Dom Manuel II (15 November 1889 – 2 July 1932), sometimes known as the Unfortunate (o Desaventurado) or the Patriot (o Patriota), was the last king of Portugal, reigning from 1908 until 1910.
Manuel was born in the Palace of Belém, Lisbon, during the reign of his father, Carlos I. He was his third and youngest child. Before ascending the throne, he held the title of Duke of Beja. He received a traditional education. Manuel entered the naval school in 1907. He was never expected to be king, since it was expected that his elder brother would assume that role.
After the regicide in 1908, which killed the King and the Prince Royal, Manuel, then 18 years old, became king. He reigned as constitutional monarch through an extremely volatile political climate which culminated with the end of nearly 800 years of monarchy in 1910. As king, he believed that it was his father's direct involvement in political affairs that caused his death, so he limited the use of his powers in influencing the government; however, he was very active in solving what would become to be known as the Social Question. Manuel also ended some traditions, like the traditional hand-kissing ceremony.
During a period of unsustainable political instability the monarchy was overthrown in 1910, which converted Portugal into a republic. Manuel and his family subsequently fled to exile in the UK. During exile in 1913, he married Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern. He created a considerable library by buying Portuguese books in auction houses. Manuel died in 1932 aged 42 at Twickenham, Middlesex.
Manuel was born in the Palace of Belém, Lisbon, less than a month after his father King Carlos I ascended the Portuguese throne. He was the third child and second son of Carlos and Amélie of Orléans.
A member of the House of Braganza, he was baptised a few days later, with his maternal grandfather as godfather. Pedro II, former Emperor of Brazil and Manuel II's paternal great-granduncle, who had been deposed from the Brazilian throne on the day of Manuel's birth, attended the ceremony.
He received the traditional education of a member of the royal family, without the political preoccupations that befell his older brother, who was destined to become King. Although Manuel was raised as a member of the upper class he took a more populist tone after ascending to the throne, and abandoned many of the court protocols. He studied history and languages, learning English and French from an early age. He demonstrated a love of literature and reading, unlike his older brother who was more interested in physical activities. Manuel's upbringing included horse riding, fencing, rowing, tennis and gardening. He was a great lover of music, especially Beethoven and Wagner, and played the piano.
As a child, Manuel played with the children of Count of Figueiró, Count of Galveias and with other families of the Court. In 1902, he was taught Latin and German by Franz Kerausch, later instruction was by Father João Damasceno Fiadeiro (Portuguese history); Marquês Leitão (Mathematics); M. Boeyé (French and French literature); Alfredo King (English and English literature), Father Domingos Fructuoso (Religion and Morals) and Alexandre Rey Colaço (piano).
In 1903, Manuel travelled with his mother and his brother to Egypt, on board the royal yacht Amélia. According to R. Benton, the trip "may have been decisive in Manuel's decision to enter the Portuguese navy and make it a career." In the summer of 1904, the prince became a cadet in the Portuguese Navy. He began his training in the Escola Naval
Manuel's future in the Portuguese Navy was abruptly shelved on 1 February 1908. On that day, the royal family returned from the Ducal Palace in Vila Viçosa to Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the carriage carrying King Carlos and his family passed through the Terreiro do Paço plaza where shots were fired by at least two Portuguese republican activist revolutionaries: Alfredo Luis da Costa and Manuel Buiça. It is unclear whether the assassins were attempting to kill the King, the Prince Royal or the prime minister, João Franco. The murderers were shot dead on the spot by the royal bodyguard. The King was killed; Prince Luís Filipe was mortally wounded; Prince Manuel was hit in the arm; Queen Amélie was unharmed. It was Amélie's quick thinking that saved her younger son. About 20 minutes later, Prince Luis Filipe died. Days later, Manuel II was proclaimed King of Portugal. The young King, who had not been groomed to rule, sought to save the fragile position of the Braganza dynasty by dismissing João Franco and his entire cabinet in 1908. The ambitions of various political parties made Manuel's short reign a turbulent one. In free elections held on 28 August 1910, the republicans won only 14 seats in the legislature.
His first act was to meet with his Council of State and request the resignation of João Franco, whose policies may have been responsible for the tragedy. He appointed a government of national unity, presided over by Admiral Francisco Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral. This quieted the republicans, but in retrospect was seen as weakness.
He opened the Royal Court Assembly on 6 May 1908 in the presence of national representatives, and affirmed his support of the Constitution. The King received general public sympathy, due to the deaths of his father and older brother. He was protected by his mother, Amélie, and sought out the support of the experienced politician José Luciano de Castro. Judging that the intervention of King Carlos was a reason for the events of 1908, he declared that he would reign, but not govern.
For his part, the new King tried to increase the monarchy's connection with its subjects. The King visited several areas of the country. His trips included stops in Porto, Braga, Viana do Castelo, Oliveira de Azeméis, Santo Tirso, Vila Nova de Gaia, Aveiro, Guimarães, Coimbra and Barcelos. During these visits, his subjects were captivated by the young king, and he was received warmly. On 23 November he travelled to Espinho in open the Vale do Vouga Railway. On his journeys, he ingratiated himself with the people with his candour and pious character.
However, he was not popular with republicans. One of them, João Chagas, the anti-monarchist journalist and propagandist of the Republican Party, warned the King of the problems that would develop when he declared:... your Highness arrives too young into a very old world ...!
During the 19th century, many intellectuals and politicians were preoccupied with the growth of the urban proletariat as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution. In Portugal, owing to lower levels of industrialisation, this was not an important question, but it was exacerbated by an economic crisis and the Republican Party, who believed a republic would resolve the problems. This was the Questão Social (social question) of the times.
The Socialist Party had existed since 1875, but it never had representation in Parliament. This was not only because it was not popular, but also because the Republican Party was the principal channel of radical discontent within the political system. The King made some moves that did not infringe his constitutional restrictions, but which created incentives for the Socialist Party to lessen their support for the Republican Party. In 1909, Manuel invited the French sociologist, Léon Poinsard, to examine the social environment and report back to him. Poinsard wrote that the only way to combat clientelism, created by the system of rotational governments, would be a reorganisation of the local administrations. Enthusiastically, the King wrote to the President of the Council of Ministers Wenceslau de Sousa Pereira de Lima, to make him aware of the reorganisation of the Socialist Party (under Alfredo Aquiles Monteverde) and to remind him of the importance of working with the Socialists, "...so that, we will empty their supporters from the Republican Party, and orient them into a useful and productive force."