Dom José, Prince of Brazil, Duke of Braganza (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛ]; 20 August 1761 – 11 September 1788) was the heir apparent to the Kingdom of Portugal until his death in 1788, as the eldest child of Queen Dona Maria I of Portugal and King Dom Pedro III of Portugal, members of the House of Braganza.
José died of smallpox at the age of 27, causing his younger and ill-prepared brother, Infante João, to become heir apparent, Prince Regent to their mentally ill mother and eventually King. João's regency and reign would be a turbulent one, seeing the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal and the loss of the Portuguese Empire's largest and wealthiest colony, Brazil.