On This Day: Portuguese Royal Family


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September 28, 1863 ~ Birth of King Carlos I of Portugal
 
November 17, 1525 death of Eleanor of Viseu, wife of John II of Portugal. She was only one of two domestic born queen consorts of Portugal.

She was born May 2, 1458 in Beja. Her father was Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu and her mother his cousin Beatriz of Portugal. Fernando and Beatriz were the grandchildren of King John I of Portugal. John had eight children with Philippa of Lancaster, though only the younger six reached adulthood. Fernando's father was John's eldest son to reach adulthood, King Edward. Beatriz's father John was his 5th child and 4th son to reach adulthood. Fernando was a younger son, he had an elder brother Alfonso who reached adulthood. Beatriz was the third of her father's four children, with one brother and two sisters. Beatriz was the great Aunt of Catherine of Aragon and her siblings, as they were grandchildren of her sister Isabella.

Eleanor was third child and eldest daughter of her parents. She had two older brothers, and a younger sister and brother who reached adulthood (5 other siblings died young). Her only sister to reach adulthood Isabella married Ferdinand II, Duke of Braganza.

Eleanor was named in honor of her paternal grandmother.

In 1470 she was married to her first cousin, John of Portugal. John was the eldest son of her Uncle Alfonso V and his wife Isabel of Coimbra. The bride was 12 and the groom was 15. The cousins had grown up together and were close.

She became queen consort in August 1481 when her father in law died. As queen consort she was granted villages and fiefs for independent income which was the custom of court. She founded the city of Caldas de Rainha which is named in her honor.

Sadly for Eleanor, both her older brother and her brother in law were executed by her husband for treason. Diogo was executed in 1484. Diogo had become Duke of Viseu when their eldest brother Joao died with no heir of his own. Diogo had never married but his natural son Alfonso was made 8th constable of Portugal by John. And Diogo's granddaughter and son's heir married the Marquis of Vila Real. Her brother in law was executed in 1483. The Braganza lands were eventually returned to Isabella and Fernando's eldest son Jaime.

The couple had one son Alfonso in 1475. Unfortunately Alfonso died from a fall from his horse in 1491. John tried to have one of his bastards declared legitimite to be his heir but Eleanor appealed to the Pope for his aid. She succeeded in having her younger brother named John's heir instead.

John died October 25, 1495 at the age of 40. He was posibly poisoned.

On his death, as Eleanor had planned, her surviving brother Manuel became Manuel I. Manuel was unmarried at the time but took his first wife Isabel of Aragon in 1497. Until 1498 when Isabel bore him a son, and then from 1500-1502 after that son Miguel died, before the birth of his son the future John III with his second wife Maria of Aragon, Eleanor was her brother's heir. She didnt take the oath as heir though as she had no child to succeed her.


She was an extremely wealthy widow. She created the Santa Casa de Misericordia, a charity for the sick, poor and orphaned or abandoned children. The foundation actually exists to this day and has expanded to other locations in Portugal and other Portugese territories.

the foundation

https://www.ump.pt/

She is credited with introducing the printing press in Portugal.

She died at the palace of Xabregas at the age of 67.

The palace where she died

https://thespaces.com/lisbons-ornate-xabregas-palace-comes-up-for-sale/

She was not buried with her husband. Her husband had been buried at Batalha Monastery. Instead she was buried at a convent she helped to found, the Madre De Deus Convent in Lisbon where she spent much of her last years. Its now a museum.

The convent

https://www.inspirock.com/portugal/lisbon/church-and-convent-of-madre-de-deus-a8399758367


Eleanor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elean...Library_&_Museum_MS_M.52_fol._1v,_cropped.png
 
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26th of November 1436 :Birth of The Infanta Catherine of Portugal.


Catherine was born in Lisbon,the daughter of Duarte I (Edward) , King of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Portugal_(nun)

443px-Infanta_D._Catarina%2C_filha_de_D._Duarte_-_The_Portuguese_Genealogy_%28Genealogia_dos_Reis_de_Portugal%29.png
 
December 9, 1819 ~ Birth of Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg, first husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal
 
CyrilVladisla said:
December 9, 1819 ~ Birth of Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg, first husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal
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Grandson of Napoleon and Josephine (biologically of Josephine). He was the eldest son of Eugene de Beauhamais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria. It was through his maternal grandfather Maximilian of Bavaria that the family gained the title Duke of Leuchtenberg.

His parents had seven children. He was their third child. His eldest sister Josephine married Oscar I of Sweden. His sister Amelie was the second wife of Pedro I of Brazil. His only brother Maximilian married a daughter of Tsar Nicholas I and became a Prince Romanovsky.

He accompanied his sister Amelie to Brazil to marry Pedro. His brother in law made him the Duke of Santa Cruz.


His wife Maria was his sister's stepdaughter, a daughter of Pedro by his first wife Maria Leopoldina of Austria.



They had a very short lived marriage. He arrived in Portugal in the end of January 1835, married in person on January 26. He died two months later on March 28.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augus...Duke_of_Leuchtenberg_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg


His Duchy was inherited by his younger brother Maximilian. Maximilian and his wife Grand Duchess Maria had 7 children. He was succeeded by his 5th and later 7th children.


His widow would marry Dom Ferdinand (Ferdinand II of Portugal) a son of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and was a nephew of Leopold I of Belgium. They had 11 children including Pedro V and Luis I.
 
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I might be wrong but he was possibly the only Prince Consort of Portugal?
 
December 27, 1683 ~ Demise of Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal. She was the wife of King Afonso VI of Portugal. She was the wife of King Pedro II of Portugal.
 
January 1, 1836 ~ Wedding of Queen Maria II of Portugal and Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary at the Palacio das Necessidades in Lisbon, Portugal
 
How was Ferdinand styled from his marriage until the birth of of their first son in 1837 ,Prince Consort of Portugal?
 
An Ard Ri said:
How was Ferdinand styled from his marriage until the birth of of their first son in 1837 ,Prince Consort of Portugal?
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Yes for a few months it was the Prince Consort of Portugal. He later held the title of King Consort of Portugal.
 
Ok many thanks he was Prince Consort 1836-1837 ,then King 1837-1853 and then Regent 1853 to 1855.
 
January 4, 1248 ~ Demise of King Sancho II of Portugal in exile in Toledo, Spain
 
Sancho II, King of Portugal is also buried at Toledo Cathedral,that I had not realized before.
 
January 15, 1432 ~ Birth of King Afonso V of Portugal at Sintra Palace in Sintra, Portugal
 
At aged 6 he became king following the sudden death of his father King Duarte in September 1438.During Alfonso's minority he mother ,Queen Eleanor ruled as Regent until 1440.The queen who was an unpopular Regent was replaced by the kings uncle the Infante Pedro,Duke of Coimbra who ruled until 1448.
 
January 26, 1876 ~ Demise of Amelie of Leuchtenberg, second wife of King Pedro IV of Portugal
 
January 31 marks both the birth and death of King Henry known as the cardinal king of Portugal. He died on his 68th birthday.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry...D._Henrique,_cópia_de_original_de_c._1590.jpg

He was born in 1512 in Lisbon. He was the son of Manuel I of Portugal. On his mother's side he was the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella. His mother Maria was the sister of Catherine of Aragon and Juana the Mad. Maria was his father's second wife. His first wife had been Maria's elder sister Isabella. Her Aunt Isabella had born Manuel one son but he died at the age of two. Maria and Manuel had 10 children, of whom Henry was 7th born and the 5th son. All but two of their children made it to adulthood. After his mother's death his father would remarry a third time, this time to Eleanor of Austria with whom he had one daughter (Eleanor would late marry Francis I of France).



As a fifth son there was no reason to believe Henry would ever succeed the throne. His brother John became King John III in 1521 when Henry was 9. He was destined instead for a life in the church. He took holy orders at a young age in an attempt to establish some Portugese influence in the Catholic church where it was dominated by the Spanish. He would rise through the ranks quickly from Archbishop of Braga, Archbishop of Évora and Grand Inquisitor to eventually Archbishop of Lisbon. His interest was bringing the Jesuits into Portugal and having them work in their colonial empire.


His great nephew Sebastian took the throne in 1557 but he was only 3. He was the grandson of John III. His father had died from TB eighteen days before his birth, making him his grandfather's heir. Originally his grandmother Queen Catherine, Henry's sister in law, served as regent but she resigned in 1562. Henry was named the new regent for his young great-nephew. The three brothers who had separated Henry from John had all died, the last Luis in 1555. Luis had no legal children as he never married, and like Henry Alfonso had been a cardinal and never wed. Fernando was the only older brother besides John who married but he only had a daughter. John had only had 2 children to survive past their 6th birthday, Sebastian's late father and a daughter Maria who had been the wife of Philip II of Spain and died in 1545 (her only child died shortly after birth).

In 1578 Sebastian died in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. The 24 year old was unmarried. Henry who at this point was 66 years old, found himself king.


He tried to seek to be released from his church vows. He wished to try and marry to continue the dynasty. But the Pope refused to release him from vows.

Henry would die 2 years later on his 68th birthday in 1580.


Unfortunately his heir was not clear. His only younger brother Duarte had died in 1540. And Duarte's own also named Duarte had died in 1576 leaving no direct male heir to the throne. The throne was claimed by Philip II of Spain who was elected on the agreement Portugal now become part of Spain.



The throne eventually returned to their line through a female line. Henry's niece (Duarte Sr's daughter) Catarina married the Duke of Braganza. Her grandson John would eventually succeed the throne as John IV.
 
Following the death of the Cardinal king ,Catherine de Médicis pressed her claims to the Portuguese crown which were through her mother, Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne who was descended from King Alfonso III and Matilda Countess of Boulogne.



António, Prior of Crato an illegitimate son of Louis, Duke of Beja also claimed the throne but later arrived at the court of Catherine de Médicis and ceded her his fabled rights to Brazil for a financial settlement.

Catherine it seems was always eager to brew mischief for Philip II or Elizabeth I.
 
An Ard Ri said:
Following the death of the Cardinal king ,Catherine de Médicis pressed her claims to the Portuguese crown which were through her mother, Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne who was descended from King Alfonso III and Matilda Countess of Boulogne.



António, Prior of Crato an illegitimate son of Louis, Duke of Beja also claimed the throne but later arrived at the court of Catherine de Médicis and ceded her his fabled rights to Brazil for a financial settlement.

Catherine it seems was always eager to brew mischief for Philip II or Elizabeth I.
Click to expand...


I wasn't aware that Alfonso III and Matilda had any children. I thought she only had children from her first marriage.


I know Catherine supported Antonio's claim, but not that she had any claim of her own to the throne. Her support of Antonio seemed purely out of spite to the Spanish and perhaps English.


There was a Catherine with a claim, but it was Catherine Duchess of Braganza. She was the daughter of Henry's brother Duarte. And arguably she had a much stronger claim to the throne then either Antonio or Philip. Antonio was a bastard. And while Catherine was female, Philip was descended from a female line (his claim was through his mother) so a generation further then Catherine.

Eventually Catherine's claim was recognized, when her grandson John was made John IV of Portugal.



February 1, 1908 sadly marks the death of both Carlos I of Portugal and his eldest son and heir. They were assassinated.




Carlos was born September 28, 1863 in Lisbon. His father was King Luis of Portugal. His mother Maria Pia was the daughter of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. He had one younger brother Alfonso.

His father taught him to live modestly and be well educated. His education included travel to the courts of his Italian family as well as to the UK and Germany. He would serve as regent for his father at times when his father was traveling Europe. He came to the throne in 1889.


Portugal was in financial troubles. The country was bankrupt twice during his reign. He was a patron of the arts and sciences, with a deep interest in marine exploration.

The royal family on February 1st after having been away on a hunting trip. Despite political unrest the family traveled in an open carriage without any military escort. While his wife was not injured, the king and both of his sons were shot. The king died on the spot, while his son Luis died 20 minutes later at the navy arsenal where the carriage was taken. Prince Manuel survived, having only been shot in the arm. The assassins were killed on the spot.


He was succeeded by his only surviving son, Prince Manuel. The 19 year old became Manuel II.


Carlos had been married to Princess Amélie of Orléans. Amelie was the daughter of Philippe, Count of Paris. Besides their two sons they had a daughter who died the day she was born.

-Luis Filipe: He died 20 minutes after his father, less then 2 months before his 21st birthday. Around the time of his death there was discussion of marrying him to Princess Patricia of Connaught. Since Portugal didn't practice automatic succession, he would never become king. If they had automatic succession like other monarchies, he would have been one of the shortest reigning kings.

-Manuel: succeeded his father as Manuel II. He was the last king of Portugal. He married Princess Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern. They had no children.



Carlos' line ended with his son Manuel. The claim to the throne after Manuel died passed to Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza. Duarte was a grandson of Miguel I of Portugal.
 
Countessmeout said:
I wasn't aware that Alfonso III and Matilda had any children. I thought she only had children from her first marriage.


I know Catherine supported Antonio's claim, but not that she had any claim of her own to the throne. Her support of Antonio seemed purely out of spite to the Spanish and perhaps English.
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No they hadn't any children and Catherine's claims were very weak to say the least and I do think it was merely mischief on her behalf.

I will look up her biography later as I know there's a chapter on it.

Leonie Frieada's excellcent biography gives more insight into.

It seems Catherine wasted no time in her pressing her flimsily claims to the Portuguese Throne and did so immediately and her son Henri III formally pressed them.

Queen Catherine also presided over a Requiem Mass at Notre Dame de Paris in honour of the late Cardinal-King .

Its chief aim was to cause upset for her son in law Philip II who was 'exasperated' by his mother in laws constant intrigues but also a nod to highlight Catherine's maternal noble origins as she had been slighted in the past at her paternal family's mercantile origins.
 
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February 14, 1847 ~ Birth of Maria Pia of Savoy, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Luis I of Portugal
 
Maria Pia of Savoy was just 14 when she married King Luís I of Portugal in October,1862 and a year later gave birth to their son,Dom Carlos, Duke of Braganza.

At the age of just 16 she have birth to another son,Dom Afonso, Duke of Porto.
 
February 16, 1279 ~ Demise of King Afonso III of Portugal at Alcobaca, Portugal
 
CyrilVladisla said:
February 16, 1279 ~ Demise of King Afonso III of Portugal at Alcobaca, Portugal
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Following his death the king was buried at the Monastery de Alcobaça ,during the French Invasion of 1810 the royal tombs inside the church were desecrated and looted.
 
February 24, 1777 ~ Birth of King Joseph I of Portugal
 
CyrilVladisla said:
February 24, 1777 ~ Birth of King Joseph I of Portugal
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You mean death of King Pedro he was born in 1714 :previous:
At the time of his birth he had an older brother,Dom Pedro, Prince of Brazil who died in 1717.
 
February 27, 1666 death of Luisa de Guzman, Queen consort of Portugal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa...y_Medina_Sidonia_atribuible_a_Alonso_Cano.png

Luisa María Francisca de Guzmán y Sandoval was born October 31, 1616 in Santucar, Spain. Her father was Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia. Her mother Juana Lorenza Gomez de Sandoval y de la Cerda was the daughter of Francisco Gómez de Sandoval, 1st Duke of Lerma. She had at least one brother Gaspar who succeeded her father as the 9th Duke.

In 1633 she was married to the powerful Portugese noble John, Duke of Braganza. The bride was 17 and the groom was 26. John had succeeded his father as Duke 3 years previous when his father died insane.

At the time Philip III (IV of Spain) was on the throne. But when he began taxing merchants and stripping power from the local nobles, rebelion grew. The Forty conspirators initiated a revolution against Philip, fearing he planned to turn Portugal into a province of Spain. Philip was busy fighting both the thirty years war and an uprising in Catalonia and didn't have the men to fight in Portugal as well.

The choice for new king fell to John. John's grandmother Catherine, Duchess of Braganza had been a claimant to the throne on the death of King Henry. Through his descent from Catherine John's claim was strong. It is said Luisa convinced her husband to accept the offer of the throne. She seems to have said 'a day as queen is better then a life time as duchess'. Luisa was described as ruthless in her time.

Her husband, now known as John IV, died in 1657. Their eldest remaining son was only 14 and Luisa was named regent. Her son was mentally unstable and even after he came of age in 1662 she retained her position.


Luisa was a strong ruler, defending the independence of Portugal. She knew Alfonso would never rule, and wished to maintain an independent throne for her youngest son. She maintained a strong army helping to ensure their victories of the war of Portugese restoration. She also helped to establish the strong political alliance with England.


She died at the age of 52, almost 9 years after her husband died. Of her seven children, she out lived 4 (2 of whom died at birth). While she would not live to see him take the throne, her youngest did come to the throne as she hoped.

Her children:

-Teodósio: was prince of Brazil, and after the death of his Uncle Duarte, his father made him 10th Duke of Braganza. He died unmarried at 19. His death left unease as his next brother was the mentally unstable Alfonso.

-Ana: died at birth

-Joana: Princess of Beira. She died unmarried at the age of 18.

-Catherine: married Charles II of England. The couple sadly had no children and he was succeeded by his brother James.

-Manuel: died at birth

-Alfonso: succeeded his father as Alfonso VI but he was mentally unstable and his mother reigned for him. He was married to Maria Francisca of Savoy but the marriage was annulled as he was impotent. After his mother's death, his younger brother Pedro seized power. He never officially deposed Alfonso but he too all power and Alfonso was basically a prisoner for the rest of his life.

-Pedro: Pedro became Pedro II officially when Alfonso died in 1683. He had married Alfonso's former wife Maria Francisca of Savoy. He was the father of Luisa's only grandchildren. He and Maria had one daughter Isabel. By his second wife Maria Sophia of Neuburg he had seven children (5 of whom reached adulthood). He was succeeded by his eldest son by his second wife, John V. Of his six children who reached adulthood, only John married and had any children.
 
Possibly one of the few non royal born Portuguese queen consorts.
 
March 19, 1604 ~ Birth of King John IV of Portugal at the Ducal Palace of Vila Vicosa
 
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