Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza

Afonso I
Dom Afonso I, the Duke of Braganza.
Duke of Braganza
Tenure 1443–1461
Successor Fernando I
Spouse Beatriz Pereira de Alvim
Constance de Noronha
Issue
Afonso, Marquis of Valença
Infanta Isabella
Fernando I
House House of Braganza
Father John I of Portugal
Mother Inês Peres
Born 10 August 1377(1377-08-10)
Fronteira, Cabeço de Vide
Died 15 December 1461(1461-12-15) (aged 84)
Chaves
Religion Roman Catholicism

Dom Afonso I, the 1st Duke of Braganza (Fronteira, Cabeço de Vide, 10 August 1377 - Chaves, 15 December 1461; Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈfõsu]) was the eighth Count of Barcelos, the 2nd Count of Neiva, 2nd Lord of Faria and the first Duke of Braganza.

Contents

Origins

Historians believe he was born in Veiros, Estremoz, Alentejo, as a natural son of Portuguese King John I and Inês Peres.[1] He married Beatriz Pereira de Alvim, daughter of Nuno Álvares Pereira, a general of the kingdom, and heir of the most opulent house of the kingdom.

Life

A traveled and cultivated man, Afonso was present in 1415 when the Portuguese conquered Ceuta. When his half-brother King Edward I of Portugal died in 1438, his son Afonso V (Afonso's nephew) was an infant and the choice for the regency was the Queen Mother Eleonor of Aragon (Afonso's sister-in-law). This choice for the regency was not popular because Eleonor was Aragonese, so in a meeting of the Portuguese Cortes summoned by Afonso's half-brother John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz, the regency was awarded to the Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, another half-brother of Afonso and an uncle of the young king. This choice pleased both the people and the fast-growing bourgeoisie.

Within the Portuguese aristocracy, however, especially those in the circle around Afonso, Eleonor of Aragon was preferred, and there were doubts about Peter's political abilities. A contest for the young king's affection began, and within a few years, Afonso managed to become Afonso V's favourite uncle.

In 1443, in a gesture of reconciliation, Peter made Afonso the first Duke of Braganza and the relations between both seemed to return to normality. But, in 1445, Afonso took offence because Isabella of Coimbra, Peter's daughter, became the choice for Afonso V's wife, and not one of his granddaughters. Indifferent to the intrigues, Peter continued his regency and the country prospered under his rule. It was during this period that the first subsidies for the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean were appropriated under the supervision of Henry the Navigator (another of Afonso's half-brothers).

On 9 June 1448, King Afonso V came of age, and Peter turned over control of the country to the king. Influenced by Afonso, the young king nullified all of Peter's edicts.

The following year, under accusations that years later would prove false, Afonso V declared his uncle Peter a rebel. The situation became unsustainable and a civil war begun. It was short, because on 20 May 1449, during the Battle of Alfarrobeira, near Alverca, Peter died. The exact conditions of his death are debatable: some say it was in combat, other say he was assassinated by one of his own men.

After the Battle of Alfarrobeira, Afonso V gave new powers to his uncle Afonso and nine years later when he departed to Africa, the regency was delegated to him.

Marriages and Issue

Afonso married twice, first on 8 November 1401 to Beatriz Pereira de Alvim, from whom he had three children:

Afonso married a second time, perhaps in 1420, to his third cousin Constance of Noronha, daughter of Alfonso, Count of Gijón and Noronha (a natural son of Henry II of Castile), and of Isabel of Portugal (a natural daughter of Fernando I of Portugal). Constance was the first Duchess of Braganza, and she is buried in Guimarães. They had no issue.

Ancestry

Bibliography

"Nobreza de Portugal e Brasil", Vol. II pages 437 to 439. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

References

  1. ^ She is sometimes said to be the daughter of a Jewish cobbler (Isabel Violante Pereira, De Mendo da Guarda a D. Manuel I, Lisboa, 2001, Livros Horizonte), but the Nobiliaries make her born at Borba, sister of Gil Peres and daughter of Pero Esteves, o Barbadão, of an old Portuguese noble family, akin to the Pinheiro family, and wife Maria Anes.

External links

Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza
Cadet branch of the House of Aviz and House of Burgundy
Born: 10 August 1377 Died: 15 December 1461
Portuguese nobility
Preceded by
Nuno Álvares Pereira, 7th Count of Barcelos
Count of Barcelos
1401–1461		 Succeeded by
Fernando I of Braganza, 9th Count of Barcelos
Preceded by
New Title
Duke of Braganza
1442–1461		 Succeeded by
Fernando I, 2nd Duke of Braganza