José, Prince of Brazil

José
Prince of Brazil (more...)
Born(1761-08-20)20 August 1761
Real Barraca da Ajuda, Lisbon, Portugal
Died11 September 1788(1788-09-11) (aged 27)
Real Barraca da Ajuda, Lisbon, Portugal
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1777)
Names
José Francisco Xavier de Paula Domingos António Agostinho Anastácio
HouseBraganza
FatherPedro III of Portugal
MotherMaria I of Portugal

Dom José, Prince of Brazil, Duke of Braganza (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛ]; 20 August 1761 – 11 September 1788) was the heir apparent to the Kingdom of Portugal until his death in 1788, as the eldest child of Queen Dona Maria I of Portugal and King Dom Pedro III of Portugal, members of the House of Braganza.

José died of smallpox at the age of 27, causing his younger and ill-prepared brother, Infante João, to become heir apparent, Prince Regent to their mentally ill mother and eventually King. João's regency and reign would be a turbulent one, seeing the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal and the loss of the Portuguese Empire's largest and wealthiest colony, Brazil.