King D. Dinis I 'The Farmer' and Queen D.ª Isabel

[Marengo]

Dinis I, King of Portugal and the Algarves, (Lisbon, 9 October 1261 - Santarem, 7 January 1325); married in ? on 24 June 1282, Princess Isabel of Aragon (Zaragosa or Barcelona, ?, 1271 - Estremoz, 4 July 1336)

Reign: 1261 - 1325

Predecessor: King Alfonso III of Portugal and the Algarves

Suceeded by: King Alfonso IV of Portugal and the Algarves

Childen: Queen Constança of Castille and King Alfonso IV of Portugal

Parents Dinis: King Alfonso III of Portugal and Princess Beatriz of Castille

Parents Isabel: King Pedro III of Aragon and Princess Constantia of Sicily

Siblings Dinis: Prince Roberto, Princess Branca, and Prince Fernando of Portugal, Prince Alfonso of Portugal, Lord of Portalegre, Princess Sansha, Princess Maria, Princess Constança and Prince Vincente of Portugal

Siblings Isabel: King Alfonso III and King Jaime II of Aragon, King Federico II of Sicily, Queen Yolanda of Napels and Prince Pedro of Aragon

[Marengo]

Denis (Portuguese: Dinis or Diniz, pronounced [diˈniʃ]; 9 October 1261 in Lisbon – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (Rei Lavrador), was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.
As heir to the throne Infante Dinis was summoned by his father (Afonso III) to share government responsibilities. At the time of his accession to the throne, Portugal was again in diplomatic conflicts with the Catholic church. Dinis signed a favouring agreement with the pope and swore to protect the Church's interests in Portugal. Due to this, he granted asylum to the Templar knights persecuted in France and created the Order of Christ, designed to be a continuation of the Order of the Temple.
With the Reconquista completed and the Portuguese territory freed from Moorish occupation, Dinis was essentially an administrative king, not a military one. However, a short war between Castile and Portugal broke during his reign, for the possession of the town of Serpa and Moura. After this, Dinis avoided war: he was a notably peace-loving monarch during a tempestuous time in European history. With Portugal finally recognized as an independent country by his neighbours, Dinis signed a border pact with Ferdinand IV of Castile (1297) which has endured to the present day. It should be noted that the global Muslim population had climbed to about 7 per cent as against the Christian population of 13 per cent by 1300.
Dinis' main priority of government was the organization of the country. He pursued his father's policies on legislation and centralization of power. Dinis promulgated the nucleus of a Portuguese civil and criminal law code, protecting the lower classes from abuse and extortion. As king, he travelled around the country, correcting unjust situations and resolving problems. He ordered the construction of numerous castles, created new towns, and granted privileges due cities to several others. With his wife, Infanta Isabella of Aragon, Dinis worked to improve the life of the poor and founded several social institutions.

Read the entire wikipedia article here.

[Marengo]

St. Elisabeth of Aragon (1271–4 July 1336) (Elisabet in Catalan, Isabel in Portuguese) was queen consort of Portugal and is, like her great-aunt St. Elisabeth of Hungary who had been canonized in 1235 for her miracles in Thuringia (Germany), a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church. She is also known as Rainha Santa Isabel in Portuguese (Queen Saint Elisabeth).

She showed an early enthusiasm for religion: she said the full Divine Office daily, fasted and did other penances, and attended twice daily choral masses.
Elizabeth was married very early to Denis of Portugal, a poet, and known as Rei Lavrador, or the farmer king, because he planted a large pine forest, near Leiria. The wood from these trees would later be used to make the boats during the discoveries. Elizabeth quietly pursued the regular religious practices of her maidenhood, and was devoted to the poor and sick. Naturally, such a life was a reproach to many around her, and caused ill will in some quarters. A popular story is told of how her husband's jealousy was roused by an evil-speaking page; of how he condemned the queen's supposed guilty accomplice to a cruel death; and was finally convinced of her innocence by the strange accidental substitution of her accuser for the intended victim.
They had two children, a daughter Constance, who married Ferdinand IV of Castile, and a son Afonso (later Afonso IV of Portugal). The latter so greatly resented the favours shown to the king's illegitimate sons that he rebelled, and in 1323 war was declared between him and his father. Elisabeth, however, reconciled her husband and son, and is known in consequence as the "peacemaker".

Read the entire wikipedia article here.

[Marengo]

Some more information of Saint Elisabeth of Aragon:

Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father, Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was reconciled with his father, James, the reigning monarch. This proved to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences surrounding her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a taste for spirituality. Thus fortunately prepared, she was able to meet the challenge when, at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.

More information on this site.

[Elsa M.]

Today the annual celebrations in honour of the Holy Queen, St. Isabel (who is the patroness of Coimbra), are starting to take place:
http://www.turismo-centro.pt/bancoim...ograma_501.pdf


The Duke and Duchess of Bragança usually participate in some of these religious events.