Infante John, Constable of Portugal ( pt, João, ; 13 January 1400 – 18 October 1442) was a Portuguese '' infante'' (prince) of the

House of Aviz The House of Aviz (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Casa de Avis''), also known as the Joanine Dynasty (''Dinastia Joanina''), was a dynasty of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which flourished during the Portuguese Renaissance, Renaissance ...

, Constable of Portugal and master of the Portuguese Order of St. James (Santiago). In Portugal, he is commonly referred to as the ''O Infante Condestável'' ("the Constable Prince").

Early life

Infante John was the 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 ...

and his wife Philippa of Lancaster. John and his brothers

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

, Peter, Henry and Ferdinand, sister Isabella and half-brother

Afonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

, constitute what Portuguese historians have traditionally labelled the '

illustrious generation The ''Ínclita Geração'' (often translated in English as "Illustrious Generation") is a term commonly used by Portuguese historians to refer to a group of 15th-century '' infantes'' (princes) of the House of Aviz, specifically the sons of King J ...

' (''Ínclita Geração'')

Royal career

He was invested as the 1st Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Colares and Belas shortly after. In October 1418, at the king's request,

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

approved the appointment of Infante John as the 10th Master of the Order of St. James of the Sword, bringing the old military order into the hands of the royal family.Bull of

appointing John master of Santiago can be found in ''Monumenta Henricina'', vol. 2
p.301
/ref> That same year (1418), John and his brother

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 ...

led a relief fleet to Ceuta and helped lift the Siege of Ceuta. After the death of Nuno Álvares Pereira in 1431, Infante John was appointed the 3rd Constable of Portugal. As a result, John is frequently characterised by the appellation ''O Infante Condestável'' ("The Constable Prince"). After King John I's death in 1433, John's eldest brother ascended the throne as king Edward of Portugal. In 1437, Infante John joined another brother Peter, Duke of Coimbra, in arguing against a projected Portuguese expedition to seize Tangier that led to the Battle of Tangier. The campaign ended in disaster. After the Tangier fiasco, John urged the ratification of a treaty with Marinid Morocco that called for the relinquishment of Ceuta in exchange for his captive brother Ferdinand the Holy Prince. The Cortes refused, and Ferdinand was left to die in captivity.

Duke of Coimbra Rebellion

King Edward died in September 1438, leaving a young son to ascend the throne as king Afonso V of Portugal under the regency of his widow Eleanor of Aragon. This was an unpopular arrangement among the common people of the country, who feared Eleanor would be a puppet of the high nobility who sought to recover the political privileges they lost during the revolution of the 1380s. The prospect of civil war raised its head. To forestall a rebellion, Infante John quickly seized control of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

and oversaw the assembly of a burgher-packed Cortes to elect his brother

Peter of Coimbra Infante D. Pedro, Duke of Coimbra KG (; en, Peter), (9 December 1392 – 20 May 1449) was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince) of the House of Aviz, son of King John I of Portugal and his wife Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt. I ...

as regent for his nephew Afonso V. The high nobility, led by his half-brother

Afonso of Barcelos 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-ra ...

, urged Eleanor to hold fast, and a tense power-sharing regency arrangement was agreed upon between Peter and Eleanor. Peter of Coimbra relied on his close alliance with Infante John to secure the lion's share of power during the first few years of the regency. Infante John's sudden death in October 1442 was a terrible blow to Peter, who thereafter found it increasingly difficult to fend off the aspirations of his half-brother Afonso of Barcelos. Regent Peter appointed John's son

Diogo of Portugal Diogo of Portugal (1425–1443) was a Portuguese royal prince, who briefly served as Constable of Portugal and Master of the Order of Santiago. Diogo was the eldest son of John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Infante of Portugal, and of his ...

to succeed his father as Master of the Order of Santiago and Constable of Portugal.

Marriage and Issue

In 1424, John married his half-niece Isabella of Barcelos, daughter of his half-brother

. The couple had four children: *Infante Diogo, Constable of Portugal, Diogo of Portugal (1425–1443) – 4th Constable of Portugal and 11th Master of the Order of St. James of the Sword, Order of St. James; without issue. *Infanta Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Castile, Isabella of Portugal (1428–1496), married John II of Castile, mother of Isabella I of Castile. *Infanta Infanta Beatrice, Duchess of Viseu, Beatrice of Portugal (1430–1506), married Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, mother of Manuel I of Portugal. *Infanta Phillipa of Portugal (1432–1444), Lady of Almada.

Ancestry

References

"Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. I, pages 296–297. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989. {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Constable of Portugal Portuguese infantes House of Aviz 1400 births 1442 deaths People from Santarém, Portugal 15th-century Portuguese people Constables of Portugal Sons of kings