Dom Fernando II of Braganza (; 1430 – 20 June 1483) was the 3rd

Duke of Braganza The title Duke of Braganza () in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Starting in 1640, when the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown were ...

and the 1st

Duke of Guimarães Duke of Guimarães was a Nobility title granted by King Afonso V of Portugal in 1475, to Ferdinand II, 3rd Duke of Braganza. The king just upgraded the previous title of count of Guimarães, that he granted to the same Duke of Braganza, some y ...

, among other titles. He is known for being executed for treason against the King.

Early life

Fernando II, born in 1430, was a successful young man and quickly grew popular amongst the

Portuguese nobility 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 ...

. He was most appreciated by King

Afonso V of Portugal Afonso V (; 15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa. ...

, and always escorted the King on his different incursions into

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, where he participated in several conquests and expeditions. Being favored by King Afonso V, Fernando was created Count of Guimarães in 1464. He was soon upgraded to

in 1475. Fernando II took part in the

War of the Castilian Succession The War of the Castilian Succession was the military conflict contested from 1475 to 1479 for the succession of the Crown of Castile fought between the supporters of Joanna 'la Beltraneja', reputed daughter of the late monarch Henry IV of Castil ...

. Following King

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile (Spanish language, Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Ca ...

's death, the King's daughter and heir,

Joanna La Beltraneja Joanna of Castile, known as ''la Beltraneja'' (28 February 1462 – 12 April 1530), was a claimant to the throne of Castile, and Queen of Portugal as the wife of King Afonso V, her uncle. Early life King Henry IV of Castile married Joan o ...

, married to King Afonso V, was proclaimed "Queen of Castile", but she had the opposition of her half-aunt (the future queen

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon ...

) to contend with. The Portuguese invaded Castile, and during the

Battle of Toro The Battle of Toro was part of the War of the Castilian Succession, fought on 1 March 1476, near the city of Toro, between the Castilian-Aragonese troops of the Catholic Monarchs and the Portuguese-Castilian forces of Afonso V and Prince Joh ...

, Fernando was responsible for Queen Joanna’s safety. When his father,

Fernando I, 2nd Duke of Braganza Dom Fernando I of Braganza (; 1403 – 1 April 1478) was the 2nd Duke of Braganza and the 1st Marquis of Vila Viçosa, among other titles. He took part in the Portuguese conquests in North Africa and served as governor of different territories th ...

, died in 1478, Fernando II inherited the various titles of his father, the most important and noteworthy being the title of Duke of Braganza. At this time, the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza (), also known as the Brigantine dynasty (''dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas. The hous ...

was the most powerful noble house in the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...

(with its seat at

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the Évora (district), 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, th ...

) and one of the most powerful ones in all of the Iberian Kingdoms. During that period, the Dukes of Braganza resided at Vila Viçosa Castle.

Treason and downfall

When King

John II of Portugal John II (; ; 3 May 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince (), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for reestablishing the power of the Portuguese monarchy, reinvigo ...

succeeded his father, King Afonso V, he sought to bring down the power of the

, which had greatly flourished under his father's reign. The King heavily focused on diminishing the powers of the two most powerful noble houses in the kingdom, the House of Beja and Viseu and the

. King John II accused Fernando of Braganza, his second half-cousin, of high treason and had him executed at

Évora Évora ( , ), officially the Very Noble and Ever Loyal City of Évora (), is a city and a municipalities of Portugal, municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of . It is the historic capital of the Alentejo reg ...

in 1483. Afterwards, the assets of the

were confiscated and the family fled to Castile.Gerli, E. Michael, and Armistead Samuel G., ''Medieval Iberia'', p. 182, Taylor & Francis, 2003
Shortly after, in 1484, John accused his first cousin, Diogo I of Beja and Viseu (brother-in-law of Fernando II), of the same offense and stabbed him to death.

Marriage and issue

Fernando II of Braganza married twice. His first marriage was to D. Leonor de Menezes; they had no issue. He later married Isabella of Viseu (daughter of Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Beja and Viseu, and sister of King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manu ...

) in 1472, with whom he had four children, though only two reached adulthood.

Ancestry

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando 02 of Braganza, Duke 1430 births 1483 deaths Dukes of Braganza

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House of Braganza 15th-century Portuguese people