Born at the Château de Neuilly, in the department of the Seine, April 28, 1842, the eldest son of the Duc de Nemours, and one of the grandsons of King Louis Philippe. Brought up in exile, he was educated in England, and entered the military service of Spain in 1859, serving in Morocco. Later he joined the artillery college at Segovia, from which he graduated in 1863. In 1864 he married Isabella, the eldest daughter of Dom Pedro II. of Brazil. He was made a field-marshal in the Brazilian army in 1865, and in 1869 was appointed commander-in-chief of all the forces on land and sea, a position he retained until the war with Paraguay (begun in 1864) was ended. From 1865 to 1889 he held the post of commander-general of the Brazilian artillery, and was president of various commissions. In the many absences of Dom Pedro from the empire during this period, the Comte d’Eu had the virtual direction of all Brazilian affairs. The fact that Isabella, during the absence of the emperor from Brazil, had acted as regent, and was known to be influenced by the Jesuits and her husband, who, as a foreign prince, was unpopular in the country, led to the revolution of November 1889, establishing the republic of Brazil and deposing the emperor. The Comte d’Eu, with his wife, accompanied Dom Pedro to Portugal, and has since resided in Europe. His son, Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg, the favorite grandson of Dom Pedro, and a young naval officer, became demented as a result of the overthrow of the empire.
