On 22 September 2017 Bertrand participated in the program The Noite com Danilo Gentili, currently the largest talk show in the country, breaking the program's record of audience.[18] Despite the campaign, politically the monarchist movement is still small, with 11% of support among the population, according to a survey.[19]
Political opinions[edit]
Bertrand supports typically Traditionalist Catholic ideas: he opposes same-sex marriage, favours the illegality of abortion and is against the demarcation of indigenous territory in Brazil.[20] He has also criticised the progressivism of Pope Francis, although he does recognize him as the legitimate pope.
He is a climate change denialist and has published a book entitled "Psicose Ambientalista" ("Environmentalist Psychosis"), denouncing with what he calls "the hoaxes created by radical environmentalists and by eco-terrorists".[21][22]
