Fadrique de Portugal (c. 1465 – 15 January 1539) was a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

politician and cleric.

Biography

Born around 1465 in

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora, Alentejo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,319, in an area of 194.86 km². The municipal holiday is August 16. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is ...

, Fadrique de Portugal was a son of Afonso, 1st Count of Faro, and Maria de Noronha e Sousa, 2nd Countess of Odemira. He was a patrilineal great-grandson of

Afonso I, Duke of Braganza Dom Afonso I of Braganza (; 10 August 1377 – 15 December 1461) was the first duke of Braganza and the eighth count of Barcelos. He founded the House of Braganza, the most powerful and wealthy dynasty in Portugal. His descendants became high-ran ...

, an illegitimate son of King

John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...

, as well as a descendant of King

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter th ...

and

Ferdinand I of Portugal Ferdinand I ( pt, Fernando; 31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383), sometimes called the Handsome () or occasionally the Inconstant (), was the King of Portugal from 1367 until his death in 1383. His death led to the 1383–85 crisis, also k ...

. He studied law and

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. He had a close relationship with Queen

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...

and was with her in her final hours, signing her last will and testament as a witness. After her death, he became a counselor of her widower, King

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...

. Due to his commitment to the royal family, the Archbishop strongly supported Isabella and Ferdinand's daughter

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan (given name), Joan, Joann, Joanne (given name), Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in ...

upon her accession to her parents' thrones and also supported the accession of her son,

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, as her co-ruler. King Charles I kept him as royal counselor. He started his ecclesiastical career as canon of Segorbe and Albarracin, becoming

bishop of Calahorra A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in 1503 and remaining in that post until 1508, when he was named bishop of Segovia. He served as such until 1511. In 1512, he became bishop of Sigüenza. Charles I appointed him

viceroy of Catalonia This is a list of Spanish viceroys (also called lieutenants) of the Principality of Catalonia from 1479 to 1713. *1479–1493: Enrique de Aragón *1493–1495: Juan de Lanuza y Garabito *1495–1496: Juan Fernández de Heredia *149 ...

and captain-general of Catalonia, Cerdanya and Roussillon in 1525. He produced numerous works and commissioned the decoration of several churches. Finally, in 1532, he was made

archbishop of Zaragoza The Archdiocese of Saragossa ( la, Archidioecesis Caesaraugustana) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory located in north-eastern Spain, in the Provinces of Spain, province of Zaragoza (province), Zaragoza (Saragossa in English), part of t ...

, but he never visited the city itself. He died in Barcelona on 15 January 1539 and was transferred to the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Sigüenza, where he was buried in the mausoleum that bears his name.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Portugal, Fadrique de 1465 births 1539 deaths People from Vila Viçosa 16th-century Portuguese people Portuguese Roman Catholic bishops Archbishops of Zaragoza Viceroys of Catalonia Captains General of Catalonia 16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Spain