Sebastian ( pt, Sebastião I ; 20 January 1554 – 4 August 1578) was
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 n ...
from 11 June 1557 to 4 August 1578 and the penultimate Portuguese monarch 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 ...
.
He was the son of
João Manuel, Prince of Portugal
Dom João Manuel, Hereditary Prince of Portugal () (3 June 1537 – 2 January 1554) was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince), the eighth son of King John III of Portugal by his wife Catherine of Austria, daughter of Philip I of Castile and Joanna of ...
, and his wife,
Joanna of Austria. He was the grandson of King
John III of Portugal
John III ( pt, João III ; 7 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious (Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1521 until his death in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the thi ...
and
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fro ...
. He disappeared (presumably killed in action) in the
battle of Alcácer Quibir
The Battle of Alcácer Quibir (also known as "Battle of Three Kings" ( ar, معركة الملوك الثلاثة) or "Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin" ( ar, معركة وادي المخازن) in Morocco) was fought in northern Morocco, near the t ...
, against the Saadians 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 ...
. Sebastian I is often referred to as ''the Desired'' (
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
: ''o Desejado'') or ''the Hidden'' (
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
: ''o Encoberto''), as the Portuguese people longed for his return to end the decline of Portugal that began after his death. He is considered to be the Portuguese example of the
King asleep in mountain
The king asleep in mountain (D 1960.2 in Stith Thompson's motif index system) is a prominent folklore trope found in many folktales and legends. Thompson termed it as the Kyffhäuser type. Some other designations are: king in the mountain, king ...
legend as Portuguese tradition states his return, in a foggy dawn, in Portugal's greatest hour of need.
Early life
Sebastian was born shortly after eight in the morning of 20 January 1554 (the feast of
Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Dioclet ...
), and he was given the saint's name in commemoration. The name Sebastian was highly unusual for members of any European royal family at the time.
Accession as a minor
Sebastian was born
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
to the throne of Portugal, since his birth occurred two weeks after the death of his father. Soon after his birth, his mother Joanna of Spain left her infant son to serve 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 Spain for her father,
Emperor Charles V
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...
. After his abdication in 1556, she served in the same capacity for her brother
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
. Joanna remained in Spain until her death in 1573, never to see her son again.
Sebastian succeeded to the throne at the age of three, on the death of his paternal grandfather King John III. Since he was still a child, a
regency
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 ...
was necessary. It was handled first by his paternal grandmother,
Catherine of Austria, and then by his great-uncle, Cardinal
Henry of Évora. This period saw the continued
Portuguese colonial expansion in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
,
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, and
Malacca
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...
, as well as the annexation of
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
in 1557.
Sebastian was a bright and lively boy. Contemporaries described him as fearless due to his great physical strength. Tall, slim, and blond, he was brought up by his grandmother Catherine. She was a domineering woman who exercised firm control over her grandson. Obedient as a child, he became obstinate and impulsive in later life.
Education
The young king grew up under the guidance and heavy influence of the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
. Aleixo de Meneses, a military man of solid reputation and former tutor and guardian of Prince John, was appointed tutor to Sebastian by the boy's grandmother. Other teachers included the priest Luís Gonçalves da Câmara and his assistant, the priest Amador Rebelo.
His upbringing made Sebastian extremely devout. He carried a copy of
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
on a belt at his waist and was constantly accompanied by two monks of the
Theatine Order who were intent on preserving the king's innocence. As a child, Sebastian reportedly would react to visitors by running off into hiding with the monks until the visitors had gone.
Marriage plans
Sebastian died young and did not marry. However, he was involved in some proposed marriage alliances. In particular, the Queen dowager of France,
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...
, nurtured a plan for a long time to marry her youngest daughter,
Margaret of Valois
Margaret of Valois (french: Marguerite, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), popularly known as La Reine Margot, was a French princess of the Valois dynasty who became Queen of Navarre by marriage to Henry III of Navarre and then also Queen of France a ...
, to Sebastian, a plan which was supported by Sebastian's maternal uncle, King
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, on occasion.
Sebastian himself, however, put an end to that plan, declaring that he was unimpressed by the mild suppression of the
Huguenot Protestants in France, and that he would not bind himself to the
House of Valois
The Capetian house of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the List of French monarchs, French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589 ...
until he had seen how the situation would develop. Later, he agreed — being persuaded by emissaries of the Pope — to marry Margaret in order to prevent her from marrying the Huguenot
Henry of Navarre
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...
; by that time, however, the French king and his mother were already intent on Margaret marrying Henry. Sebastian's proposal was rejected, and Margaret married Henry in 1572.
Sebastian was also offered his cousin
Elisabeth of Habsburg, the daughter of
Emperor Maximilian II
Maximilian II (31 July 1527 – 12 October 1576) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death in 1576. A member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, he was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany (King ...
(Maximilian was Charles V's nephew.). Sebastian himself made a proposal in 1577 to his first cousin
Isabella Clara Eugenia
Isabella Clara Eugenia ( es, link=no, Isabel Clara Eugenia; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France with ...
, daughter of his maternal uncle Philip II of Spain.
Later reign
During Sebastian's short personal reign, he strengthened ties with the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
through diplomatic efforts. He also restructured much of the administrative, judicial and military life in his kingdom. In 1568, Sebastian created scholarships to assist students who wished to study medicine or pharmacy at the
University of Coimbra
The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coi ...
.
That same year he rewarded Indians in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
who helped in the fight against the French. The chief of the Temiminós Indians,
Araribóia
Araribóia (old spelling: Ararigboya) is the founder of the city of Niterói, in Brazil. In Tupi, his name means "ferocious snake".
He was the leader of the Temiminó tribe, which inhabited the territory of the present Espírito Santo state ...
, was given lands near the Bay of Guanabara. In 1569, Sebastian ordered
Duarte Nunes de Leão to compile all the laws and legal documents of the kingdom in a collection of ''Leis Extravagantes'' known as the ''Código Sebastiânico'' (Sebastian's code).
During the great plague 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 ...
in 1569, Sebastian sent for doctors from
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
to help the Portuguese doctors fight the plague. He created two hospitals in Lisbon to take care of those afflicted with the disease.
In his concern for the widows and orphans of those killed by the plague, he created several ''Recolhimentos'' (shelters) known as the ''Recolhimento de Santa Marta'' (shelter of Santa Marta) and the ''Recolhimento dos Meninos'' (shelter of the children) and provided wet nurses to take care of the babies.
Legal reforms
Sebastian created laws for the military, the ''Lei das Armas'', that would become a military organization model.
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
was attacked by a pan-Asian alliance in 1570 during the
War of the League of the Indies
The War of the League of the Indies (December 1570–1575) was a military conflict in which a pan-Asian alliance formed primarily by the Sultanate of Bijapur, the Sultanate of Ahmadnagar, the Kingdom of Calicut, and the Sultanate of Aceh, referr ...
, but the Portuguese were successful in repulsing the assault. Also in 1570, Sebastian ordered that the Brazilian Indians should not be used as slaves and ordered the release of those held in captivity.
In 1572, the poet
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões (; sometimes rendered in English as Camoens or Camoëns, ; c. 1524 or 1525 – 10 June 1580) is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespear ...
presented his masterpiece ''
Os Lusíadas
''Os Lusíadas'' (), usually translated as ''The Lusiads'', is a Portuguese epic poem written by Luís Vaz de Camões ( – 1580) and first published in 1572. It is widely regarded as the most important work of Portuguese-language literature an ...
'' and dedicated a poem to Sebastian that won him a royal pension. In 1573, he commissioned the construction of the Royal Basilica in
Castro Verde
Castro Verde () is a town and a municipality of the Alentejo region of Portugal (in the historic district of Beja). The population in 2011 was 7,276, in an area of 569.44 km2. Castro Verde is situated in the Baixo Alentejo subregion, within ...
as a tribute to the
Battle of Ourique
The Battle of Ourique ( ar, معركة أوريكه) was a battle that took place on 25 July 1139, in which the forces of Portuguese count Afonso Henriques (of the House of Burgundy) defeated those led by the Almoravid governor of Córdoba, Muha ...
. In 1575 with the ''Carta de Lei de Almeirim'', the king established a system of measures for solid and liquid products and also defined the role of public servants.
![El rey don Sebastián de Portugal, de Cristóbal de Morales (Museo del Prado)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/El_rey_don_Sebasti%C3%A1n_de_Portugal%2C_de_Crist%C3%B3bal_de_Morales_%28Museo_del_Prado%29.jpg)
The ''Celeiros Comuns'' (Communal Granaries) were inaugurated in 1576 on Sebastian's orders. These were lending institutions intended to help to poor farmers when farm production decreased, giving credit, lending seeds and commodities to the needy. They were allowed to pay back their debts with farm products when they recovered from losses.
The mathematician and cosmographer
Pedro Nunes
Pedro Nunes (; Latin: ''Petrus Nonius''; 1502 – 11 August 1578) was a Portuguese mathematician, cosmographer, and professor, from a New Christian (of Jewish origin) family.
Considered one of the greatest mathematicians of his time, Nunes ...
was appointed by Sebastian as a cosmography teacher for sea pilots. It was during Sebastian's reign that Nunes wrote his ''Petri Nonii Salaciensis Opera''.
In 1577, Sebastian's ordinance ''Da nova ordem do juízo, sobre o abreviar das demandas, e execução dellas'' decreased the time for handling legal actions, regulated the action of lawyers, scribes and other court officials, and created fines for delays.
Last projects
After attaining his majority in 1568, Sebastian dreamed of a great
crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
against the kingdom 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 ...
, where over the preceding generation several Portuguese way stations on the route to India had been lost.
A Moroccan succession struggle gave him the opportunity, when
Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi
Abu Abdallah Mohammed II, Al-Mutawakkil, often simply Abdallah Mohammed () (died 4 August 1578) was a Sultan of Morocco from 1574 to 1576. He was the oldest son of Abdallah al-Ghalib and became Sultan after his father's death.
Life
Immediat ...
lost his throne in 1576 and fled to Portugal. After arriving, he asked for King Sebastian's assistance in defeating his Turkish-backed uncle and rival,
Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi
Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I ( ar, أبو مروان عبد الملك الغازي), often simply Abd al-Malik or Mulay Abdelmalek, (b. 1541 – d. 4 August 1578) was the Saadian Sultan of Morocco from 1576 until his death right after the Battle ...
.
During the Christmastide of 1577, Sebastian met with his uncle King
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
at
Guadalupe. Philip refused to be party to the crusade as he was negotiating a truce with the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, though he promised a contingent of Spanish volunteers.
Despite his lack of a son and heir, King Sebastian embarked on his crusade in 1578. The Portuguese army of 17,000 men, including a significant number of foreign mercenaries hired from the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, Spain, and the Italian States, and almost all of the country's nobility, sailed at the beginning of June from Lisbon. They visited
Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
, where they expected to find Spanish volunteers who failed to appear, then crossed into Morocco.
Death in battle
At
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 da ...
, Sebastian joined his ally Abu Abdullah Mohammed II, who had around 6,000 Moorish soldiers and, against the advice of his commanders, marched into the interior. At the
Battle of Alcácer Quibir
The Battle of Alcácer Quibir (also known as "Battle of Three Kings" ( ar, معركة الملوك الثلاثة) or "Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin" ( ar, معركة وادي المخازن) in Morocco) was fought in northern Morocco, near the t ...
(Battle of the Three Kings), the Portuguese army was routed by Abd Al-Malik at the head of more than 60,000 men.
Sebastian was almost certainly killed in battle. He was last seen riding headlong into the enemy lines. Whether his body was ever found is uncertain, but Philip II of Spain claimed to have received his remains from Morocco and buried them in the
Jerónimos Monastery
The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery ( pt, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, ) is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis o ...
in
Belém
Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
,
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 ...
, after he ascended to the Portuguese throne in 1580. The body could not be identified as Sebastian's, however, which left some people unconvinced of his death. Sebastian was succeeded as king by his great-uncle
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
, brother of his grandfather, King
John III.
Legend and legacy
![Don Sebastian de Portugal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Don_Sebastian_de_Portugal.JPG)
Throughout the centuries, the personality and legacy of Sebastian caused a multitude of appreciations to be produced, negative or positive, though seldom indifferent.
Timothy Coates wrote that:
Anthony R. Disney, one of the foremost recent scholars of Portuguese history in English commented on the other hand that:
Pretenders
![Capela do transepto túmulo de D Sebastião Mosteiro dos Jerónimos 3 IMG 1090](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Capela_do_transepto_t%C3%BAmulo_de_D_Sebasti%C3%A3o_Mosteiro_dos_Jer%C3%B3nimos_3_IMG_1090.JPG)
After the defeat at Alcácer Quibir, many efforts were made to ransom imprisoned Portuguese soldiers in Morocco. Several soldiers returned to Portugal, which led many Portuguese to believe Sebastian had survived the battle and would return to claim his throne. This led to
Sebastianism
Sebastianism () is a Portuguese messianic myth, based on the belief that King Sebastian of Portugal, who disappeared in the battle of Alcácer Quibir, would reappear and return to Portugal at some, critical, point in the future. The belief gaine ...
, the belief that Sebastian could return at any moment. Politically, there was a belief that Philip was not the rightful heir to the throne. Subsequently,
imposter pretenders appeared in Portugal who fraudulently claimed to be the king. During the time of the
Iberian Union
pt, União Ibérica
, conventional_long_name =Iberian Union
, common_name =
, year_start = 1580
, date_start = 25 August
, life_span = 1580–1640
, event_start = War of the Portuguese Succession
, event_end = Portuguese Restoration War
, ...
, between 1580 and 1640, four different pretenders claimed to be the returned King Sebastian. The last of these pretenders, who was in fact an Italian, was hanged in 1619, while another was obtained by the Spanish from Venice, tried, found guilty and hanged in 1603.
[Dian Fox, "From King Sebastian of Portugal to Miguel de Cervantes and don Quijote: A Genealogy of Myth and Influence". ''MLN'' 135, no. 2 (2020): 387–408.]
In the long term, many myths and legends about Sebastian appeared, the principal one being that he was a great Portuguese patriot, the "
sleeping king" who would return to help Portugal in its darkest hour (similar to the Britons'
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
, the German
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
or the Byzantine
Constantine XI Palaeologus).
He came to be known by symbolic names: ''O Encoberto'' (''The Hidden One'') who would return on a foggy morning to save Portugal, or as ''O Desejado'' (''The Desired One''). These legends were vigorously promoted through the massive circulation of popular rhymes (''trovas'') written by
António Gonçalves de Bandarra
António Gonçalves Annes Bandarra or Gonçalo Annes Bandarra (1500 – 1556) was a Portuguese writer.
Life and work
He was a shoemaker by trade (born rich but lost his wealth). Whether he had Jewish origin or not has been the subject of muc ...
. Even as late as the 19th century, "Sebastianist" peasants in the town of
Canudos
Canudos is a municipality in the northeast region of Bahia, Brazil. The original town, since flooded by the Cocorobó Dam, was the scene of violent clashes between peasants and republican police in the 1890s.
The municipality contains part of th ...
in the Brazilian
sertão
The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the "hinterland" or "backcountry". In Brazil, it refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil (similar to the specific association of "outback" with Australia in English ...
believed that the king would return to help them in
their rebellion against the "godless" Brazilian republic.
Sebastian's life was dramatised in 1843 in the opera ''
Dom Sébastien
''Dom Sébastien, Roi de Portugal'' (''Don Sebastian, King of Portugal'') is a French grand opera in five acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe, based on Paul Foucher's play ''Don Sébastien de Portugal'' which pre ...
'' by the Italian composer
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...
. Belgian playwright Paul Dresse also dramatised his life in the 1975 play ''Sébastien de Portugal ou le Capitaine de Dieu''. The legend of Sebastian's disappearance and alleged return is the basis for the popular song "" ("The Legend of King Sebastian") by the Portuguese band
Quarteto 1111
Quarteto 1111 was a Portugal, Portuguese progressive rock and psychedelic rock band founded in Estoril in 1967. Originally it was formed by Miguel Artur da Silveira (drums), José Cid (vocals and keyboard), António Moniz Pereira (guitar) and Jorg ...
(1968).
See also
*
List of people who disappeared
Lists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ''in absentia''. Some of these people were possibly subjected to enfo ...
*
Rossio railway station
The Rossio Railway Station (; pt, Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio) is a railway station in Lisbon, Portugal, located in the Rossio square. The station was formerly known as ''Estação Central'' (Central Station) and that designati ...
Ancestry
References
Sources
*
* História e histórias - Castro Verde, Joaquim Boiça/Rui Mateus, Artinvento, Região de Turismo da Planicie Dourada/Câmara Municipal de Castro Verde;
* Antas, Miguel Martins de (1988). ''Os Falsos Dom Sebastião'', 2a. Edição, tr. Maria de Fátima Boavida, comment. Francisco Sales de Mascarenhas Loureiro. Lisboa: Europress.
* Baños-Garcia, António Villacorta (2001). ''Don Sebastián, Rey de Portugal''. Barcelona.
* Eborense, André Rodrigues (1984). ''Sentenças para a Ensinança e Doutrina do Príncipe D. Sebastião'', facsimile do manuscrito inédito da Casa Cadaval, intr. Luís de Matos, anot. Aristides Pinheiro e Abílio Rita. Lisboa: Banco Pinto & Sotto Mayor,
* Fernandes, Maria de Lurdes Correia (1991). «Francisco de Monzón, capelão e pregador de D. * Loureiro, Francisco de Sales de Mascarenhas (1973). «O padre Luís Gonçalves da Câmara e Dom Sebastiäo» ''in'' separata da revista ''O Instituto'', no. 136. Coimbra.
* Loureiro, Francisco de Sales de Mascarenhas (1978). «Relação de Vida d'Elrey D. Sebastião do Pe. Amador Rebelo» ''in'' separata da ''Revista da Faculdade de Letras', 4a. série, no. 2. Lisboa: Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa.
* Loureiro, Francisco de Sales de Mascarenhas (intr. e notas) (1987). ''Crónica do Xarife Mulei Mahamet e d'El-Rei D. Sebastião 1573- 1578''. Lisboa: Europress.
* Loureiro, Francisco de Sales de Mascarenhas (1989). ''Dom Sebastião e Alcácer Quibir''. Lisboa: Alfa.
* Machado, José Timótio Montalvão (1964). «As Doenças do Rei Dom Sebastiäo», ''in'' separata da revista ''Arqueologia e História'', no. 11. Lisboa, Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses.
* Saraiva, José Hermano ''et al.'' (1993). ''Dicionário Ilustrado da História de Portugal''. Lisboa.
* Saraiva, Mário (1994). ''D. Sebastião na História e na Lenda'', pref. Joaquim Veríssimo Serrão. Lisboa: Universitária Editora
* Saraiva, José Hermano (1998). ''Diário da História de Portugal''. Lisboa (compilation of contemporaneous chronicles).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebastian Of Portugal
1554 births
1570s missing person cases
1578 deaths
16th century in Morocco
16th-century Portuguese monarchs
House of Aviz
Missing person cases in Morocco
Monarchs killed in action
Modern child rulers
People from Lisbon
Princes of Portugal
Portuguese folklore
Portuguese infantes