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 Portugal, as monarch. Manuel ruled over a period of intensive expansion of the
Portuguese Empire owing to the numerous
Portuguese discoveries made during his reign. His sponsorship of
Vasco da Gama led to the
Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India in 1498, resulting in the creation of the
Portuguese India Armadas, which guaranteed Portugal's monopoly on the
spice trade. Manuel began the
Portuguese colonization of the Americas and
Portuguese India, and oversaw the establishment of a vast
trade empire across Africa and Asia. He was also the first monarch to bear the title: ''By the Grace of God, King of Portugal and the Algarves, this side and beyond the Sea in Africa, Lord of Guinea and the Conquest, Navigation and Commerce in Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia and India'' (
Portuguese: ''Pela Graça de Deus, Rei de Portugal e dos Algarves, d'Aquém e d'Além-Mar em África, Senhor da Guiné e da Conquista, Navegação e Comércio da Etiópia, Arábia, Pérsia e Índia'').
Manuel established the
Casa da Índia
The Casa da Índia (, English: ''India House'' or ''House of India'') was a Portuguese state-run commercial organization during the Age of Discovery. It regulated international trade and the Portuguese Empire's territories, colonies, and factor ...
, a royal institution that managed Portugal's monopolies and its imperial expansion. He financed numerous famed Portuguese navigators, including
Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral ( or ; born Pedro Álvares de Gouveia; c. 1467 or 1468 – c. 1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil. He was the first human ...
(who discovered
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 ...
),
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...
(who established
Portuguese hegemony in the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
), among numerous others. The income from Portuguese trade monopolies and colonized lands made Manuel the wealthiest monarch in Europe, allowing him to be one of the great patrons of the
Portuguese Renaissance
The Portuguese Renaissance refers to the cultural and artistic movement in Portugal during the 15th and 16th centuries. Though the movement coincided with the Spanish and Italian Renaissances, the Portuguese Renaissance was largely separate from ...
, which produced many significant artistic and literary achievements. Manuel patronized numerous Portuguese intellectuals, including playwright
Gil Vicente (called the father of
Portuguese and
Spanish theatre). The
Manueline style
The Manueline ( pt, estilo manuelino, ), occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manuel ...
, considered Portugal's national architecture, is named for the king.
Early life
Manuel was born in
Alcochete
Alcochete () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,569, in an area of 128.36 km². The municipality is composed of three parishes and is located in Setúbal District.
Alcochete is known for its bullfighting tradition ...
on 31 May 1469, the ninth child of
Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu and
Beatriz of Portugal. His father, Ferdinand, was the son of
Duarte, King of Portugal and the brother of
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 ...
, while his mother, Beatriz, was granddaughter of King
John I of Portugal. In addition, his sister
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 ...
was the wife of King
John II of Portugal.
Manuel grew up amidst conspiracies of the Portuguese noble families against King John II. In 1483,
Fernando II, Duke of Braganza, leader of Portugal's most powerful feudal house, was executed for treason. Later, Manuel's older brother,
Diogo, Duke of Viseu, was accused of leading a conspiracy against the crown and was stabbed to death in 1484 by the king himself.
Manuel thus would have had every reason to worry when he received a royal order in 1493 to present himself to the king, but his fears were groundless: John II wanted to name him heir to the throne after the death of his son
Prince Afonso and the failed attempts to legitimise
Jorge de Lencastre, Duke of Coimbra, his illegitimate son. As a result of this stroke of luck, Manuel was nicknamed ''the Fortunate'', and succeeded on John's death in 1495.
Reign
Imperial expansion
Manuel would prove a worthy successor to his cousin
John II for his support of
Portuguese exploration
Portuguese maritime exploration resulted in the numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese as a result of their intensive maritime journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of Eu ...
of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and development of Portuguese commerce. During his reign, the following achievements were realized:
1498 – The discovery of a maritime route to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
by
Vasco da Gama.
1500 – The discovery of
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 ...
by
Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral ( or ; born Pedro Álvares de Gouveia; c. 1467 or 1468 – c. 1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil. He was the first human ...
.
1501 – The discovery of
Labrador by
Gaspar and
Miguel Corte-Real.
1503 - The construction of the first
feitoria in Brazil by
Fernão de Loronha
Fernão de Loronha ( or earlier – ), whose name is often corrupted to Fernando de Noronha or Fernando della Rogna, was a prominent 16th-century Portuguese merchant of Lisbon, of Jewish descent. He was the first charter-holder (1502–1512) ...
and of a fort in the allied
Kingdom of Cochin in India by
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...
.
1505 – The construction of forts at
Kilwa
Kilwa Kisiwani (English: ''Kilwa Island'') is an island, national historic site, and hamlet community located in the township of Kilwa Masoko, the district seat of Kilwa District in the Tanzanian region of Lindi Region in southern Tanzania. Ki ...
,
Sofala
Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Mwenemutapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants. This name ...
,
Angediva, and
Cannanore
Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial ...
by
Francisco de Almeida as the first
viceroy of India.
1506 - The capture of
Essaouira in Morocco by Diogo de Azambuja.
1507 - The capture of
Socotra
Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen� ...
by
Tristão da Cunha
Tristão da Cunha (sometimes misspelled Tristão d'Acunha; ; c. 1460 – c. 1507) was a Portuguese explorer and naval commander. In 1499, he served as ambassador from King Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X, leading a luxurious embassy presentin ...
and
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
by Afonso de Albuquerque.
1508 - The capture of
Safi in Morocco by
Diogo de Azambuja
Diogo de Azambuja or Diego de Azambuja (1432–1518) was a Portuguese noble and explorer.
Soldier
He was born at Montemor-o-Velho, and became a knight of the Order of Aviz in the service of the Infante Dom Pedro, son of the Regent Infante ...
.
1510 - The capture of
Goa in India by
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...
.
1511 - The capture of
Malacca in Malaysia by Afonso de Albuquerque.
1513 - The capture of
Azamor in Morocco by
Dom Jaime Duke of Braganza.
1515 - The capture of
Ormus in the Persian Gulf by Afonso de Albuquerque.
The
capture of Malacca in modern-day
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
in 1511 was the result of a plan by Manuel I to thwart the
Muslim trade in the Indian Ocean by capturing
Aden, blocking trade through
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
, capturing
Ormuz to block trade through the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...
and
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, and capturing Malacca to control trade with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
.
All these events made Portugal wealthy from foreign trade as it formally established a vast overseas empire. Manuel used the wealth to build a number of royal buildings (in the "
Manueline" style) and to attract scientists and artists to his court.
Commercial treaties and diplomatic alliances were forged with the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
and the Persian
Safavid dynasty.
Pope Leo X received a monumental embassy from Portugal during his reign designed to draw attention to Portugal's newly acquired riches to all of Europe.
Judicial reform
In Manuel's reign, royal absolutism was the method of government. The
Portuguese Cortes (the assembly of the kingdom) met only three times during his reign, always in
Lisbon, the king's seat.
He reformed the courts of justice and the municipal charters with the crown, modernizing taxes and the concepts of tributes and rights. During his reign, the laws in force in the kingdom of Portugal were recodified with the publication of the
Manueline Ordinances.
Religious policy
Manuel was a very religious man and invested a large amount of Portuguese income to send missionaries to the new colonies, among them
Francisco Álvares, and sponsor the construction of religious buildings, such as the
Monastery of Jerónimos. Manuel also endeavoured to promote another crusade against the Turks.
His relationship with the Portuguese Jews started out well: At the outset of his reign, he released all the Jews who had been made captive during the reign of John II. Unfortunately for the Jews, he decided that he wanted to marry
Infanta Isabella of Aragon, then heiress of the future united crown of Spain (and widow of his nephew
Prince Afonso). Her parents Ferdinand and Isabella had
expelled the Jews in 1492 and would not marry their daughter to the king of a country that still tolerated their presence. In the marriage contract, Manuel I agreed to persecute the Jews of Portugal.
In December 1496, it was decreed that all Jews either convert to Christianity or leave the country without their children. However, those expelled could only leave the country in ships specified by the king. When those who chose expulsion arrived at the port in Lisbon, they were met by clerics and soldiers who tried to use coercion and promises in order to baptize them and prevent them from leaving the country.
This period of time technically ended the presence of Jews in Portugal. Afterwards, all converted Jews and their descendants would be referred to as "
New Christians", and they were given a grace period of thirty years in which no inquiries into their faith would be allowed; this was later extended to end in 1534.
[Arthur Benveniste. "500th Anniversary of the Forced Conversion of the Jews of Portugal." Address at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, Los Angeles, October 1997]
During the
Lisbon massacre of 1506, people murdered thousands of accused Jews; the leaders of the riot were executed by Manuel.
In addition, Manuel also ordered the expulsion of Muslims from Portugal, and is known to have pressured Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to end the toleration of Islam in their own kingdom.
Family
Isabella died in childbirth in 1498, thus putting a damper on Portuguese ambitions to rule in Spain, which various rulers had harbored since the reign of King
Ferdinand I (1367–1383). Manuel and Isabella's young son,
Miguel da Paz, was named
Prince of Asturias,
Prince of Portugal, and
Prince of Girona, making him heir apparent of Castile, Portugal, and Aragon until his death in 1500, at the age of two years, ended the ambitions of the Catholic Monarchs and Manuel.
Manuel's next wife,
Maria of Aragon, was his first wife's younger sister. Two of their sons later became kings of Portugal.
Maria died in 1517 but the two sisters were survived by two other sisters,
Joanna of Castile, who was born in 1479 and had married the Archduke Philip (
Maximilian I's son) and had a son,
Charles V who would eventually inherit Spain and the Habsburg possessions, and
Catherine of Aragon, first wife of
Henry VIII and mother of the Queen Mary I.
Honours
Manuel I was awarded the
Golden Rose by
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or t ...
in 1506 and by Pope Leo X in 1514. Manuel I became the first individual to receive more than one Golden Rose after Emperor
Sigismund von Luxembourg.
Death
In December 1521, while Lisbon was dealing with an outbreak of the
Black Plague, Manuel and his court were quarantined inside
Ribeira Palace. On 4 December, Manuel began displaying symptoms of an intense fever which incapacitated him by the 11th. He died on 13 December 1521, at the age of 52, and was succeeded by his son,
John III of Portugal.
The next day, his body was transported to the
Belém district of Lisbon, in a black velvet-draped coffin, followed by masses of mourners. He was provisionally buried at Restelo Church, while the royal pantheon of the
House of Aviz was furnished inside
Jerónimos Monastery. His coffin was buried by four of the most prominent nobles of the kingdom, the
Duke of Braganza, the
Duke of Coimbra
Duke of Coimbra ( pt, Duque de Coimbra) was an aristocratic Portuguese title with the level of royal dukedom, that is, associated with the Portuguese royal house, created in 1415, by King John I of Portugal to his 2nd male son, Infante Pedro ...
, and the
Marquis of Vila Real
Marquis of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Marquês de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 1 March 1489, by King John II of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter II ...
, in a private ceremony attended only by the royal family and the
Portuguese nobility. His remains were transferred to Jerónimos Monastery in 1551, along with his second wife
Maria of Aragon.
Genealogy
Ancestry
Marriages and Issue
Manuel was married three times, and had two daughters and one granddaughter of
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain:
*
Isabella, married from 20 September 1497 – 23 August 1498, died in childbirth
*
Maria, married from 30 October 1500 – 7 March 1517, died from complications of pregnancy
*
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was intro ...
, married from 16 July 1518 – 13 December 1521, outlived Manuel, later
Queen Consort of France.
See also
*
Manueline, an architectural style named after Manuel
*
Portugal in the Age of Discovery
*
Português
*
Royal Palace of Évora
The Royal Palace of Évora (Portuguese: ''Paço Real de Évora''), also known as the Royal Palace of São Francisco (''Paço Real de São Francisco'') and the Palace of King Manuel I (''Palácio de D. Manuel''), is a former royal residence of th ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel 01 Of Portugal
1469 births
1521 deaths
House of Aviz
Knights of the Garter
Knights of the Golden Fleece
Maritime history of Portugal
Princes of Portugal
Portuguese infantes
104
People from Alcochete
Donatários of the Azores
15th-century Portuguese monarchs
16th-century Portuguese monarchs
Portuguese exploration in the Age of Discovery