Dom Fernando II of Braganza (; 1430 – 20 June 1483) was the 3rd Duke of Braganza and the 1st

Duke of Guimarães Duke of Guimarães was a Nobility title granted by King Afonso V of Portugal in 1475, to Ferdinand II, 3rd Duke of Braganza. The king just upgraded the previous title of count of Guimarães, that he granted to the same Duke of Braganza, some ye ...

, among other titles. He is known for being executed for treason against the King.

Early life

Fernando II, Duque de Bragança - gravura, 1755

Fernando II, born in 1430, was a successful young man and quickly grew popular amongst the Portuguese nobility. He was most appreciated by 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 always escorted the King on his different incursions into

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 A ...

, where he participated in several conquests and expeditions. Being favored by King Afonso V, Fernando was created Count of Guimarães in 1464. He was soon upgraded to

in 1475. Fernando II took part in the War of the Castilian Succession. Following King

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...

's death, the King's daughter and heir, Joanna La Beltraneja, married to King Afonso V, was proclaimed "Queen of Castile", but she had the opposition of her half-aunt (the future queen

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 ...

) to contend with. The Portuguese invaded Castile, and during the Battle of Toro, Fernando was responsible for Queen Joanna’s safety. When his father,

Fernando I, 2nd Duke of Braganza Dom Fernando I of Braganza (; 1403 – 1 April 1478) was the 2nd Duke of Braganza and the 1st Marquis of Vila Viçosa, among other titles. He took part in the Portuguese conquests in North Africa and served as governor of different territories th ...

, died in 1478, Fernando II inherited the various titles of his father, the most important and noteworthy being the title of Duke of Braganza. At this time, the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Am ...

was the most powerful noble house in 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 ...

(with its seat at

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora, Alentejo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,319, in an area of 194.86 km². The municipal holiday is August 16. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is d ...

) and one of the most powerful ones in all of the Iberian Kingdoms. During that period, the Dukes of Braganza resided at Vila Viçosa Castle.

Treason and downfall

When King John II of Portugal succeeded his father, King Afonso V, he sought to bring down the power of the Portuguese nobility, which had greatly flourished under his father's reign. The King heavily focused on diminishing the powers of the two most powerful noble houses in the kingdom, House of Beja and Viseu and the

. King John II accused his first cousin, Diogo I of Beja and Viseu (brother-in-law of Fernando II), of high treason and had him brutally executed. Soon after, the King also accused his second half-cousin, Fernando II of Braganza, of high treason and had him executed at

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old ...

in 1483. Afterwards, the assets of the

were confiscated and the family fled to Castile.Gerli, E. Michael, and Armistead Samuel G., ''Medieval Iberia'', p. 182, Taylor & Francis, 2003
The family returned in 1498 and had all their property returned.

Marriage and issue

Fernando II of Braganza married twice. His first marriage was to D. Leonor de Menezes; they had no issue. He later married Isabella of Viseu (daughter of Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Beja and Viseu, and sister 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 ...

) in 1472, with whom he had four children, though only two lived past infancy.

Ancestry

Notes

Bibliography

*”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil” – Vol. II, page 440/442. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando 02 of Braganza, Duke 1430 births 1483 deaths Dukes of Braganza 101 House of Braganza 15th-century Portuguese people Portuguese nobility