Afonso VI of Portugal

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Afonso VI

King of Portugal and the Algarves 6 November 1656 12 September 1683

Reign

Acclaimed 15 November 1657

Predecessor John IV

Successor

Peter II

Consort

Maria Francisca of Savoy

House

House of Braganza

Father

John IV

Mother

Luisa of Medina-Sidonia

Born

21 August 1643 Ribeira Palace, Lisbon,Kingdom of Portugal

Died

12 September 1683 (aged 40) Royal Palace of Sintra, Sintra, Kingdom of Portugal

Burial

Royal Pantheon of the Braganza Dynasty

Religion

Roman Catholicism

Afonso VI (Portuguese pronunciation: [fsu]; English: Alphonzo or Alphonse, Old Portuguese: Affonso; 21 August 1643 12 September 1683) was King of Portugal and the Algarves, the second of the House of Braganza, known as "the Victorious" (o Vitorioso).
Contents
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1 Early life 2 Succession 3 Colonial Affairs 4 Marriage 5 Deposition 6 Ancestry 7 References

Early life[edit]
At the age of three, Afonso suffered an illness that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, as well as leaving him mentally unstable. His father created him 10th Duke of Braganza. After the 1653 death of his eldest brother Teodsio, Prince of Brazil, Afonso became the heir-apparent to the throne of the kingdom. He received also the crown-princely title 2nd Prince of Brazil.

Succession[edit]

Portrait of Infante Afonso; Jos de Avelar Rebelo, 1653.

He succeeded his father (Joo IV) in 1656 at the age of thirteen. His mother, Luisa of Medina-Sidonia, was named regent in his father's will. His mental instability and paralysis, plus his lack of interest in government, left his mother as regent for six years, until 1662. Afonso oversaw decisive military victories over the Spanish at Elvas (14 January 1659), Ameixial (8 June 1663) and Montes Claros (17 June 1665), culminating in the final Spanish recognition of sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza, on 13 February 1668 in the Treaty of Lisbon.

Colonial Affairs[edit]
Colonial affairs saw the Dutch conquest of Jaffnapatam, Portugal's last colony in Portuguese Ceylon (1658) and the cession of Bombay andTangier to England (23 June 1661) as dowry for Afonso's sister,Catherine of Braganza, who had married King Charles II of England. English mediation in 1661 saw the Netherlands acknowledge Portuguese rule of Brazil in return for uncontested control of Ceylon. In 1662, the Count of Castelo Melhor saw an opportunity to gain power at court by befriending the king. He managed to convince the king that his mother was out to steal his throne and exile him from Portugal. As a result, Afonso took control of the throne and his mother was sent to a convent.

Marriage[edit]
He was married to Marie Franoise of Nemours, the daughter of the Duke of Savoy, in 1666, but the marriage did not last long. Marie Franoise, or Maria Francisca in Portuguese, filed for an annulment in 1667 based on the impotence of the king. The

Church granted her the annulment, and she married Afonso's brother, Pedro, Duke of Beja (the future Peter II).

Deposition[edit]
That same year, Pedro managed to gain enough support to force the king to relinquish control of the government and he became Prince Regent in 1668. Afonso was exiled to the island of Terceira in the Azores for seven years, returning to mainland Portugal shortly before he died at Sintra in 1683. His trial[which trial? clarification needed] is the basis of Joo Mrio Grilo's 1990 film, The King's Trial (O Processo do Rei).

Ancestry[edit]
[show]Ancestors of Afonso VI of Portugal

References[edit]

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Afonso VI of Portugal House of Braganza
Cadet branch of the House of Aviz Born: 21 August 1643 Died: 12 September 1683

Regnal titles Preceded by John IV King of Portugal and the Algarves 16561683 Succeeded by Peter II

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Monarchs of Portugal

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Monarchs of Brazil

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Princes of Brazil

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Dukes of Braganza

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Infantes of Portugal

Categories:

Portuguese monarchs Portuguese infantes Dukes of Braganza Modern child rulers 1643 births 1683 deaths

Portuguese people with disabilities Princes of Brazil House of Braganza 17th-century Portuguese people People from Lisbon

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This page was last modified on 11 July 2013 at 15:29.