Afonso VI | |
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King of Portugal | |
Reign | 6 November 1656 – 12 September 1683 |
Acclamation | 15 November 1657 |
Predecessor | John IV |
Successor | Peter II |
Regents |
Luisa de Guzmán (1656–1662) Peter, Duke of Beja (1668–1683) |
Chief minister |
Count of Castelo Melhor (1662–1667) |
Born | 21 August 1643 Ribeira Palace, Lisbon, Portugal |
Died | 12 September 1683 (aged 40) Sintra Palace, Sintra, Portugal |
Burial | |
Spouse | |
House | Braganza |
Father | John IV of Portugal |
Mother | Luisa de Guzmán |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Afonso VI (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈfõsu]; 21 August 1643 – 12 September 1683), known as "the Victorious" (o Vitorioso), was the second king of Portugal of the House of Braganza from 1656 until his death. [1] He was initially under the regency of his mother, Luisa de Guzmán, until 1662, when he removed her to a convent and took power with the help of his favourite, the Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor. [2]
Afonso's reign saw the end of the Restoration War (1640–68) and Spain's recognition of Portugal's independence. [3] He also negotiated a French alliance through his marriage. [4] In 1668, his brother Pedro II conspired to have him declared incapable of ruling, and took supreme de facto power as regent, although nominally Afonso was still sovereign. [5] Queen Maria Francisca, Afonso's wife, received an annulment and subsequently married Pedro. [6] Afonso spent the rest of his life and reign practically a prisoner. [5] [7] [8]
Afonso was the second of three sons born to King John IV and Queen Luisa. [9] At the age of three, he experienced an illness that resulted in paralysis on the right side of his body. [10] [11] The condition was believed to have also affected his intellectual abilities. [10] [12] His father created him 10th Duke of Braganza. [13]
After the death of his eldest brother Teodósio, Prince of Brazil in 1653, Afonso became the heir apparent to the throne of the kingdom. [10] He also received the crown-princely title 2nd Prince of Brazil.
He succeeded his father, John IV, in 1656 at the age of thirteen. [11] His mother, Luisa de Guzmán, was named regent in his father's will. [11] [14]
Luisa's regency continued even after Afonso came of age because he was considered mentally unfit for governing. [15] [16] In addition to lacking intellect, the king exhibited wild and disruptive behavior. [11] [10] In 1662, after Afonso terrorized Lisbon at night alongside his favorites, [17] [18] Luisa and her council responded by banishing some of the king's companions that were associated with the raids. [18] Angered, Afonso took power with the help of Castelo-Melhor and Luisa's regency came to an end. [19] [20] [21] She subsequently retired to a convent, [22] [14] where she died in 1666. [23]
Afonso appointed Castelo-Melhor as his private secretary (escrivão da puridade). [24] [19] He proved to be a competent minister. [20] His astute military organization and sensible general appointments resulted in decisive military victories over the Spanish [25] at Elvas (14 January 1659), Ameixial (8 June 1663) and Montes Claros (17 June 1665), [26] [27] culminating in the final Spanish recognition of sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza, [28] [29] on 13 February 1668 in the Treaty of Lisbon. [30] [31]
Colonial affairs saw the Dutch conquest of Jaffna, Portugal's last colony in Portuguese Ceylon (1658), [32] and the cession of Bombay and Tangier to England (23 June 1661) as dowry for Afonso's sister, Catherine of Braganza, who had married King Charles II of England. [33] [34]
Melhor successfully arranged for Afonso to marry Maria Francisca of Savoy, [35] a relative of the Duke of Savoy, in 1666, [36] but the marriage was short-lived. Maria Francisca filed for an annulment in 1667 based on the impotence of the king. [37] [38] The church granted her the annulment, and she married Afonso's brother, Peter II, Duke of Beja. [6] [39]
Also in 1667, Pedro managed to gain enough support to force Afonso to relinquish control of the government to him, [38] and he became prince regent in 1668. [37] [6] [36] While Pedro never formally usurped the throne, Afonso was king in name only for the rest of his life. [40] [41] For seven years after Peter's coup, Afonso was kept on the island of Terceira [42] in the Azores. [29] [43] His health broken by this captivity, he was eventually permitted to return to the Portuguese mainland, but he remained powerless and kept under guard. At Sintra he died in 1683. [42] [44] [45]
The room where he was imprisoned is preserved at Sintra National Palace.
Ancestors of Afonso VI of Portugal |
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