Portuguese succession crisis of 1580

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The Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 (

Portuguese throne. Ultimately, Philip II of Spain succeeded Henry I as King of Portugal, uniting the Portuguese and Spanish Crowns in the Iberian Union. This personal union endured for 60 years, during which the Portuguese Empire faced decline and global challenges, notably the Dutch–Portuguese War
.

The Cardinal-King

After the disastrous

Henry, Sebastian's grand-uncle, succeeded him as king.[1][a] Henry renounced his clerical offices and sought to take a bride for the continuation of the Aviz dynasty, but Pope Gregory XIII, affiliated with Philip II, did not release him from his vows.[3] In January 1580, when the Cortes were assembled in Almeirim to decide upon an heir, the Cardinal-King died and the Regency of the Kingdom was assumed by a Council of five members.[4]

Claimants to the throne

An 18th-century engraving depicting the different claimants' familial relationship through Manuel I of Portugal.

By this time the Portuguese throne was disputed by several claimants. Among them were:[5]

The descendants of the Duchess of Braganza obtained the throne in 1640 (in the person of her grandson

Maria,[7] followed by his siblings; then the Duchess herself and her children; and only after them, King Philip. Philip II was a foreigner (although his mother was Portuguese) and descended from Manuel I by a female line;[8] as for Anthony, although he was Manuel I's grandson in the male line, he was of illegitimate birth.[9]

The heir by primogeniture, 11-year-old Ranuccio Farnese, Hereditary Duke of Parma and Piacenza, was the grandson of

Infante Duarte of Portugal,[10] the only son of Manuel I whose legitimate descendants survived at that time. However, his father Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma was an ally of the Spanish king, another contender, so Ranuccio's rights were not claimed at that time.[11]
Ranuccio became reigning Duke of Parma in 1592.

Instead, Ranuccio's maternal aunt Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, asserted her claim as the daughter of Infante Duarte. Catherine was married to

Jaime of Braganza, also a legitimate heir of Portugal, being the son of Infanta Isabella, sister of Manuel I and daughter of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, second son of King Duarte I. The duchess also had a son, Dom Teodósio de Braganza, who would be her royal heir and successor to the throne. Catherine's relatively strong claim was bolstered by her residency in Portugal. Although she was Henry's preferred successor,[12] her bid for queenship ultimately failed due to her sex, the powerful influence of Philip II, and the unpopularity of her husband.[7]

According to primogeniture, the line of succession of the Portuguese throne would have been:

  1. Ranuccio Farnese, Hereditary Duke of Parma and his siblings Odoardo and Margherita
  2. Infanta Catherine, Duchess of Braganza
     and her children
  3. Philip II of Spain and his children
  4. Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, Philip's sister, and her children
  5. Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and his children (son of Beatrice of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy, daughter of Manuel I)

Genealogical summary

Claimants following King Henry I's death (1580)

Isabella
of Viseu
Ferdinand II
3rd D.Braganza
James
4th D.Braganza
Isabella of
Braganza
Teodósio I
5th D.Braganza
3rd D.Guimarães
John I

6th D.Braganza
Candidate
Teodósio II

7th D.Braganza
Emp.=Emperor,
K.=King, D.=Duke,
m.=married,
dwi=died without issue		John II/IV
8th D.Braganza
6th D.Guimarães
22nd K. Portugal
Catherine de' Medici claimed the Portuguese Throne, but her claim was widely rejected.

Other Claimants

Catherine de' Medici, Queen mother of France, used a claimed descendance from King Afonso III of Portugal from his first marriage with Matilda, Countess of Boulogne to advance with a claim to the Portuguese Throne.[13] Her claim was likely only presented to entice Philip to offer compensation for its withdrawal.[14] She later aided António, providing him with a French fleet.[15]

The Pope, at the time Gregory XIII, also had a claim to the Portuguese Throne, since King Henry was a Cardinal and the inheritance of all cardinals reverts to the Church.[16] The pope claimed it was his right to have the Kingdom of Portugal, as well as a property that had belonged to the King.

Neither claim was seriously considered.[16]

António of Portugal and Philip of Spain

See also: War of the Portuguese Succession

Infante Luis (1506–1555), and therefore grandson of King Manuel I.[8] It was precisely because of his illegitimacy that his claim to the throne was weak and considered invalid.[18]

Philip II of Spain managed to bring the aristocracy of the kingdom as support to his side.

Crisis of 1385.[21] Then—just as in 1580—the king of Castile had invoked blood descent to inherit the Portuguese throne; and the Master of Aviz (John I), illegitimate son of King Peter I, asserted his right to the throne at the Battle of Aljubarrota, which ended in a victory for John's troops, and in the Cortes of Coimbra
in 1385.

In June 1580,

Madeira Islands power was exercised by Philip II, who was acclaimed king in 1580 as Philip I of Portugal and recognized as official king by the Cortes of Tomar in 1581.[25] The new king's election was carried on condition that the kingdom and its overseas territories should remain separate from Spain and keep their own laws and Cortes.[26]

After his defeat in the Azores, António went into exile in France—traditional enemy of the Habsburgs—and courted the support of England.[27] An invasion was attempted in 1589 under Sir Francis Drake—leading the so-called English Armada—but ended in failure.[28] António continued to fight until the end of his life for his rights to the throne.[29]

Consequences

See also: Dutch–Portuguese War
impostors
who claimed to be King Sebastian

The matter of whether Portugal was actually invaded by Spain is contested. Philip II had a legitimate claim to the throne, but as with many other dynastic struggles of the age, it was shrouded in controversy. In any case, the Habsburg kings maintained Portugal's status and gave excellent positions to Portuguese nobles in the Spanish

Court, and Portugal maintained an independent law, currency and government.[30] However, Portugal saw its wealth and "cultural individuality" gradually decreasing.[31] Portuguese colonies came under sustained attack from their enemies, especially the Dutch and English.[32]

Sixty years after these events, John II, Duke of Braganza (1603–1656) accepted the throne offered by the Portuguese nobility, who had become frustrated under Habsburg rule, becoming John IV of Portugal.[33] He was the grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, who had in 1580 claimed the Portuguese crown, and son of Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza (who died insane in 1630). John was raised to the throne of Portugal (of which he was then held to be the legitimate heir) during the Portuguese Restoration War against King Philip IV of Spain.[34]

There were many

impostors who claimed to be King Sebastian,[35] variously in 1584, 1585, 1595, and 1598. "Sebastianism", the legend that the young king would return to Portugal on a foggy day persisted for years, and was even strong into the 1800s.[36]

Notes

  1. ^ Henry had previously served as regent for the king from 1562 to 1568.[2]
  2. ^ The exact date of António's proclamation as king varies across sources, ranging between June 17th and June 24th.

References

  1. ^ Livermore 1969, p. 158; Stephens 1891, p. 257
  2. ^ Livermore 1969, pp. 152–153
  3. ^ McMurdo 1889, pp. 229–230; Disney 2009, p. 176
  4. ^ Livermore 1969, p. 160-161; Disney 2009, pp. 193–195
  5. ^ Lardner 1833, pp. 208–209; McMurdo 1889, p. 227
  6. ^ Disney 2009, pp. 218–221
  7. ^ a b Disney 2009, p. 193
  8. ^ a b Livermore 1969, p. 158
  9. ^ Disney 2009, p. 192
  10. ^ Marques 1976, p. 312
  11. ^ Disney 2009, p. 192; Marques 1976, p. 312
  12. ^ McMurdo 1889, p. 226; Marques 1976, p. 313
  13. ^ McMurdo 1889, p. 208; Stephens 1891, p. 278
  14. ^ Dyer 1877, p. 411.
  15. ^ Stephens 1891, pp. 284–285; Livermore 1947, p. 269
  16. ^ a b Stephens 1891, p. 278
  17. ^ Disney 2009, p. 196
  18. ^ Marques 1976, p. 313
  19. ^ McMurdo 1889, pp. 226–227; Livermore 1969, p. 159
  20. ^ a b Marques 1976, p. 314
  21. ^ Stephens 1891, p. 281.
  22. ^ Disney 2009, p. 195; Dyer 1877, p. 408; Lardner 1833, p. 213; McMurdo 1889, p. 207
  23. ^ Disney 2009, pp. 195–196; Lardner 1833, pp. 214–215; McMurdo 1889, p. 281
  24. ^ Marques 1976, pp. 314–315
  25. ^ Livermore 1969, p. 163
  26. ^ Stephens 1891, pp. 283–284
  27. ^ Marques 1976, p. 315
  28. ^ Lardner 1833, pp. 219–220; Livermore 1969, p. 165
  29. ^ Livermore 1947, p. 270
  30. ^ Marques 1976, pp. 315–317
  31. ^ Marques 1976, pp. 323–324
  32. ^ Marques 1976, p. 320
  33. ^ Marques 1976, p. 325
  34. ^ McMurdo 1889, pp. 378–388; Livermore 1947, p. 324
  35. ^ Marques 1976, pp. 318–319; Livermore 1969, pp. 166–167
  36. JSTOR 3513287
    .

Sources


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