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Edward, King of Portugal

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Edward
Portrait inJuan Caramuel y Lobkowitz's "Philippus Prudens", 1639
King of Portugal
Reign14 August 1433 – 9 September 1438
PredecessorJohn I
SuccessorAfonso V
Born31 October 1391
Viseu,Portugal
Died9 September 1438(1438-09-09)(aged 46)
Tomar,Portugal
Burial
Spouse
(m.1428)
Issue
HouseAviz
FatherJohn I of Portugal
MotherPhilippa of Lancaster
SignatureEdward's signature

Edward(Portuguese:Duarte[a][duˈaɾt(ɨ)];31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also calledEdward the Philosopher King(Duarte o Rei-Filósofo) orthe Eloquent(o Eloquente), was theKing of Portugalfrom 1433 until his death. He was born inViseu,the son ofJohn I of Portugaland his wife,Philippa of Lancaster.Edward was the oldest member of the "Illustrious Generation"of accomplished royal children who contributed to the development of Portuguese civilization during the 15th century.

Early life

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Edward was the second born male legitimate son of KingJohn I.He became the heir to the throne after his brother Afonso died in 1400, aged 10.

Before he ascended to the throne, Edward always followed his father in the affairs of the kingdom. He was knighted in 1415 afterthe Portuguese captureof the city ofCeutain North Africa, across fromGibraltar.He became king in 1433, when his father died of theplague.[2]

As king, Edward soon showed interest in building internal political consensus. During his short reign of five years, he called thePortuguese Cortes(the national assembly) no less than five times to discuss the political affairs of his kingdom. He also followed the politics of his father concerning the maritime exploration of Africa. He encouraged and financed his famous brother,Henry the Navigator,who initiated many expeditions on the west coast of Africa. An expedition ofGil Eanesin 1434 first roundedCape Bojadoron the northwestern coast of Africa, leading the way for further exploration southward along the African coast.

Colonial affairs

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Coin of King Edward

The colony at Ceuta rapidly became a drain on the Portuguese treasury, and it was realised that without the city ofTangier,possession of Ceuta was worthless. After Ceuta was captured by the Portuguese, the camel caravans that were part of the overland trade routes began to use Tangier as their new destination. This deprived Ceuta of the materials and goods that made it an attractive market and a vibrant trading locale, and it became an isolated community.

In 1437, Edward's brothers Henry andFerdinandpersuaded him to launch an attack on theMarinidsultanate ofMorocco.The expedition was not unanimously supported and was undertaken against the advice of the Pope.[2]Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra,and theInfante Johnwere both against the initiative; they preferred to avoid conflict with the Marinid Sultan. Their instincts proved to be justified. The resultingBattle of Tangier,led by Henry, was a debacle. Failing to take the city in a series of assaults, the Portuguese siege camp was soon itself surrounded and starved into submission by a Moroccan relief army. In the resulting treaty, Henry promised to deliver Ceuta back to the Marinids in return for allowing the Portuguese army to depart unmolested. Ferdinand, the youngest brother of Edward, was handed over to the Marinids as a hostage for the final handover of the city.

Late life

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The debacle at Tangier dominated the final year of Edward's life. Peter and John urged him to fulfill the treaty, yield Ceuta and secure Ferdinand's release, whereas Henry (who had signed the treaty) urged him to renege on it. Caught in indecision, Edward assembled the Portuguese Cortes atLeiriain early 1438 for consultation. The Cortes refused to ratify the treaty, preferring to hang on to Ceuta and requesting that Edward find some other means of obtaining Ferdinand's release.

Edward died late that summer, inTomar,of the plague, like his father and mother (and her mother) before him. Popular lore suggested he died of heartbreak over the fate of his hapless brother; Ferdinand would remain in captivity inFezuntil his own death in 1443.[2]

Legacy

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Statue of King Edward inViseu,by Álvaro de Brée, 1955

Edward's premature death provoked a political crisis in Portugal. Leaving only a young son,Afonso,to inherit the throne, it was generally assumed that Edward's brothers would take over theregencyof the realm. But Edward's will appointed his unpopular foreign wife,Eleanor of Aragon,asregent.A popular uprising followed, in which the burghers of the realm, assembled byJohn of Reguengos,acclaimedPeter of Coimbraas regent. But the nobles backed Eleanor's claim, and threatened civil war. The regency crisis was defused by a complicated and tense power-sharing arrangement between Eleanor and Peter.

Another less political side of Edward's personality is related to culture. A reflective and scholarly infante, he wrote the treatisesO Leal Conselheiro(The Loyal Counsellor) andLivro Da Ensinança De Bem Cavalgar Toda Sela( "Book of Teachings on Riding Well on Every Saddle" ) as well as several poems. He was in the process of revising the Portuguese law code when he died.

Marriages and descendants

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Edward marriedEleanor of Aragon,a daughter ofFerdinand I of AragonandEleanor of Alburquerque,in 1428.[3]

Name Birth Death Notes
ByEleanor of Aragon(c. 1402–19 February 1445); married on 22 September 1428)
Infante John October 1429 b. 14 August 1433 Prince of Portugal.
Infanta Philippa 27 November 1430 24 March 1441 Died aged eleven.
Infante Afonso 15 January 1432 28 August 1481 Who succeeded him as Afonso V,King of Portugal.
Infanta Maria 7 December 1432 8 December 1432 Died in infancy.
Infante Ferdinand 17 November 1433 18 September 1470 Duke of Viseu.He was declared heir to his brother Afonso V for two brief periods, and therefore used the style of Prince instead of Infante. He was the father of future kingManuel I.
Eleanor of Portugal 18 September 1434 3 September 1467 Holy Roman Empress by marriage toFrederick III, Holy Roman Emperor.[3]
Infante Duarte 12 July 1435 12 July 1435 Died shortly after being born.
Infanta Catherine 26 November 1436 17 June 1463 She was betrothed toCharles IV of Navarrebut he died before the marriage could take place. After his death, Catherine entered the Convent of Saint Claire and became a nun.
Infanta Joan 20 March 1439 13 June 1475 Queen of Castile by marriage toHenry IV of Castile.

Ancestry

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Footnotes

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  1. ^Rendered asEduarte(and occasionallyEduarde) inArchaic Portuguese.Latinized asEduardusin his own written works.[1]

References

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  1. ^McMurdo, Edward (1889).The History of Portugal: From the Commencement of the Monarchy to the Reign of Alfonso III.S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. p. 374.
  2. ^abcStephens, Henry Morse.The Story of Portugal,G.P. Putnam's sons, 1903
  3. ^abWatanabe 1988,p. 136.
  4. ^abJohn I, King of Portugalat theEncyclopædia Britannica
  5. ^abcdefArmitage-Smith, Sydney (1905).John of Gaunt: King of Castile and Leon, Duke of Aquitaine and Lancaster, Earl of Derby, Lincoln, and Leicester, Seneschal of England.Charles Scribner's Sons. p.21.Retrieved17 July2018.
  6. ^abPeter I, King of Portugalat theEncyclopædia Britannica
  7. ^abde Sousa, Antonio Caetano (1735).Historia genealogica da casa real portugueza[Genealogical History of the Royal House of Portugal] (in Portuguese). Vol. 2. Lisboa Occidental. p. 4.

Sources

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  • Collins, Hugh E. L. (2000).The Order of the Garter, 1348-1461: Chivalry and Politics in Late Medieval England.Clarendon Press.
  • Watanabe, Morimichi (1988). Christianson, Gerald; Izbicki, Thomas M. (eds.).Nicholas of Cusa – A Companion to his Life and his Times.Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Edward, King of Portugal
Cadet branch of theHouse of Burgundy
Born:31 October 1391Died:9 September 1438
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Portugal
1433–1438
Succeeded by