Descendants of John VI of Portugal

The Descendants of John VI of Portugal, of the House of Braganza, would play a role in Portuguese imperial affairs and global royalty. Many children of John VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina of Spain became key players in historic events. His descendants can be found in both reigning and non-reigning royal families of Europe and Brazil; in fact, mainly through his second son, Miguel, nicknamed the "Grandfather of Europe:, his descendants include recent rulers in Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and were claimants to the thrones of Portugal, Austria, and the former Duchy of Parma.

This article deals with the children of John VI and in turn their senior heirs.

Background on John VI
John, born on 13 May 1767 in Lisbon, was the second son of Queen Maria I and King Pedro III.

Throne of Portugal
John became the heir to the Portuguese throne after his brother, José, Prince of Brazil, died in 1788.

In 1799, John became Prince regent for his mother, Maria I of Portugal. Spain and France soon declared war and attempted to invade Portugal, starting the War of the Oranges. While peace was eventually attained, Portugal and its empire suffered territorial losses.

Court in Rio de Janeiro
In 1807, to safeguard the House of Braganza and its rule over the Portuguese Empire against Napoleon's influence and aggression, John moved the Portuguese court and capital to a safer location in the empire, Colonial Brazil. To satisfy the etiquette required by European society, John raised Brazil to a kingdom, forming the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves.

In Rio de Janeiro, John established his court. In 1816, Maria I died and John was acclaimed King John VI of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves. By this time, Napoleon had been defeated and European courts demanded the return of the Portuguese court to Europe, which John eventually did, leaving Pedro, Prince Royal as regent of Brazil. Refusing to return to Europe, Pedro declared Brazilian Independence.

Division of House of Braganza
When John died, a crisis of succession occurred over the Portuguese throne, a crisis fueled by John's children. John's eldest sons and granddaughter split the House of Braganza into three branches, the original House of Braganza, the Brazilian House of Braganza, and the Miguelist House of Braganza.

Descendants
On 8 May 1785, John married Carlota Joaquina of Spain. The couple had 9 children.