Surname: | Ducal House of Lafões |
Estate: | of Portugal |
Parent House: | House of Braganza |
Country: | Portugal |
Titles: |
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Current Head: | D. Miguel Bernardo de Casal Ribeiro Bravo de Bragança |
Founder: | D. Luísa Antónia Inês Casimira de Sousa Nassau e Ligne |
Founding Year: | 1718 |
Duke of Lafões (in Portuguese, Duque de Lafões; pronounced as /pt/) is a Portuguese title of nobility created under the decree of February 17, 1718, of King John V of Portugal and granted to his nephew, Dom Pedro Henrique de Bragança, the building force behind Palacio do Grilo and first son of Infante Miguel de Bragança, the latter an illegitimate son of King Peter II of Portugal and Anne Armande Pastre de Verger. Pedro's mother, Luisa Casimira de Sousa Nassau e Ligne was the first to use this title. The title was later passed on to his brother, João Carlos de Bragança e Ligne de Sousa Tavares Mascarenhas da Silva, the most famous Duke of this title.
Luísa Casimira de Sousa Nassau e Ligne, Duchess of Lafões (1694–1729), married to Infante Miguel of Braganza (natural son of Peter II, King of Portugal), was the first to use this title. However, she is not included in the list of Dukes, as King John V's decree granted the title to Luísa's older son:
The House of Lafões descends from the marriage between Infante Miguel of Braganza (King Peter II's natural son) and Luísa-Casimira, 30th representative of the House of Sousa and 6th Countess of Miranda do Corvo.