Infante Francisco, Duke of Beja (), (Lisbon, 25 May 1691 – Lisbon, 21 July 1742) was a Portuguese '' infante'' (prince) son of Peter II,

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, and his second wife, Maria Sofia of the Palatinate.

Early life

Francisco Xavier José António Bento Urbano was born on 25 May 1691 in

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 ...

. He was given the Duchy of Beja and was made Grand-Prior of Crato and Lord of the Infantado. Plans for him to marry Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria sister of Queen Maria Anna failed in the early stages.

Career

Responding to a request by

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

to aid in the fight against the Turks, in 1716, King

John V of Portugal Dom John V ( pt, João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo; 22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750), known as the Magnanimous (''o Magnânimo'') and the Portuguese Sun King (''o Rei-Sol Português''), was King of Portugal from 9 December 1706 ...

(Infante Francisco's brother) sent an armada of Portuguese ships to aid Venice and Austria in their fights against the Turks, led by the Duke of Beja, and Lopo Furtado de Mendonça, Count of Rio Grande.

Affairs and issue

He died unmarried and without legitimate issue (in spite of two illegitimate children from Mariana da Silveira) on 21 July 1742 at the Quinta das Gaeiras in Óbidos. He is buried at the Royal Pantheon of the Braganza Dynasty in

. He had two natural children with Mariana Silveira, a nun, who died during the

1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with ...

: * Pedro of Braganza (¿? – 1741) *

João da Bemposta D. João of Braganza, Duke of Abrantes ''jure uxoris'' (12 June 1726 - 23 October 1780), more commonly known as João da Bemposta, was a legitimized natural son of Infante Francisco, Duke of Beja. A grandson of King Pedro II of Portugal, and th ...

(1725–1780) Captain General of the Portuguese Navy and Chief Steward of the Royal Household. Married

Maria Margarida de Lorena, 2nd Duchess of Abrantes Maria Margarida de Lorena, Duchess of Abrantes (2 February 1713 – 1780) was the daughter of Dom Rodrigo de Mello (1688–1713), second child of Nuno Álvares Pereira de Melo, 1st Duke of Cadaval and of Ana Maria Catarina Henriqueta de Lorena, ...

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* 1691 births 1742 deaths People from Lisbon Portuguese infantes

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Burials at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora House of Braganza 17th-century Portuguese people 18th-century Portuguese people Constables of Portugal Sons of kings {{Portugal-royal-stub