John IV of Portugal
| John IV | |
|---|---|
 | |
| King of Portugal and the Algarves | |
| Reign | 1 December 1640 – 6 November 1656 |
| Acclamation | 15 December 1640 |
| Predecessor | Philip III |
| Successor | Afonso VI |
| Duke of Braganza (as John II) | |
| Tenure | 29 November 1630 – 27 October 1645 |
| Predecessor | Teodósio II |
| Successor | Teodósio, Prince of Brazil |
| Born |
19 March 1604 Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, Portugal |
| Died |
6 November 1656 (aged 52) Ribeira Palace, Portugal |
| Burial | Pantheon of the Braganzas |
| Spouse | Luisa de Guzmán |
| Issue among others... |
Teodósio, Prince of Brazil Joana, Princess of Beira Catherine, Queen of England Afonso VI Peter II |
| House | House of Braganza |
| Father | Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza |
| Mother | Ana de Velasco y Girón |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
John IV (Portuguese: João IV de Portugal,[1] pronounced: [ʒuˈɐ̃w̃]; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656) was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1640 to his death. He was the grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza,[2] who had in 1580 claimed the Portuguese crown and sparked the struggle for the throne of Portugal. John IV was nicknamed John the Restorer (João o Restaurador). On the eve of his death in 1656, the Portuguese Empire reached its zenith, spanning the globe.[3] He was one of the main forces behind the independence of Portugal after the Spanish dominance.
Early life
John was born at Vila Viçosa and succeeded his father Teodosio II as Duke of Braganza[4] when the latter died insane in 1630. He married Luisa de Guzman (1613–66), eldest daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia, in 1633.
John had blond hair, blue eyes and an average height.[5]
Reign
Succession
He was raised to the throne of Portugal (of which he was held to be the legitimate heir) during the revolution on 1 December 1640, against King Philip III.[6]
Restoration War
His accession led to a protracted war (the Portuguese Restoration War) with Spain, which only ended with the recognition of Portuguese independence in a subsequent reign (1668). Portugal signed lengthy alliances with France (1 June 1641) and Sweden (August 1641) but by necessity its only contributions in the Thirty Years' War were in the field against Spain and against Dutch encroachments on the Portuguese colonies.
In Spain, a Portuguese invasion force defeated the Spanish at Montijo, near Badajoz, in 1644.
Imperial Recovery
Abroad, the Dutch took Portuguese Malacca (Jan 1641) and the Sultan of Oman captured Muscat (1650). Nevertheless the Portuguese, despite having to divide their forces among Europe, Brazil and Africa, managed to retake Luanda, in Portuguese Angola, from the Dutch in 1648 and, by 1654, had recovered northern Brazil, which effectively ceased to be a Dutch colony. This was countered by the loss of Portuguese Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka) to the Dutch who took Colombo in 1656.
Death and legacy
King John IV died in 1656 and was succeeded by his son Afonso VI. His daughter, Catherine of Braganza, married King Charles II of England.[2]
John was a patron of music and the arts, and a considerably sophisticated writer on music; in addition to this, he was a composer. During his reign he collected one of the largest libraries in the world, but it was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Among his writings is a defense of Palestrina, and a Defense of Modern Music (Lisbon, 1649). One famous composition attributed to him is a setting of the Crux fidelis, a work that remains highly popular during Lent amongst church choirs.[7] However, no known manuscript of the work exists, and it was first published only in 1869, in France. On stylistic grounds, it is generally recognized that the work was written in the 19th century.[8]
Marriages and descendants
John married Luisa de Guzmán,[9] daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzman, 8th Duke of Medina-Sidonia. From that marriage several children were born. Because some of John's children were born and died before their father became king they are not considered infantes or infantas (heirs to the throne) of Portugal.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Luisa de Guzman ( 13 October 1613 – 27 February 1666; married on 12 January 1633) | |||
| Infante Teodósio | 8 February 1634 | 13 May 1653 | Prince of Brazil and 9th Duke of Braganza. Died young. |
| Ana de Bragança | 21 January 1635 | 21 January 1635 | |
| Infanta Joana (Joan) | 18 September 1635 | 17 November 1653 | |
| Infanta Catherine (Catarina) | 25 November 1638 | 31 December 1705 | Commonly known as Catherine of Braganza. Queen consort through marriage to Charles II of England. |
| Manuel de Bragança | 6 September 1640 | 6 September 1640 | |
| Infante Afonso | 21 August 1643 | 12 September 1683 | Prince of Brazil and 10th Duke of Braganza. Succeeded him as Afonso VI, King of Portugal. |
| Infante Peter (Pedro) | 26 April 1648 | 9 December 1706 | Duke of Beja, Constable of the Kingdom, Lord of the Casa do Infantado and Regent of the Kingdom before succeeding his brother Afonso as Peter II, King of Portugal. |
| Illegitimate offspring | |||
| Maria de Bragança | 30 April 1644 | 7 February 1693 | Natural daughter. |
Ancestry
References
- ↑ Also rendered as Joam in Archaic Portuguese
- 1 2 Chisholm, Hugh. The encyclopædia britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences ..., Volume 22. The encyclopedia. p. 148.
- ↑ D. A. Brading (24 September 1993). The First America: The Spanish Monarchy, Creole Patriots and the Liberal State 1492-1866. Cambridge University Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-521-44796-6.
- ↑ Dyer, Thomas Henry. 1593–1721. p. 340.
- ↑ Sousa 1741, Vol VII, p. 238.
- ↑ Davenport, Frances Gardiner (2004). European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and Its Dependencies to 1648. The Lawbook Exchange. p. 324. ISBN 978-1584774228.
- ↑ Frank Sinatra. King John IV. p. 460.
- ↑ Grove Dictionary of Music: Doubtful: Crux fidelis, 4vv, D-Dlb; ed. G. Schmitt, Anthologie universelle de musique sacrée (Paris, 1869); ed. J. Santos, A polifonia clássica portuguesa (Lisbon, 1937)
- ↑ Bourn, Thomas (1815). A Concise Gazetteer of the Most Remarkable Places in the World; with brief notices of the principal historical events ... connected with them, etc. p. 413.
Bibliography
- Sousa, António Caetano de. História genealógica da Casa Real portuguesa (in Portuguese) VII. Lisbon: Silviana.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to John IV of Portugal. |
- Free scores by John IV of Portugal in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Crux fidelis Recording of John IV's best-known choral work
| John IV of Portugal Cadet branch of the House of Aviz Born: 19 March 1604 Died: 6 November 1656 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Philip III |
King of Portugal and the Algarves 1640–1656 |
Succeeded by Afonso VI |
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