Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu and Beja (or ''Fernando,'' , 17 November 1433 – 18 September 1470) was the third son of

Edward, King of Portugal Edward ( ; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the Philosopher King (''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 of John I o ...

and his wife Eleanor of Aragon.

Biography

Ferdinand was born in Almeirim on 17 November 1433, and died in

Setúbal Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...

on 18 September 1470. He was twice sworn

Prince of Portugal Hereditary Prince of Portugal (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Príncipe Herdeiro de Portugal''), unofficially Prince of Portugal (''Príncipe Herdeiro de Portugal''), or Princess of Portugal, was the title held by the heirs apparent and heir ...

(title granted to the presumptive heir to the throne): first between 1438 and 1451, once his older brother became 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 Africa. ...

and had no children; and for the second time, in 1451, when Prince João was born, but died months later. When Afonso V's first daughter, Princess Joan, was born (1452), Infante Ferdinand finally lost this title. In 1452, Ferdinand fled the country looking for adventure. Some say he wanted to go to the north African cities controlled by the Portuguese; others say that he wanted to join his uncle, the King Alfonso I of Naples, in his campaigns in southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It seems Ferdinand had the hope to inherit his uncle's kingdom, as he had no legitimate children. However, his brother, King

, as soon as he knew about Ferdinand’s escape, ordered to the

Count of Odemira Count of Odemira (in Portuguese ''Conde de Odemira'') was a Portuguese title of nobility granted to D. Sancho de Noronha by royal decree issued on 9 October 1446, by King Afonso V of Portugal. Sancho de Noronha was the third son of Alfonso, ...

, which was patrolling the

strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...

with a fleet, to intercept the infante's ship and bring him back to mainland

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Duke of Beja and Viseu

In 1453, his brother, King

granted him the title of 1st Duke of Beja. When his uncle, Prince Henry died, in 1460, he also became 2nd Duke of Viseu as well. He also succeeded his uncle as Master of the Order of Christ and responsible for the Discoveries (1460–1470). He was finally allowed to fight in north Africa: first in 1458 he escorted the king to the conquest of the Moroccan city of Alcácer Ceguer; and for a second time, in 1468, he led a Portuguese fleet that conquered and destroyed the port of Anfa (''Anafé'' in Portuguese), today included in

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

, which was a

barbary corsairs The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

base. He was buried in the ''Religiosas da Conceição''

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, in Beja, founded by his wife.

Marriage and children

He married his cousin

Beatrice of Portugal Beatrice (, ; 7–13 February 1373 – ) was the only surviving legitimate child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Teles. She became Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King John I of Castile. Following her father's d ...

(Portuguese: ''Beatriz'') in 1447, daughter of Infante João, Lord of Reguengos (his uncle). From this marriage, Ferdinand had nine children: * Infante

João João is a given name of Portuguese origin. It is equivalent to 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 t ...

(1448–1472), 3rd Duke of Viseu, 2nd Duke of Beja, 7th Constable of Portugal; * Infante Diogo (1450–1484), 4th Duke of Viseu, 3rd Duke of Beja; * Infanta Eleanor of Viseu (1458–1525), married to King

John II of Portugal John II (; ; 3 May 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince (), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for reestablishing the power of the Portuguese monarchy, reinvigo ...

, becoming Queen of Portugal; * Infanta Isabella of Viseu (1459–1521), married to Ferdinand II, Duke of Braganza; * Infante Duarte of Viseu (1462–1476 or after); * Infante Simão of Viseu (died in 1465/1470); * Infanta Catarina of Viseu (1465–bef.1470); * Infante Dinis of Viseu (1468–bef.1470); * Infante Manuel (1469-1521), 5th Duke of Viseu, 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 Portugal, Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Thro ...

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

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. I, pages 311 and 312. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

External links

Genealogy of Infante Fernando, 1st Duke of Beja and 2nd Duke of Viseu, in Portuguese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Duke of Viseu, Infante 1433 births People from Almeirim 1470 deaths House of Aviz Portuguese infantes Portuguese Roman Catholics 15th-century Portuguese nobility Dukes of Beja Dukes of Viseu Constables of Portugal Donatários of the Azores Sons of kings