Manuel II of Portugal

King of Portugal (1889–1932)

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Lived 1889–1932, aged 43Portugal

Portugal Historical Figures

Wikipedia
56 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Portugal
#142
Historical Figures
Era
1889–1932
Aged 43
Awards
13
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

The last king of Portugal inherited a throne soaked in his father's blood at 18, tried to save a monarchy that had eight centuries behind it, and failed inside two years.

Biography

About

Manuel was born in 1889 at the Palace of Belém, third son of Carlos I, never meant to rule — his elder brother stood ahead of him. He entered naval school in 1907. Then came 1908: regicide killed both the king and the heir, and Manuel, 18, became king overnight. He ruled as constitutional monarch through two years of chaos, deliberately stepping back from the direct political meddling he believed had gotten his father killed, though he threw himself into the Social Question and scrapped old rituals like hand-kissing. The ground gave way in 1910 — revolution toppled the monarchy, ending nearly…

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