Dom Carlos I 28 September 1863 – 1 February 1908), known as "the Diplomat" (o Diplomata), "the Oceanographer" (o Oceanógrafo)[4] among many other names, was King of Portugal from 1889 until his assassination in 1908. He was the first Portuguese king to die a violent death since King Sebastian in 1578, the only one to be assassinated, and penultimate Portuguese head of state to die a violent death.
 
On 1 February 1908, the royal family was returning to Lisbon from the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa in Alentejo, where they had spent part of the hunting season during the winter. The royal party traveled by train to Barreiro, from there taking a steamer to cross the Tagus River and disembarking at Cais do Sodré in central Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the open carriage containing Carlos I and his family passed through the Terreiro do Paço fronting on the river. In spite of recent political unrest there was no military escort, except for a single mounted officer[8] riding by the carriage.[9] While the carriage was crossing the square at dusk, shots were fired from amongst the sparse crowd by two republican activists, Alfredo Luís da Costa and Manuel Buíça.
Buíça, a former army sergeant and sharpshooter, fired five shots from a rifle hidden under his long overcoat. The king died immediately, his heir Luís Filipe was mortally wounded, and Prince Manuel was hit in the arm. The queen escaped injury. The two assassins were killed on the spot by police, and an innocent bystander, João da Costa, was also shot dead in the confusion. The royal carriage turned into the nearby Navy Arsenal, where, about twenty minutes later, Prince Luís Filipe died. Several days later, the younger son, Prince Manuel, was proclaimed king of Portugal. He was the last of the Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasty and the final king of Portugal