John, Constable of Portugal

Infante John
Infante John
Constable of Portugal; Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Colares and Belas
	Detail from the St. Vincent Panels by Nuno Gonçalves, often believed to be a portrait of John of Reguengos, the Constable Prince.
Born	13 January 1400; Santarém, Portugal
Died	18 October 1442 (aged 42); Alcácer do Sal, Portugal
Burial	Batalha Monastery
Spouse	Isabella of Barcelos (m. 1424)
Issue; Detail	Infante Diogo, Constable of Portugal; Isabella, Queen of Castile; Infanta Beatrice, Duchess of Viseu;
House	Aviz
Father	John I of Portugal
Mother	Philippa of Lancaster

Infante John, Constable of Portugal (

Order of St. James

(Santiago). In Portugal, he is commonly referred to as the O Infante Condestável ("the Constable Prince").

Early life

Infante John was the son of

illustrious generation

' (Ínclita Geração)

Royal career

He was invested as the 1st Lord of

Siege of Ceuta

.

After the death of Nuno Álvares Pereira in 1431, Infante John was appointed the 3rd Constable of Portugal. As a result, John is frequently characterised by the appellation O Infante Condestável ("The Constable Prince").

After King John I's death in 1433, John's eldest brother ascended the throne as king

Marinid Morocco that called for the relinquishment of Ceuta in exchange for his captive brother Ferdinand the Holy Prince

. The Cortes refused, and Ferdinand was left to die in captivity.

Duke of Coimbra Rebellion

King Edward died in September 1438, leaving a young son to ascend the throne as king

Afonso of Barcelos

, urged Eleanor to hold fast, and a tense power-sharing regency arrangement was agreed upon between Peter and Eleanor.

Peter of Coimbra relied on his close alliance with Infante John to secure the lion's share of power during the first few years of the regency. Infante John's sudden death in October 1442 was a terrible blow to Peter, who thereafter found it increasingly difficult to fend off the aspirations of his half-brother Afonso of Barcelos.

Regent Peter appointed John's son

Diogo of Portugal

to succeed his father as Master of the Order of Santiago and Constable of Portugal.

Marriage and issue

In 1424, John married his half-niece

Afonso of Barcelos

. The couple had four children:

Infante
Order of St. James
; without issue.
Infanta Isabella of Portugal (1428–1496), married John II of Castile, mother of Isabella I of Castile.
Infanta
Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, mother of Manuel I of Portugal
.

Infanta Phillipa of Portugal (1432–1444), Lady of Almada.

Ancestry

Ancestors of John, Constable of Portugal

8.

Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster^[3]

7. Blanche of Lancaster^[3]

15. Isabel of Beaumont^[3]

References

^ Bull of Pope Martin V appointing John master of Santiago can be found in Monumenta Henricina, vol. 2, p.301
^ ^a ^b John I, King of Portugal at the Encyclopædia Britannica
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Armitage-Smith, Sydney (1905). John of Gaunt: King of Castile and Leon, Duke of Aquitaine and Lancaster, Earl of Derby, Lincoln, and Leicester, Seneschal of England. Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 21. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b Peter I, King of Portugal at the Encyclopædia Britannica
^ ^a ^b de Sousa, Antonio Caetano (1735). Historia genealogica da casa real portugueza [Genealogical History of the Royal House of Portugal] (in Portuguese). Vol. 2. Lisboa Occidental. p. 4.

"Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. I, pages 296–297. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

[1] Bull of Pope Martin V appointing John master of Santiago can be found in Monumenta Henricina, vol. 2, p.301

[EB-John_I-2] John I, King of Portugal at the Encyclopædia Britannica

[Armitage-Smith-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Armitage-Smith, Sydney (1905). John of Gaunt: King of Castile and Leon, Duke of Aquitaine and Lancaster, Earl of Derby, Lincoln, and Leicester, Seneschal of England. Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 21. Retrieved 17 July 2018.

[EB-Peter_I-4] Peter I, King of Portugal at the Encyclopædia Britannica

[DeSousa1-5] Sousa, Antonio Caetano (1735). Historia genealogica da casa real portugueza [Genealogical History of the Royal House of Portugal] (in Portuguese). Vol. 2. Lisboa Occidental. p. 4.

[3]