Infanta Beatriz of Portugal (13 June 1430 – 30 September 1506) was a Portuguese

infanta ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

, daughter of John, Constable of Portugal (fourth 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 Philippa of Lancaster ( pt, Filipa ; 31 March 1360 – 19 July 1415) was Queen of Portugal from 1387 until 1415 by marriage to King John I. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage secured the Treaty of Windsor and produced severa ...

) and

Isabella of Barcelos Isabel of Barcelos (October 1402 – 26 October 1466), also known as Isabel of Braganza, was a lady of the Portuguese nobility during the Late Middle Ages. She was the daughter of Afonso I, Duke of Braganza and Beatriz Pereira de Alvim, and she ...

a daughter of Afonso I, Duke of Braganza.

Biography

Due to the Aviz dynasty marriage policy, Beatrice was first cousin and sister-in-law of 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 ...

, second cousin and mother-in-law of 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 ...

, first cousin and mother-in-law of Ferdinand II, 3rd Duke of Braganza and mother of king

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), 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 Portuga ...

, playing an active role in politics during the consecutive reigns of Afonso V, John II and Manuel I. Through her sister Isabella, wife of John II of Castile, she was an aunt of

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 b ...

, helping to settle both the

Treaty of Alcáçovas The Treaty of Alcáçovas (also known as Treaty or Peace of Alcáçovas-Toledo) was signed on 4 September 1479 between the Catholic Monarchs of Castile and Aragon on one side and Afonso V and his son, Prince John of Portugal, on the other side ...

and the

Treaty of Terçarias de Moura A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

between the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a 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 kn ...

and the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th ce ...

, after meeting with her niece Isabella in person. She was also predominant in the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgri ...

, acting as tutor for her son Diogo. Infanta Beatrice protected and encouraged

Gil Vicente Gil Vicente (; c. 1465c. 1536), called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese playwright and poet who acted in and directed his own plays. Considered the chief dramatist of Portugal he is sometimes called the "Portuguese Plautus," often ref ...

, a Portuguese playwright, considered as the ''father of the Portuguese theatre''. She founded 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, where her husband was buried.

Marriage and children

In 1447, Beatrice married her cousin

Infante ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

(Portuguese: ''Fernando''), 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 ...

, son 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 ...

(her uncle). From this marriage, they had ten 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 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 t ...

(1458–1525), married to King

, becoming Queen of Portugal; * Infanta Isabella of Viseu (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); * Infanta Catarina of Viseu (1465 – died in childhood); * Infante Simão of Viseu (1467 – died in childhood); * Infante Afonso of Viseu (1468 – died in childhood); * Infante Manuel (1469–1521), 5th

, 4th Duke of Beja. Became

King of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the ...

, as Manuel I, following his cousin's ( John II) death.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

*”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil” – Vol. I, page 298 and 312. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

External links