Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza (1878–1920)

Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza
Luís in 1909
Born(1878-01-26)26 January 1878
Petrópolis, Empire of Brazil
Died26 March 1920(1920-03-26) (aged 42)
Cannes, France
Burial
Spouse
IssuePrince Pedro Henrique
Prince Luís Gastão
Princess Pia Maria
Names
Portuguese: Luís Maria Filipe Pedro de Alcântara Gastão Miguel Rafael Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança
HouseOrléans-Braganza
FatherPrince Gaston, Count of Eu
MotherIsabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
Signature

Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza (26 January 1878 – 26 March 1920), nicknamed "the Perfect Prince", was the second son of Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil and Prince Gaston, Count of Eu, and patriarch of the Vassouras branch of the House of Orléans-Braganza. His maternal grandfather, Pedro II of Brazil, was the last emperor of Brazil.

He was exiled along with his family as the result of the 1889 coup d'état that resulted in the formation of the republic. In 1908, the year he married, his older brother Pedro renounced his claim to succeed his mother in her claim to the imperial throne, leaving Dom Luís as her heir. In this role, he worked with monarchists in Brazil in several attempts to restore the monarchy. At the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted as an officer with the British Armed Forces and saw action in Flanders where he contracted a virulent form of rheumatism that caused his death at the age of 42. His efforts on behalf of the Allies of World War I saw him decorated by Belgium, France and Great Britain.