List of Portuguese monarchs
From Freepedia
This is a List of Portuguese monarchs from the independence of Portugal from León in 1128-29 to the proclamation of the Republic in October 5 1910. Afonso Henriques proclaimed himself king in 1139. Ten years earlier he had proclaimed himself prince. His rule was recognized in 1143 by the Kingdom of Leon and in 1179 by the pope. The list includes the Houses of Burgundy (or Afonsine), Aviz, Philippine (or Habsburg) and Braganza.
However, the roots of Portugal as a different entity are in the 9th century when the first county of Portugal was established by Vímara Peres, just after the reconquista of Northern Portugal from the Moors, who ruled very briefly in this area. Portugal at that time was just an area between the Minho and Douro rivers in today's Northern Portugal.
Contents |
County of Portugal
- Main article: The Establishment of the Monarchy in Portugal.
House of Vímara Peres
The bases of the Portuguese nationality lie in 868 when Alfonso III of Leon gave Vímara Peres the lands between the Minho and Douro rivers, in the south of Galicia. In the period of Reconquista Vímara ruled over a County named after the city of Portucale (today's Porto) and based in Guimarães.
The First County of Portugal would last for two centuries when the last count, Nuno Mendes, lost the Battle of Pedroso to Garcia II of Galicia and Portugal, son of Ferdinand I of Castile-León, and the first monarch to use the tile "King of Portugal". So, in 1071, Portugal lost the autonomy gained over the past two centuries.
One year later, in 1072 Garcia was defeated by his brothers and the Portuguese lands were again incorporated in the Kingdom of León. This would only last for two decades when the County of Portugal was given to Henry of Burgundy in 1093.
| Name | Started | Ended | Alternative names | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vímara | 868 | 873 | Vimarano | Count of Portugal |
| Lucídio | 873 | ? | Count of Portugal | |
| Onega with Diogo | ? | c. 924 | Countess of Portugal | |
| Mumadona with Mendo (I) | c. 924 | c. 950 | Countess of Portugal | |
| Gonçalo | c. 950 | 999 | Count of Portugal, magnus dux portucalensium (in 997) | |
| Mendo (II) | 999 | 1008 | Count of Portugal | |
| Alvito | 1008 | 1015 | Count of Portugal | |
| Ilduara with Nuno (I) | 1017 | 1028 | Countess of Portugal | |
| Mendo (III) | 1028 | 1050 | Count of Portugal | |
| Nuno (II) | 1050 | 1071 | Count of Portugal, during the rule of Garcia II of Galicia and Portugal (1065-1072). |
House of Henry of Burgundy
The Second County of Portugal was attributed to Henry of Burgundy, a Burgundian nobleman that had helped fighting the Moors in the Reconquista.
When Alfonso VI of Castile gave him the County he intended to secure peace and order in a difficult region that the Count of Galicia, Raymond (another Burgundian nobleman) couldn't manage to do. Henry was a vassal but soon tried to gain more autonomy for his County and ultimately make it an independent Kingdom. This would only happen after his death, with his son Afonso Henriques.
| Name | Started | Ended | Alternative names | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry | Image:Henry Count of Portugal.jpg | 1093 | 1112 | Henrique (Portuguese) | Count of Portugal |
| Theresa | Image:Theresa, Countess of Portugal.jpg | 1112 | 1126 | Teresa or Tareja (Old Portuguese) | Countess of Portugal Regent of the County but the de facto ruler and self entitled Queen of Portugal |
| Alphonzo | Image:AfonsoI-P.jpg | 1126 | 1139 | Afonso (Portuguese), Afonso Henriques (Portuguese alternative), Affonso (Old Portuguese), Alfonso (Old Portuguese) or Alphonso (Old Portuguese) | Count of Portugal (until 1128/1129) and the Prince of Portugal (Dux Portucalensis) |
House of Burgundy (also known as Afonsine House)
- Main article: The Consolidation of the Monarchy in Portugal
The foundation of the House of Burgundy is a controversial subject. Some say it started in 1093 with the appointment of Henry of Burgundy as Count of Portugal. Though the House of Burgundy was founded, Portugal was only a county and so the House of Henry of Burgundy cannot be referred to as a Royal House.
The next possible date is the death of Count Henry in 1112 and the succession to the throne of Afonso Henriques, as the second Count of Portugal under the regency of his mother and Henry’s wife, Theresa, who proclaimed herself Queen of Portugal.
In 1128, with the Battle of São Mamede and the end of the civil war, the power was transferred to Afonso Henriques as the sole ruler as Prince of Portugal. He proclaimed himself King of Portugal in 1129. The year of 1139 is commonly accepted as the date of the foundation of the first Portuguese royal house. With Afonso's victory in the Battle of Ourique he was acclaimed King of Portugal by his soldiers and the Portuguese people. In the same year he summoned the cortes (estates-general) at Lamego, where he was given the crown from the bishop of Bragança.
The year of 1143 also stands as one of the most supported dates for the foundation of the House of Burgundy as a Portuguese royal house. In that year, Afonso I declared himself the direct liegeman of the Papacy and swore himself and the Kingdom servants of the Church. It was also in the same year that the Treaty of Zamora established peace between the rebel Portuguese and Castile and Leon with Alfonso VII of Castile recognizing Portugal as an independent kingdom. However, the Church did not recognize Portugal as an independent country with the right to conquer territories from the Moors until 1179 when Pope Alexander III acknowledged Afonso as king of Portugal, and some argue that that event marks the beginning of the first royal dynasty of Portugal.
The House of Burgundy corresponds to two different periods of Portuguese History. One is the complex period of implementation of the monarchy and the process of conquest of southern Moorish lands that ends in 1272. The second period consists of the creation of structures necessary to a newborn Kingdom, such as international diplomacy, agriculture, population, commerce, education and culture.
The House of Burgundy ended in 1383 with the death of Ferdinand I, who had no male heir. The heiress to the throne was Princess Beatrice, sole daughter of Ferdinand and the wife of John I of Castile. The possibility of loss of independence to Castile triggered a civil war and an Interregnum period know as the 1383-1385 Crisis.
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Alternative names | Nickname(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alphonzo I | Image:AfonsoI-P.jpg | 1139 | 1185 | Afonso I (Portuguese), Afonso Henriques (Portuguese alternative), Affonso I (Old Portuguese), Alfonso I (Old Portuguese) or Alphonso I (Old Portuguese) | the Conqueror (o Conquistador) |
| 2 | Sancho I | Image:SanchoI-P.jpg | 1185 | 1211 | the Populator (o Povoador) | |
| 3 | Alphonzo II | Image:AfonsoII-P.jpg | 1211 | 1223 | Afonso II (Portuguese), Affonso II (Old Portuguese), Alfonso II (Old Portuguese) or Alphonso II (Old Portuguese) | the Fat (o Gordo) |
| 4 | Sancho II | Image:SanchoII-P.jpg | 1223 | 1247 | the Pious (o Capelo) | |
| 5 | Alphonzo III | Image:AfonsoIII-P.jpg | 1247 | 1279 | Afonso III (Portuguese), Affonso III (Old Portuguese), Alfonso III (Old Portuguese) or Alphonso III (Old Portuguese) | the Bolognian (o Bolonhês) |
| 6 | Denis | Image:Dinis-P.jpg | 1279 | 1325 | Dinis (Portuguese) or Diniz (Old Portuguese) | the Farmer (o Lavrador) |
| 7 | Alphonzo IV | Image:AfonsoIV-P.jpg | 1325 | 1357 | Afonso IV (Portuguese), Affonso IV (Old Portuguese), Alfonso IV (Old Portuguese) or Alphonso IV (Old Portuguese) | the Brave (o Bravo) |
| 8 | Peter I | Image:PeterIofPortugal.jpg | 1357 | 1367 | Pedro I (Portuguese) | the Just (o Justiceiro) or the Cruel (o Cruel) |
| 9 | Ferdinand I | Image:Fernando-P.jpg | 1367 | 1383 | Fernando I | the Handsome (o Formoso) or the Inconstant (o Inconstante) |
House of Aviz
- Main articles: Portugal in the period of discoveries, Struggle for the throne of Portugal.
The second dynasty of Portuguese Royalty is known as the House of Aviz, after John, Master of Aviz, who later became John I of Portugal.
The House of Aviz followed the dynastical crisis that originated in the death of Ferdinand I in 1383. With the Portuguese victory in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 John I, half-brother of Ferdinand and natural son of Pedro I, was acclaimed King.
This period of Portuguese history is considered to include the ascension of Portugal to the status of a European and World power. This was triggered by the conquest of Ceuta in 1415 and followed by the exploration, colonization and commerce exercised in Africa, Asia and Brazil. It also includes the height of the Portuguese Empire during the reign of Manuel I and its decline during John III reign.
John III was succeeded in 1557 by his grandson Sebastian who died aged 24 in the Battle of Alcazarquivir with no heir. He was then succeeded by his great-uncle Henry, aged 66, who, as a Catholic Cardinal, had no children either. Cardinal-King Henry died two years later and the civil war started with several claimants to the throne, including Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, Philip II of Spain and Anthony, Prior of Crato.
Anthony was acclaimed as King in several cities around the country in 1580, 20 days before Philip II of Spain invaded Portugal and defeated the supporters of Anthony in the Battle of Alcântara. Although Anthony continued to "rule the country" from the Azores Islands until 1583, the date of 1580 is generally accepted as the end of the House of Aviz as a Portuguese Royal House. The last King of the House of Aviz is subject to debate, with only some historians accepting the period of 20 days between Anthony's acclamation and the Battle of Alcântara as the reign of Anthony I of Portugal.
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Alternative names | Nickname(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | John I | Image:JoaoI-P.jpg | 1385 | 1433 | João I (Portuguese) | the One With Good Memory (o de Boa Memória), the Good (o Bom) or the Great (o Grande) |
| 11 | Edward | Image:Duarte-P.jpg | 1433 | 1438 | Duarte (Portuguese) | the Eloquent (o Eloquente) |
| 12 | Alphonzo V | Image:AfonsoV-P.jpg | 1438 | 1481 | Afonso V (Portuguese) or Affonso V (Old Portuguese) | the African (o Africano) |
| 13 | John II | Image:JoaoII-P.jpg | 1481 | 1495 | João II (Portuguese) | the Perfect Prince (o Príncipe Perfeito) |
| 14 | Emanuel I | Image:ManuelI-P.jpg | 1495 | 1521 | Manuel I (Portuguese) or Manoel I (Old Portuguese) | the Fortunate (o Venturoso) |
| 15 | John III | Image:John III of Portugal.jpg | 1521 | 1557 | João III (Portuguese) | the Pious (o Piedoso) |
| 16 | Sebastian | Image:SebastianPortugal.jpg | 1557 | 1578 | Sebastião (Portuguese) | the Desired (o Desejado) |
| 17 | Cardinal Henry | Image:Henry of Portugal.jpg | 1578 | 1580 | Henrique (Portuguese) | the Chaste (o Casto) or the Cardinal-King (o Cardeal-Rei) |
| 18 | Anthony | Image:Antonio of Portugal.jpg | 1580 | 1580 | António (Portuguese) | the Prior of Crato (o Prior do Crato) |
House of Habsburg or Philippine House (Personal union with Spain)
The Portuguese House of Habsburg is known in Portugal as the Philippine House after the three Spanish kings named Philip who ruled from 1580 to 1640. The dynasty began with the acclamation of Philip II of Spain as Philip I of Portugal in 1580, officially recognized in 1581 in the Cortes of Tomar. During this period, the kingdom was not absorbed into Spain but was considered a separate kingdom under the same ruler, a system known as a Personal Union.
This system continued under Philip II, but Portugal began losing parts of its colonies to the enemies of Spain and soon the Portuguese Empire started to fall apart. Philip III tried to transform Portugal into a Spanish province and Portuguese nobles lost power, so in 1640 a nobility revolution known as the Restoration of Independence (Portuguese: Restauração da Independência) began in Lisbon and was soon supported throughout the country. However, it was not until 1668 that Spain recognized Portugal's autonomy.
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Alternative names | Nickname(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (18) | Philip I | Image:PhilipII.jpg | 1581 | 1598 | Filipe I (in Portugal) Felipe II (in Spain) | the Prudent (o Prudente) |
| 20 (19) | Philip II | Image:PhilipIIISpain.jpg | 1598 | 1621 | Filipe II (in Portugal) Felipe III (in Spain) | the Pious (o Pio) |
| 21 (20) | Philip III | Image:Philip IV of Spain.jpg | 1621 | 1640 | Filipe III (in Portugal) Felipe IV (in Spain) | the Great (o Grande) |
House of Braganza
The House of Braganza traced its origins to 1442 when the Duchy of Braganza was created by Alphonzo V and offered to his uncle Alphonzo, son of John I. The royal lineage of Dukes that followed intercrossed with the House of Aviz and became one of the most important noble families of the country. Catherine, granddaughter of Manuel I, Duchess of Braganza by marriage to João, 6th Duke of Braganza, crossed the two houses again in 1565. In 1580 she was one of the claimants to the throne, but lost it to Philip II of Spain.
In 1640 with the Restoration of Independence, John, grandson of Catherine and 8th Duke of Braganza, was acknowledged as the legitimate heir to the throne as the great great grandson of Manuel I. The fourth dynasty saw the growth of the importance of Brazilian gold, the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the Napoleonic invasion, the independence of Brazil and a civil war followed by Liberalism.
The growth of a republican movement during the end of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th culminated in the 1908 assassination of the penultimate King of Portugal, Charles I, and two years later in the 1910 republican revolution that forced Manuel II into exile, thus putting an end to the Portuguese fourth dynasty. The House of Braganza continues unofficially until today, and the title of Duke of Braganza is still used by Duarte Pio, the 24th Duke of Bragança and the presumptive heir to the throne of Portugal.
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Alternative names | Nickname(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 (21) | John IV | Image:JoaoIVPortugal.jpg | 1640 | 1656 | João IV (Portuguese) | the Restoring King (o Restaurador) |
| 23 (22) | Alphonzo VI | Image:AfonsoVIPortugal.jpg | 1656 | 1667 | Afonso VI (Portuguese) or Affonso VI (Old Portuguese) | the Victorious (o Vitorioso) |
| 24 (23) | Peter II | Image:Peter II of Portugal.jpg | 1667 | 1706 | Pedro II (Portuguese) | the Pacific (o Pacífico) |
| 25 (24) | John V | Image:JoaoVPortugal.jpg | 1706 | 1750 | João V (Portuguese) | the Magnanimous (o Magnânimo) |
| 26 (25) | Joseph | Image:JoseIPortugal.jpg | 1750 | 1777 | José (Portuguese) | the Reformer (o Reformador) |
| 27 (26) | Mary I with Peter III | Image:MariaIPortugal.jpg | 1777 | 1816 | Maria and Pedro III (Portuguese) | the Piteous (a Piedosa) |
| 28 (27) | John VI | Image:JoaoVIPortugal.jpg | 1816 | 1826 | João VI (Portuguese) | the Clement (o Clemente) |
| 29 (28) | Peter IV | Image:PedroIVPortugal.jpg | 1826 | 1826 | Pedro IV (in Portugal) or Pedro I (in Brazil) | the Soldier-King (o Rei-Soldado) |
| 30 (29) | Mary II | Image:MariaIIPortugal.jpg | 1826 | 1828 | Maria II (Portuguese) | the Educator (a Educadora) |
| 31 (30) | Michael | Image:Miguel of Portugal.jpg | 1828 | 1834 | Miguel (Portuguese) | the Traditionalist (o Tradicionalista), the Usurper (o Usurpador) or the Absolutist (o Absolutista) |
| - | Mary II with Ferdinand II (since 1836) | Image:MariaIIPortugal.jpg | 1834 | 1853 | Maria II and Fernando II (Portuguese) | the Educator (a Educadora) |
House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
With the marriage of Mary II, Queen of Portugal, to Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha during the 4th Dynasty, the House of Braganza continued (according to some historians) as the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Alternative names | Nickname(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 (31) | Peter V | Image:Pedrov.JPG | 1853 | 1861 | Pedro V (Portuguese) | the Hopeful (o Esperançoso) |
| 33 (32) | Lewis | Image:Luis of Portugal.jpg | 1861 | 1889 | Louis (alternative), Luiz (Old Portuguese) or Luís (Portuguese) | the Popular (o Popular) |
| 33 (32) | Charles | Image:Charles of Portugal.jpg | 1889 | 1908 | Carlos (Portuguese) | the Martyrized (o Martirizado) or the Diplomat (o Diplomata) |
| 34 (33) | Emanuel II | Image:Manuel II of Portugal 1908.jpg | 1908 | 1910 | Manuel II (Portuguese) | the Patriot (o Patriota) or the Missed King (o Rei-Saudade) |
The chronology of leaders of Portugal continues on Presidents of Portugal.
See also
- History of Portugal
- Timeline of Portuguese history
- Kings of Portugal family tree
- Monuments of Portugal
- Lists of incumbents
