User:Kcowolf/Translation of Pedro Augusto de Saxe-Coburgo e Bragança

Dom Pedro Augusto Luís Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga of Saxe-Coburgo and Bragança (Rio de Janeiro, 1866-03-19 — Tulln an der Donau, 1934-07-07), prince of Brazil and of Saxe-Coburgo-Gota, was the oldest son of Dona Leopoldina of Bragança, princess of Brazil, and of Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary.

The oldest grandson of the emperor dom Pedro II of Brazil, and nicknamed "the Preferred" and "the Favorite", dom Pedro Augusto was, during his first nine years of life, considered second in the line of succession to the Brazilian throne.

Dom Pedro Augusto was the first prince in the world to graduate in Civil Engineering, writing many works about mineralogy. Having inherited his grandfather's love of studying, he was a member of the Institut de France, of the Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute, and eventually gave a lecture about minerals at the Academy of Sciences in France.

Although he was passed over in favor of the sons of Princess Isabel, the prince cherished the idea of succeeding his grandfather until the fall of the Empire (1822-1889) in 1899. He actively participated in attempts to subvert the Imperial Constitution of 1824 in his favor, gathering around him many supporters opposed to a third reign headed by his aunt -- attitudes that earned him, in the Brazilian Parliament, the nickname Prince Conspirator. The weakening of his plans was one of the main causes of mental disorders that plagued him from the Proclamation of the Brazilian Republic (1889) until his death.

Family and early years
The oldest son of the prince Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary, duke of Saxe, and of dona Leopoldina of Bragança, princess of Brazil, dom Pedro Augusto was also the first grandson of dom Pedro II and of the empress Teresa Cristina. His paternal grandparents were Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Clémentine of Orléans (daughter of king Louis Philippe I of France).

Due to the lack of heirs by the Imperial Princess and a miscarriage suffered by dona Leopoldina in her first pregnancy, there were great expectations about the birth of dom Pedro Augusto. On the eve of his birth, the Council of Ministers, representatives of the legislature, the Grandees of the Empire, and the entire diplomatic corps were advised of the great occasion: "Be it known from His Majesty that, when S. A. a Sra. D. Leopoldina is close to giving birth, be it day or night, to the Lord prince or princess, whose happy birth is awaited, the ministers of the State and the grandees of the Empire shall gather at the residence palace of His Highness, for what will serve as a sign to you one girandola firework launched from the Imperial Quinta of Boa Vista and answered by another from the hill of the Castle."

In fact, at 4:10 PM on March 19, 1866, at the Palace Leopoldina, "The Preferred" came into the world. The birth was announced by three fireworks launched from the Imperial Palace of São Cristóvão, followed by cannon salvos from the fortresses and from ships anchored in the bay. The baptism was performed on April 4 in the Imperial Chapel, with the prince having as godparents the emperor dom Predro II and the Queen of France, Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (represented by her grandmother, dona Teresa Cristina), whose death had occurred 16 days prior and was not known because of slow communications.