Dom Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an et ...

Fernando I of Braganza (; 1403 – 1 April 1478) was the 2nd

Duke of Braganza The title Duke of Braganza ( pt, Duque de Bragança) 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 ...

and the 1st

Marquis of Vila Viçosa The title Marquis of Vila Viçosa (in Portuguese ''Marquês de Vila Viçosa'') was created by royal decree, dated May 25, 1455, by King Afonso V of Portugal), to Fernando of Braganza, second son of Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza. ''Dom'' Fernando ...

, among other titles. He took part in the Portuguese conquests in North Africa and served as governor of different territories there.

Early life and North African conquest

Born in 1403, Fernando I was the son of Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza and Beatriz Pereira de Alvim. When still a child, he received the title of 3rd

Count of Arraiolos Count of Arraiolos (in Portuguese ''Conde de Arraiolos'') is a Portuguese title granted, in 1377 by King Fernando I of Portugal, to ''Dom'' Álvaro Pires de Castro, a Galician noble, brother of Inês de Castro (King Pedro I of Portugal 2nd wife) ...

from his grandfather

Nuno Alvares Pereira Nuno can refer to *Nuno (given name) :*Nuno Espirito Santo, football manager :*Nuno Tavares, football player *Nuño (given name) *Nuno felting, a fabric felting technique *'' Nuno'', meaning "ancestor" in Philippine languages, usually in reference ...

. In 1432, young Fernando I was called upon by 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 ...

for consultation on a project, promoted by the King's son, Prince

Henry the Navigator ''Dom'' Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator ( pt, Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15t ...

, to launch a campaign of conquest against the

Marinid The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) a ...

sultanate of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. Fernando advised against the project. When the project was raised again during the reign of King

Edward of Portugal Edward ( pt, Duarte (; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the King Philosopher (''Duarte o Rei-Filósofo'') or the Eloquent (''o Eloquente''), was the King of Portugal from 1433 until his death. He was born in Viseu, the son ...

in 1436, Fernando reiterated his objections. Nonetheless, despite his opposition, King Edward appointed him as constable of the nobles for the 1437 expedition to seize Tangier.Gerli, E. Michael, and Armistead Samuel G., ''Medieval Iberia'', p. 182, Taylor & Francis, 2003
Although the expedition was under the overall command of his brother Prince Henry, King Edward felt that Fernando's military expertise was necessary to make up for his brother's inexperience. After failing to conquer the city by assault, the Portuguese expeditionary army was surrounded and starved into submission by a Moroccan relief army. In return for being allowed to withdraw his troops unmolested, Henry agreed to a treaty to deliver

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

back to the Marinids. For the fulfillment of the treaty, Prince Henry handed over his own brother,

Ferdinand the Saint Prince Ferdinand the Holy Prince (; pt, Fernando o Infante Santo; 29 September 1402 – 5 June 1443), sometimes called the "Saint Prince" or the "Constant Prince", was an ''infante'' of the Kingdom of Portugal. He was the youngest of the " Illustrious G ...

, as a hostage to the Moroccans.

Return to Portugal

Back in Portugal, Fernando I led the opposition to this treaty. At the Cortes of Leiria assembled by King Edward early in 1438, he rallied the nobles and took to the floor, urging them to refuse the surrender of

back to the Marinids. He claimed that the treaty was signed under duress and invalid. It was largely because of Fernando's energetic campaign that the Cortes rejected ratification and made known to the King to find some other way of securing his brother Prince Ferdinand's release (none was found – Ferdinand the Saint Prince would die in Moroccan captivity in 1443). Fernando I was nominated Governor of Ceuta from 1445 until 1450. By royal decree dated from 25 May 1455, 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 ...

granted Fernando I the new title of 1st

. In 1458, Fernando I took part, along with his sons, in the expedition that conquered the Moroccan city of Alcácer Ceguer. In 1460, as his older brother, Afonso, Marquis of Valença, died without legitimate issue, Fernando I became the 5th Count of Ourém and the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Ame ...

's heir. One year later, following the death of his father in 1461, he also became the 2nd

, 9th Count of Barcelos, 3rd Count of Neiva, and 3rd Count of Faria. He then established his seat at the primitive Castle of Vila Viçosa. In 1471, when King Afonso V took to North Africa to conquer the city of

Arzila Asilah (; ar, أزيلا or أصيلة; pt, Arzila; es, Arcila) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history d ...

, Fernando I remained in mainland Portugal as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the kingdom.

Marriage and issue

Fernando I married on 28 December 1429, , Lady of Cadaval (1410 – 14 February 1479). They had nine children, of whom three were stillborn.

Ancestry

Notes

Bibliography

*”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil” – Vol. II, page 439. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.
Genealogical information on Fernando I of Braganza (in Portuguese)

External links

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando 1 Of Braganza, Duke House of Braganza 1403 births 1478 deaths Dukes of Braganza Governors of Portuguese Ceuta 15th-century Portuguese people Portuguese nobility