Manuel II of Portugal (15 November 1889–2 July 1932) was the last King of Portugal and the Algarves, reigning from 1908 to 1910. He succeeded his father Carlos I of Portugal, and elder brother Luis Filipe, after their deaths in an assassination. After his overthrow in the 5 October 1910 revolution and the creation of the Portuguese First Republic, Manuel II lived in exile in Twickenham, England in the United Kingdom.
History[]
Prince Manuel of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Braganza was born in 1889, in the first year of his father's reign. He received a typical education for a member of a royal family. He grew up studying language, history, and literature, while being spared from the political duties of his brother Luis Filipe, who was destined to become King. Manuel preferred reading and other intellectual activities as opposed to his brother, who liked physical pursuits. At a young age Manuel learned to speak French and English. He also enjoyed music, learning to play the piano. In 1903 Manuel took a trip to Egypt to study ancient civilizations. By 1907 he decided to enter the Portuguese Escola Naval (Naval School) for a career in the Portuguese Navy.
However, the assassination of King Carlos I and Prince Royal Luis Filipe, on 1 February 1908, ended his naval aspirations. Thus Manuel had become King of Portugal. He was not prepared to rule, but took on the role. His first act was to dismiss Prime Minister Joao Franco, whose policies he blamed for the tragedy. Early on, Manuel tried to increase the monarchy's connection to its subjects, traveling around the country and personally meeting people. Many were impressed by the young king, and the Portuguese republicans still had not gained support from the majority of the Portuguese people.
His foreign policy focused on maintaining a good relationship between Portugal and the United Kingdom, and he visited Britain in 1909 to promote this. The Portuguese leadership thought that the country would benefit from a powerful ally like Britain to defend Portugal from possible aggression from Spain, but the death of Edward VII of Britain and King Carlos I had put an end to negotiations. The new British liberal government had no interest in defending the House of Braganza. The government's stability lessened and the situation in Portugal continued to deteriorate, before the death of a prominent republican politician became the catalyst for the outbreak of revolutionary unrest.
On October 4–5, republicans had launched a coup, initially started by soldiers and sailors in Lisbon. When the young king's palace was bombarded by cruiser fire, he was forced to abandon it and eventually left the country. Manuel II then went into exile in Twickenham, England, where he helped negotiate the dispute around Portugal's debt to the United Kingdom several years after the revolution. He remained a patriot even while living in exile and receiving assistance from the other royal houses of Europe. During World War I he advocated for Portugal's entry into the war on the side of the Triple Entente. Manuel died in 1932 and was buried in his homeland by the order of Prime Minister Antonio de Oliviera Salazar.