Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu

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Maria of Portugal
Anthonis Mor (c. 1550–1555)
Born18 June 1521
Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
Died10 October 1577(1577-10-10) (aged 56)
Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
Burial
Church of Our Lady of Luz, Lisbon
HouseAviz
FatherManuel I of Portugal
MotherEleanor of Austria

Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu (18 June 1521 – 10 October 1577; Portuguese pronunciation:

Infanta of Portugal, the only daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria. A noted patron of the arts and buildings, Maria's personal wealth rivaled that of her half-brother, King John III of Portugal
, making her the richest woman in Portugal and one of the wealthiest princesses in Europe.

Youth

Infanta Maria of Portugal by Francisco de Holanda; c. 1540s. She was a renowned beauty of a pale complexion and clear blue eyes.

Maria de Avíz was born on 18 June 1521, in Lisbon, Portugal.[1] She was the only daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and Infanta Eleanor of Austria. Five months after her birth, her father died of the plague and was succeeded by her half-brother, John III of Portugal. Shortly afterwards, in May 1523, her mother departed to Spain, leaving Maria to be raised in Portugal at her half-brother's court.[2][3]

In 1525 her maternal aunt,

finances, architecture, literature, and several languages. One of the most educated of the Portuguese infantas, Maria became a famed humanist and protector of the arts.[4][page needed] Her household was made into an intellectual circle that welcomed women of letters.[5] It was rumored that she fell in love with Portugal's greatest poet, Luís de Camões
.

Although she did not lack suitors and had several marriage proposals, Maria never married. Her engagement with

Emperor Charles V, and her half-sister Isabella. The matter was taken under serious consideration from 1549 onward, when her mother settled in Brussels, but these plans were discontinued when Mary Tudor succeeded to the English throne in 1553 and Charles V decided to marry his son Philip to a monarch.[11][12] Other candidates for her hand were Archduke Maximilian of Austria;[13] his father Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor;[14] James V of Scotland; and the Duke of Savoy
.

Duchess of Viseu

Maria, Duchess of Viseu, by Hieronymus Cock, c. 1554–1556.
Viseu's historic center

Eventually, King John III gave Maria her own household and the

Duchy of Viseu,[15] which their father owned before he became king. Under her rule, the city continued and prospered its several industries of pottery, embroidery and copper
. Her personal wealth eventually rivaled that of the king, making her the richest woman in Portugal and one of the wealthiest princesses in Europe.

Receiving such

São Vicente
. The original structure she ordered to be built would be completely destroyed in 1681, which would lead to the construction of the new current church, which now serves as the National Pantheon of Portugal.

Later life

After her half-brother John's death in 1557, Maria went to Spain to meet her widowed mother for the first time in decades.[16] Eleanor asked her unwed daughter to come and live with her and her aunt Mary, but Maria refused the request and only remained there for three weeks before returning to Lisbon.[15] Eleanor died very shortly afterwards on her return journey to Jarandilla de la Vera from Badajoz.

During the tumultuous period of the minority of young

King Sebastian, a faction of the Portuguese nobility wanted the Duchess of Viseu to replace Queen Dowager Catherine as regent,[citation needed] but these plans came to nothing. Maria died in Lisbon on 10 October 1577,[17] at the age of 56. She was initially buried in the Madre de Deus Convent but her remains were transferred to the Church of Nossa Senhora da Luz in 1597.[18]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Eleanor had married Francis I of France in 1530 on the condition that the Dauphin and Maria would marry in 1533.[6]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 825.
  2. ^ Jordan Gschwend 2022, p. 87.
  3. ^ de Vasconcelos 1902, p. 18.
  4. ^ Pereira, Paulo. Enciclopédia dos lugares mágicos de Portugal. Vol. IX.
  5. ^ Frade 2016, pp. 52–53.
  6. ^ de Vasconcelos 1902, p. 19.
  7. ^ Jordan Gschwend 2022, pp. 89–92.
  8. ^ de Vasconcelos 1902, pp. 20–21.
  9. ^ Cartwright Ady 1913, p. 151.
  10. ^ Jordan Gschwend 2022, p. 85.
  11. ^ Cartwright Ady 1913, p. 386-387.
  12. ^ Jordan Gschwend 2022, p. 98.
  13. ^ de Vasconcelos 1902, p. 20.
  14. ^ de Vasconcelos 1902, p. 23.
  15. ^ a b Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 826.
  16. ^ de Vasconcelos 1902, p. 24.
  17. ^ de Vasconcelos 1902, p. 25.
  18. ^ Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 827.
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Sources

Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu
Born: 18 June 1521 Died: 10 October 1557
Portuguese nobility
Vacant
Title last held by
Manuel I of Portugal 		Duchess of Viseu Vacant
Title next held by
Prince Miguel, Duke of Viseu
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