John IV of Portugal
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John IV (Portuguese: João IV de Portugal, pronounced [ʒuˈɐ̃ũ]; 18 March 1603 – November 6, 1656) was the king of Portugal and the Algarves from 1640 to his death. He was the grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, who had in 1580 claimed the Portuguese crown and sparked the struggle for the throne of Portugal. John was nicknamed John the Restorer (João o Restaurador).
John was born at Vila Viçosa and succeeded his father Teodósio II as Duke of Braganza when the latter died insane in 1630. He married Luisa de Guzman (1613-1666), eldest daughter of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, in 1633. By the unanimous voice of the people he was raised to the throne of Portugal (of which he was held to be the legitimate heir) during the revolution on December 1, 1640, against the Spanish king Philip IV.
His accession led to a protracted war (the Portuguese Restoration War) with Spain, which only ended with the recognition of Portuguese independence in a subsequent reign (1668). Portugal signed alliances with France (June 1, 1641) and Sweden (August 1641) but by necessity its only contributions in the Thirty Years' War were in the field against Spain and against Dutch encroachments on the Portuguese colonies.
In Spain, a Portuguese invasion force defeated the Spanish at Montijo, near Badajoz, in 1644. Abroad, the Dutch took Malacca (Jan 1641) and the Sultan of Oman captured Muscat (1648). Nevertheless the Portuguese, despite having to divide their forces among Europe, Brazil and Africa, managed to retake Luanda, in Angola, from the Dutch in 1648 and, by 1654, had recovered most of Brazil, effectively ceasing to be a viable Dutch colony. This was countered by the loss of Ceilan (Portuguese Ceilão), present day Sri Lanka, to the Dutch who took Colombo in 1656.
King John IV died in 1656 and was succeeded by his son Afonso VI. His daughter Catarina (Catherine of Braganza) married King Charles II of England.
John was a patron of music and the arts, and a considerably sophisticated writer on music; in addition to this, he was a composer. During his reign he collected one of the largest libraries in the world, but it was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Among his writings is a defense of Palestrina, and a Defense of Modern Music (Lisbon, 1649). His most famous composition is a setting of the Crux fidelis, a work that remains highly popular during Lent amongst church choirs.
| John IV of Portugal | Father: Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza |
Father's father: João I, Duke of Braganza |
Father's father's father: Teodósio I, Duke of Braganza |
| Father's father's mother: Isabel de Lencastre |
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| Father's mother: Infanta Catarina of Guimarães, Duchess of Braganza |
Father's mother's father: Infante Duarte of Portugal, Duke of Guimarães |
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| Father's mother's mother: Isabel of Braganza |
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| Mother: Ana de Velasco y Girón |
Mother's father: Juan Fernández de Velasco, Duke of Frias |
Mother's father's father: Iñigo Fernández de Velasco, Duke of Frias |
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| Mother's father's mother: Juana Enriquez de Ribera y Portocarrero |
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| Mother's mother: Ana Ángela de Aragón y Guzmán |
Mother's mother's father: Juan Alfonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina-Sidonia |
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| Mother's mother's mother: Ana de Aragón |
[edit] Marriages and descendants
John married Luisa de Guzman, daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzman, 8th Duke of Medina-Sidonia. From that marriage several children were born. Because some of John's children were born and died before his father became King they are not considered princes or princesses (infantes) of Portugal.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Luisa de Guzman (October 13, 1613-February 27, 1666; married on January 12, 1633) | |||
| Prince Teodósio | February 8, 1634 | May 13, 1653 | Prince of Brazil and 9th Duke of Braganza. Died young. |
| Ana de Bragança | January 21, 1635 | January 21, 1635 | |
| Princess Joana (Joan) | September 18, 1635 | November 17, 1653 | |
| Infanta Catarina (Catherine) | November 25, 1638 | December 31, 1705 | Commonly known as Catherine of Braganza. Queen consort through marriage to Charles II of England. |
| Manuel de Bragança | September 6, 1640 | September 6, 1640 | |
| Prince Afonso | August 21, 1643 | September 12, 1683 | Prince of Brazil and 10th Duke of Braganza. Succeeded him as Afonso VI, 21st (or 22nd according to some historians) King of Portugal. |
| Infante Pedro (Peter) | April 26, 1648 | December 9, 1706 | Duke of Beja, Constable of the Kingdom, Lord of the House of Infantado and Regent of the Kingdom before succeeding his brother Afonso as Peter II, 22nd (or 23rd according to some historians) King of Portugal. |
| Illegitimate offspring | |||
| Maria de Bragança | April 30, 1644 | February 7, 1693 | Natural daughter. |
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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John IV of Portugal
Cadet branch of the House of Aviz
Born: 19 March 1603 Died: 6 November 1656 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Philip III |
King of Portugal and the Algarves 1640–1656 |
Succeeded by Afonso VI |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by Teodósio |
— TITULAR — King of Portugal and the Algarves Braganza claimant 1630–1640 Reason for succession failure: Habsburg conquest of Portugal |
Braganza dynasty restored |
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