The Portuguese monarchy was founded by Hernry of Burgandy, son of the poweful French Duke of Burgandy. Henry was referred to as Henrique in Portuguese. Portugal was born from this struggle to reconquer Iberia from the Moors. There have since been five dynasties of Portuguese ruling families. There was only a short period in which the Spanish seized control of Portugal. Each Poruguese monarch has had a brief description attached to his dynastic name.
First Dynasty - Afonsina
Henry of Burgandy, known as Enrique in Potuguese, fonded the modern Portuguese state as an independent kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula. Henrique was the son of Henry of Burgandy. It was Henry, a son of the poweful French Duke of Burgundy, who fought as a vassal for King Alfonso VI of Castille and was rewarded with a principality and the title of Count of Portucale in the 11th century. Young aristocrats from all over Europe went to Iberia to battle the Moors and while reconquering the peninsula for the Christian kings, they won hereditary titles and land grants for themselves. The Templars were also founded and established in Portugal during this period.
Alfonso I, also called Afonso Henriques, seeking independence from the Crown of Leone, petitioned and won from the pope the title of King of Portugal. He was known as "O Conquistador"--"The Conqueror" because he retrieved from the Moors the following cities: Santarem, Lisbon, Sintra, Almada, Palmela, Alcacer-do-Sal, Evora and Beja. Alfonso thus extended his rule down into southern Portugal. His reign was a period of growth for the Templars in Portugal. King Afonso Henriques had a primitive navy that was involved in constant skirmishes with Moorish vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Sancho was the oldest son of Alfonso I. Sancho gave the land to the ones that worked on it. Sancho carried on the battle against the Moors. He was known as "O Povoador"--"The Populator". The Templars fought off a seige at Tomar during his reign. Sancho I, continued the kingdom's naval expansion when he contributed 40 galleys, gallots, and other vessels to a Crusader fleet in 1189.
Afonso regained Alçacar do Sal with the help of the Templars. He was known as Gordo because he was very heavy.
D. Fernando - Formoso - because he was very handsome
Sancho was a weak King, and was eventually overthrown by his brother. He was known as "Capelo"--"The Hooded".
Afonso the brave conquered the Algarve from the Moors and introduced a period of cultural advance. He was known as "Bolonhes"--"The Bolognese".
Dinis carried out many reform, and exerted himself to control the military orders. He was known as "Lavrador"--"The Farmer" He reportedly loved going out to the fields to see people working. In his reign the Templars met their downfall, which led to the foundation of the Order of Christ. Under Diniz, Portugal's greatest medieval king, both the royal and mercantile marine developed considerably. Portuguese vessels sailed to France, Normandy, England, Spain, and the Mediterranean. King Diniz had a pine forest planted near Leiria to supply wood for ship building and encouraged the industry by conferring the privilege of knighthood upon its officers and artisans. He kept a regular fleet to guard against coastal pirates and was the first Portuguese monarch to establish a permanent and hereditary office of Admiral. In 1317 a famous Genoese noble, Manoel Pessanha, was the first to be appointed to that office. Pessanha brought to Portugal several leading Genoese families who became, over time, major influences on Portugal's era of overseas expansion.
Afonso was a courageous brave king. At the end of his life he was involved in the tragedy of his son Pedro's lover, Ines de Castro. He ordering her execution considering her unworthy, being poor and uneducated. He was known as "Bravo". The obvious English translation of brave is not quite right and the term is meant to connotate a stuborn, domineering streak. Passanha's son inherited his father's office of Admiral and was soon joined by two more admirals under King Afonso IV, indicating the ongoing enlargement of the royal fleet.
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Under King Ferdinand I the Handsome (1345-1383), the Portuguese fleets began carrying artillery during Portugal signed an alliance with Castile against Aragon in 1359 and 1364. King Ferdinand I also granted a Letter of Privileges in 1377 that encouraged the growth of the mercantile marine. This was a turning point for Portuguese maritime history because a shipping company was created to promote overseas commerce, all the while insuring the availability of merchant vessels for the Crown during times of war.
The Portuguese navy, however, went on to suffer numerous losses in King Ferdinand I's various conflicts, which left it in a precarious state during the succession crisis that followed the king's death in 1383. His half brother, D. João, Master of the Military Order of Avis, stepped into the role of regent
during this succession crisis, which motivated Castile's King Juan to invade Portugal.
A rigorous ruler, Pedro's first act was to revenge himself on those involved in the death of Ines de Castro. He was known as "Justiceiro"--"the Just" because he had the two men who on the orders of his father executed Ines de Castro, the love of his life and mother of his children executed.
Fernando, Pedro's son, was gentle and negligent. He was known as "The andsome".
King Juan's army laid siege to Lisbon in 1384 but had to disengage after suffering heavy causalities. Portugal desperately needed strong leadership to continue to fight off the ambitious Castilian king, and
in 1385 the Portuguese Cortes proclaimed the 28-year-old Master of Avis as King João I. He was known "Of Good Memory". With the support of his kingdom and his English allies, the young king soundly defeated the Castilians at Aljubarrota, thereby securing Portugal's independence. The peace of 1411 insured the stability of the House of Avis on the Portuguese throne. King João I then applied himself to the task of reinvigorating his kingdom, paramount to this was the rebuilding and expansion of the royal navy and maritime commerce. Together with his wife, Queen Phillippa of Lancaster, King João I raised six children: Duarte, Pedro, Henry, Isabel, John, and Fernão. The three eldest princes, especially Prince Henry, would play leading roles in Portugal's explorations of Africa. With the monarchy now stabilised, King João I and his descendants were free to preside over the most important two hundred years of their
kingdom's history that saw the ascendancy of a Portuguese trading empire that extended out to
Africa, the Atlantic, Asia, and America (Brazil). João was perhaps Portugal's most important monarch. He ruled for 50 years during the European Age of Exploration. He built upon the naval tradutioins of his predecesors. João was Pedro's bastard son and founded the house of Avis. Prince Henry the Navigator was his third son. The Age of Exploration marked the apogee of Portuguese imperial power and wealth. At the beginning of the 15th century Portugal had a population of only 1 1/4 million people and an economy dependent on maritime trade with Northern Europe. Although Portugal lacked the wealth and population of its contemporaries, it would lead the European community in the exploration of sea routes to the African continent, the Atlantic Islands, and to Asia and South America over the course of the 16th century. Several factors contributed to this small Iberian country becoming the pre-eminent European pioneer in maritime exploration. The first was its geographical position along the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula, which allowed for the natural development of a seafaring tradition. The second was the evolution of a complex maritime economy in which the port cities of Lisbon and Oporto became the commercial centres of the country. The merchant community used these port cities as their base of operations from which they financed the majority of the various exploration and trading ventures. he third critical factor that made Portugal a forerunner in exploration was its monarchy. Portugal benefited from a relatively stable monarchy whose kings encouraged
maritime trade and shipping ventures. The Crown gave
every possible incentive by implementing tax privileges
and insurance funds to protect the investments of ship
owners and builders. Often, members of the aristocracy
were also investors such as Prince Henry the Navigator.
The aristocracy used their political position to facilitate the Crown's granting of royal sanctions that regulated the
voyages of exploration made by the merchant community.
Portugal was fortunate to have kings who recognised the
kingdom's dependency on overseas trade and assisted in
its expansion in every possible way. The stability of the
monarchy was essential to the establishment of sustainable
economic growth, thus the stability of the Portuguese
monarchy gave the kingdom a seventy-year head start
over the Spanish who were distracted by a civil war and the Reconquista to defeat the Moors. It was not until the fall of Grenada and Columbus' voyage in 1492 that the Spanish were finally in a position to challenge Portugal's predominance in exploration.
Joao's son, Prince Henry's brother. He was known as "The Eloquent" .
Duarte's son, Prince Henry's nephew. He was known as "The African".
Afonso's son João was born in 1455. He became king as a young man (1455). He faced an aristocracy atte,ting to exert its perogatives even further. He ordered the execution of the duke of Bragança for secretuve contacts with Castile (1483). He personally murdered the young Duke of Viseu claiming conspiracy.
supported expeditions leading to important discoveries. He sponsored Diaz's expedition which rounded the Cape of Good Hope (Africa) (1488). This led to enormously valuable trade with the East, making tiny Portugal for a time an important European naval power. João as a result became known as "The Perfect Prince". A resulting maritime rivalry led to disputes between Portugal and Castilen which was soon to be united with Aragon forming Spain. This rivalry became serious with Columbus' discovery of the Americas (1492). It was Their claims were adjudicated by the papacy in the treaty of Tordesillas (1494). João II died (1495). He left no male heir. He was thus suceeded by his brother-in-law Manuel I.
João's cousin, Manuel, reigned over a golden era, forming the Portuguese Empire, with India being reached by Vasco da Gama and Brazil by Cabral. He was known as "The Adventurous".
Manuel's son, João III, promoted the settlement of Brazil and introduced the Inquisition into Portugal to enforce religious uniformity. By the time he died in 1557, Portugal had begun to decline as a political and commercial power. He was known as "The Pious".
This trend continued under King Sebastian, who was killed during an expedition against Morocco in 1578. He was known as "The Awaited".
The son of Manual I, Henry was educated for the priesthood and was made a cardinal in 1545. He acted as regent for King Sebastian, and succeeded to the throne when Sebastian was killed at the Battle of the Three Kings in Morocco. Henry left no heir, and the Avis dynasty ended with him. He was known as "The Chaste".
He was known as "The Determined". 1531 Lisbon- 26 August 1595 Paris
When Henry died, seven claimants disputed the succession to the throne. The most powerful was King Philip II of Spain, who in 1580 became Philip I of Portugal. He was known as "The Prudent". The assumption of the crown by Kingh Philip almost resulted in Portugal becoming a Spanish province. After 1600, Portuguese domination of trade with the East Indies was lost to the Dutch and the English. Under Philip I, Portugal enjoyed considerable autonomy.
Phililip I's successor, Philip II (Philip III of Spain), treated Portugal as a Spanish province, provoking widespread discontent among the Portuguese people. He was known as "The Pious".
Philip III (Philip IV of Spain) continued to treat Portugal as a Spanish province. He was known as "The Great".
João IV proclaimed himself king after driving out the Spanish usurpers in 1640. In 1649 and 1654 the Portuguese won important naval victories over the Dutch off the coast of Brazil, thereby regaining their possessions in South America. He was known as "The Restorer".
The son of King João IV, Afonso was paralyzed and unsound in mind, and was deposed in 1667 and exiled to the Azores by his brother Pedro, who acted as regent until Afonso's death. He was known as "The Victorious".
Brother and successor to Afonso VI. He was known as "The Pacific".
The son of Pedro II. He was known as "The Magnamimous".
The statesman Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Mello, Marques de Pombal, was the virtual ruler of the country during the reign of Joseph Emanuel. He was known as "The Reformer".
Maria I, Portugal's first queen was Joseph Emanuel's daughter. Sge ruled for nearly 40 years. She was known as "The Pious". Although she lived until 1816, her son riled in her name.
Son of Queen Maria I of Portugal. In 1792, after Maria became insane, João ruled in her name; in 1799 he formally became regent. He was known as "The Clemet". João ruled during the turbulent years of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. The French Revolutiion brought new ideas into closed Portuguese society. Regardless the French were seen as invaders. The French invaded in 1807, 1808, and 1810. The British under the Duke of Wellington came to the aid of the Portuguese and Soanish. The Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil, maintaining Portugal's independence and its government, even ruling from overseas. in 1820 a group of liberals influenced by the ideals of the French Revolution organised an uprising in Oporto that spread through out the country. Government was set in the hand of a temporary
committee whose task was organise the first
elections and write a constitution, which would
be published in 1822. This marked the birth of a constitutional monarchy in Portgal. The loss of Brazil in 1822 shows a period of troubled times to the liberals. The remaining supporters of an absolute system launched a civil war that lasted until 1834, the liberals won the war, they were led by D. Pedro, brother of the leader of the absolutist wing, D.Miguel.
Don Miguel or Miguel I was known as the "The Absolutist", depending on whether he is considered an actual king. He was born in Lisbon (1802). He was the second son of King João VI, His mother was Charlotte of Spain. He was given the title Lordship of Infantado. Miguel had an extremely conservative outlook. He admired the Austrian Empire and the Emperor's foreign minister, Count Metternich. Count Meternich was a major force at the Comgress of Vienna which pieced Europe together after the French Revolution and Congress of Vienna. He wanted to return to the Ancien Regime before the Revolution and Napoleon and was prepared to make no concessions to popular rule or accept a constitution limiting royal authority. Don Miguel organized two revolts against his father (1820s). His father exiled him for a while. He was betrothed to a young niece Maria II (1826). Miguel then proclaimed himself regent (February 26, 1828) and then seized the throne as sole monarch (June 23, 1828). Herescinded his brother Pedro IV's constitution. Miguel worked to gain international recognotion. He had a supporter in the conservative Sir Arthur Wellesley (1st Duke of Wellington), British primeminister. Wellington's governmrnt fell before it formaly recognized D. Miguel (1830). Given the importance of Britian in Portuguese diplomacy, this would have been an important development. Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil. He occupied the Azores and began naval attacks on Miguel's forces in Portugal. This was the beginning of a 3-year civil war. Don Miguel was eventually forced to abdicate at Évora Monte (1834). D. Pedro exiled him. Pedro issued the The last Monarchic Constitution (1838). Article 98 specifically excludes the collateral line of the Don Miguel and all his descendants. Don Miguel lived out the rest of his life in exile from Portugal. He moved to Germany. D. Miguel married while in exile (1851). He married Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (1831-1909) They had six daughters and a single son. We see two of the princesses posed in Portuguese pesant dresses. While exiled from Portugal, these children married into many European royal families. His widow arranged advantageous marriages for their daughters. This was possible in large part because the family moved to Germany and their were many opportunities to marry into Caholic royal families of the various Gerrman principaslities. Growing up in Germany, the girls did not seem like foreigners to the Germans which was important by the late-19th century. A granddaughter became Grand Duchess of Luxembourg--Charlotte. D. Miguel died in Karlsruhe (1866).
"The Liberator" 12 October 1798 Queluz- 24 September 1834 Lisbon -D. Maria Leopoldina .
Queen Maria II de Bragança was known as "The Educator". She was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1819. She married Fernando II of Saxe Coburgo-Ghota (1816- ) who became King Consort. Their daughter Antonia married Prince Leopold Hohenzollern of Romania and their elest son became King Ferdinand I of Romania. Queen Maria died in Lisbon during 1853.
"The Hopeful" 16 September 1837 Lisbon - 11 November 1861 Lisbon - Dona Estefânia de Hohenzollern Sigmarigen (1837-1858)
"The Popular" 31 October 1838 Lisbon - 19 October 1889 Lisbon - D. Maria Pia.
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King Carlos was known as "The Martyr". He was born in London (1863). King Carlos and the constitutional goverment proved unable to deal with Portugal's problems. Portugal was dominated by large landowners and a reactionary clergy. It was among the poorest countries in Europe. Popular disatisfaction grew as did support for republican rule. The creation of the French Third Republic (1870) begn to fuel republican views in other countries, including Portugal.
The King's popularity was damaged by the British Ultimtum early in the King's reign (1890). Support for the Partido Republicano Português was very strong in the major cities, es[ecially Lisbon and Porto, Here the Republican Party won local elections. Republican leaders openly exopressed their goal of abolishing the monarchy and creating a republic. King Carlos dissolved the parliament and authorised Prime Minister João Franco to govern by a parliamentary dictatorship until order was restored. This was an action that had been used before. King Carlos hopedc to base his rule on a political party João Franco was organizing--the Liberal Regenerador party. The King and Primeminister Franco hoped that this would allo them to government without having to turn to the Republicans to form a coalition government. The move, however, not only angered the Republicans, but two major monarchist parties as well--the Partido Regenerador and Partido Progressista. These two parties were accustomed to a unwritten power sharing arrangementb in which they rotated power. Shocked by the King's arrangement with Franco, they made common cause with the Republicans. Franco and the King moved against the Republicans (January 1908). The police arrested politicians known to be planning a revolutuoin, These were mostly Republicans, buthe government also moved aginst monarchist-orienred Progressive Party. They men arrested aere tried and sentenced to penal servitude in the colonies. A new general election was scheduled for April. General elections were set for the month of April. Franco and his party seemed certain victors because the opposition parties were unavle to form a united coalition. In that atmpsphere, two Rublican sympathizers attacked the royal family at the Terreiro do Paço, a public square in Lisbon (February 1, 1908). The King was killed outright. The Croiwn Prince King Carlos and his eldest son and heir Prince Luís Filip was mortally wounded. Queen Amelia escaped injury and defending her younger son, Prince Manuel. She struck at the sassain's arm with a boquet of flowers, crying "infames, infames". As a result, Prince Manuel was only hit in the azrm. The royal family's bodyguards killed both assasins.
Manuel was known as "The Studious". He was born November 15, 1889 in Lisbon. He was the second son of King Carlos and Dona Augusta Vitória de Hohenzollern Sigmarigen (1890-1966). We have little information about his boyhood, but we do know something about the clothes he wore. Manuel was recognised king of Portugal by the end of 1908 after the assasination of his father and elder brother. He was only 19 years old. Manuel was to be the last king to rule Portugal. During his 2-year reign, the revolution movements continued to grow. Manuel was unable or unwilling to address the country's problems. Given his age and education, little could practically be expected. Revolutionaries proclaimed the Portuguese republic in Lisbon (October 5, 1910). One of the Republic's first acts was to expell the royal family. Manuel died April 2, 1932.
Duarte Nuno, Infante of Portugal, Duke of Braganca was born (1907). He succeeded as head of the house of Braganca and as claimant to the throne of Portugal on the death of his cousin, King Manoel II of Portugal (1932). He was also considered a potential Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain upon the death of his uncle, Infante Alfonso Carlos (I) of Spain, Duke of San Jaime (1936). Duarte Nuno married Maria Franziska, née Princess of Orleans-Braganca (1914- ) in Rio de Janeiro on October 13, 1942 (civil) and on October 15, 1942 (religious) at Petropolis. Their only child was Duarte Pio, Prince of Beira, Infante of Portugal, born at Berne, Switzerland (May 15, 1945).
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Duarte Pio, Prince of Beira, Infante of Portugal was born at Berne, Switzerland, on May 15, 1945. He mairred D. Isabel.
Prince Alfonso was born in Lisbon during 1996.
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