Manuel II of Portugal

Dom Manuel II (Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Francisco de Assis Eugénio de Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha e Bragança; 15 November 1889 – 2 July 1932), sometimes known as Manuel the Unfortunate (Manuel o Desaventurado) or Manuel the Patriot (Manuel o Patriota), was the last king of Portugal, reigning from 1908 until 1910.

Manuel was born in the Palace of Belém, Lisbon, during the reign of his father, Carlos I. He was his third and youngest child. Before ascending the throne, he held the title of Duke of Beja. He received traditional education. Having ingressed the naval school in 1907, he was never meant to become a king, since it was expected for his elder brother to assume that role.

After the regicide in 1908, which killed the King and the Prince Royal, Manuel, then 18 years old, became king. Manuel reigned as constitutional monarch through an extremely volatile political climate which culminated with the end of nearly 800 years of monarchy in 1910. As king, he believed that it was his father's direct involvement in political affairs that caused his death, hence he limited the use of his powers in influencing the government, however, he was very active in solving what would become to be known as the Social Question. Manuel also ended some traditions, like the traditional hand-kissing ceremony.

Due to the unsustainable political instability, the monarchy was overthrown in 1910, which converted Portugal into a republic. Manuel and his family subsequently fled to exile in the UK. During exile, in 1913, he married Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern. He created a considerable library by buying Portuguese books in auction houses. Manuel died aged 43, at Twickenham, Middlesex.