Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu and Beja (or ''Fernando,'' , 17 November 1433 – 18 September 1470) was the third son of Edward, King of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Aragon.

Biography

Ferdinand was born in

Almeirim Almeirim () is a city and a municipality in Santarém District, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,376, in an area of 222.12 km². The city proper had a population of 10,520 in 2001. History There are vestiges of mid-Paleolithic to Meso ...

on 17 November 1433, and died in

Setúbal Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the Lisbon metropolitan area. In the ti ...

on 18 September 1470. He was twice sworn

Prince of Portugal Hereditary Prince of Portugal ( Portuguese: ''Príncipe Herdeiro de Portugal''), unofficially Prince of Portugal (''Príncipe Herdeiro de Portugal''), or Princess of Portugal, was the title held by the heirs apparent and heirs presumptive to the ...

(title granted to the presumptive heir to the throne): first between 1438 and 1451, once his older brother became 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 Afri ...

and had no children; and for the second time, in 1451, when Prince João was born, but died months later. When Afonso V's first daughter, Princess Joan, was born (1452), Infante Ferdinand finally lost this title. In 1452, Ferdinand fled the country looking for adventure. Some say he wanted to go to the north African cities controlled by the Portuguese; others say that he wanted to join his uncle, the King

Alfonso I of Naples Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfonso V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfonso I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the t ...

, in his campaigns in southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It seems Ferdinand had the hope to inherit his uncle's kingdom, as he had no legitimate children. However, his brother, King

, as soon as he knew about Ferdinand’s escape, ordered to the

Count of Odemira Count of Odemira (in Portuguese ''Conde de Odemira'') was a Portuguese title of nobility granted to D. Sancho de Noronha by royal decree issued on 9 October 1446, by King Afonso V of Portugal. Sancho de Noronha was the third son of Alfonso, C ...

, which was patrolling the strait of Gibraltar with a fleet, to intercept the infante's ship and bring him back to mainland

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Duke of Beja and Viseu

In 1453, his brother, King

granted him the title of 1st

Duke of Beja Duke of Beja ( pt, Duque de Beja) was an aristocratic Portuguese title and royal dukedom, associated with the Portuguese Royal House. List of the Dukes of Beja # Infante Fernando, 2nd Duke of Viseu (1433–1470), King Duarte I's third son (se ...

. When his uncle,

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

died, in 1460, he also became 2nd

Duke of Viseu Duke of Viseu (in Portuguese ''Duque de Viseu'') was a Portuguese Royal Dukedom created in 1415 by King John I of Portugal for his third male child, Henry the Navigator, following the conquest of Ceuta. When Henry the Navigator died without ...

as well. He also succeeded his uncle as Master of the Order of Christ and responsible for the Discoveries (1460–1470). He was finally allowed to fight in north Africa: first in 1458 he escorted the king to the conquest of the Moroccan city of Alcácer Ceguer; and for a second time, in 1468, he led a Portuguese fleet that conquered and destroyed the port of

Anfa Anfa (Berber language: ''Anfa'' or ''Anaffa'', ⴰⵏⴼⴰ; ar, أنفا; es, Anafe; pt, Anafé) was the ancient toponym for Casablanca during the classical period. The city was founded by Berbers around the 10th century BC, with the Romans un ...

(''Anafé'' in Portuguese), today included in Casablanca, which was a barbary corsairs base. He was buried in the ''Religiosas da Conceição''

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

, in Beja, founded by his wife.

Marriage and children

He married his cousin

Beatrice of Portugal Beatrice ( pt, Beatriz, ; 7–13 February 1373 – ) was the only surviving legitimate child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Teles. She became Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King John I of Castile. Following her fat ...

(Portuguese: ''Beatriz'') in 1447, daughter of

Infante João, Lord of Reguengos Infante John, Constable of Portugal ( pt, João, ; 13 January 1400 – 18 October 1442) was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince) of the House of Aviz, Constable of Portugal and master of the Portuguese Order of St. James (Santiago). In Portugal, ...

(his uncle). From this marriage, Ferdinand had nine children: * Infante

João João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * ...

(1448–1472), 3rd

, 2nd

, 7th

Constable of Portugal {{Short description, Defunct office created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal Constable of Portugal ( pt, Condestável de Portugal) was an office created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, to substitute the High Standard-bearer ('' Alferes-Mor'' ...

. * Infante Diogo (1450–1484), 4th

, 3rd

; * Infanta

Eleanor of Viseu Eleanor of Viseu (2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525; pt, Leonor de Viseu ) was a Portuguese ''infanta'' (princess) and later queen consort of Portugal. She is considered one of her country's most notable queens consort and one of the only two ...

(1458–1525), married to King

John II of Portugal John II ( pt, João II; ; 3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince ( pt, o Príncipe Perfeito, link=no), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for re-establishi ...

, becoming Queen of Portugal; * Infanta

Isabella of Viseu Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

(1459–1521), married to Ferdinand II, Duke of Braganza; * Infante Duarte of Viseu (1462-died in childhood); * Infante Dinis of Viseu (1464- died in childhood); * Infante Simão of Viseu (1467-died in childhood); * Infante Manuel (1469-1521), 5th

, 4th

. Became King of Portugal, as Manuel I, following his cousin's (

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

) death; * Infanta Catarina of Viseu.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. I, pages 311 and 312. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

External links

Genealogy of Infante Fernando, 1st Duke of Beja and 2nd Duke of Viseu, in Portuguese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Duke of Viseu, Infante 1433 births People from Almeirim 1470 deaths House of Aviz Portuguese infantes Medieval Portuguese nobility Dukes of Beja Dukes of Viseu 15th-century Portuguese people Constables of Portugal Donatários of the Azores Sons of kings