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 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 (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, 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, which was patrolling the

strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaism, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to ...

with a fleet, to intercept the infante's ship and bring him back to mainland

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

Duke of Beja and Viseu

In 1453, his brother, King

granted him the title of 1st Duke of Beja. When his uncle, Prince Henry 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 Ksar es-Seghir ( ar, القصر الصغير, ⵇⵙⴰⵔ ⵙⵖⵉⵔ, ''al-Qasr as-Seghir''), also known by numerous other spellings and names, is a small town on the Mediterranean coast in the Jebala region of northwest Morocco, between T ...

; and for a second time, in 1468, he led a Portuguese fleet that conquered and destroyed the port of Anfa (''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 whic ...

, 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 f ...

(Portuguese: ''Beatriz'') in 1447, daughter of Infante João, Lord of Reguengos (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 Duke of Beja, 7th Constable of Portugal. * Infante Diogo (1450–1484), 4th

, 3rd Duke of Beja; * Infanta Eleanor of Viseu (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 (1459–1521), married to

Ferdinand II, Duke of Braganza Dom Fernando II of Braganza (; 1430 – 20 June 1483) was the 3rd Duke of Braganza and the 1st Duke of Guimarães, among other titles. He is known for being executed for treason against the King. Early life Fernando II, born in 1430, was a su ...

; * 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 Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

(1469-1521), 5th

, 4th Duke of Beja. Became King of Portugal, as Manuel I, following his cousin's ( John II) 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