Infanta Beatriz of Portugal (13 June 1430 – 30 September 1506) was a Portuguese infanta, daughter of John, Constable of Portugal (fourth son of King

John I of Portugal John I ( WP:IPA for Portuguese, �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in 1383–85 crisi ...

and his wife Philippa of Lancaster), and Isabella of Barcelos, a daughter of Afonso I, Duke of Braganza.

Biography

Due to the

Aviz dynasty 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, Renaissanc ...

marriage policy, Beatrice was first cousin and sister-in-law of 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. ...

, first cousin once removed and mother-in-law of 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 ...

, first cousin and mother-in-law of Ferdinand II, 3rd Duke of Braganza and mother of king

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), 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. Manu ...

, playing an active role in politics during the consecutive reigns of Afonso V, John II and Manuel I. Through her sister Isabella, wife of

John II of Castile John II of Castile (; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the son of King Henry ...

, she was an aunt of

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon ...

, helping to settle both the Treaty of Alcáçovas and the Treaty of Terçarias de Moura between the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, 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 known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...

and the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...

, after meeting with her niece Isabella in person. She was also predominant in the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

, acting as tutor for her son Diogo. Infanta Beatrice protected and encouraged Gil Vicente, a Portuguese playwright, considered as the ''father of the Portuguese theatre''. She founded 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, where her husband was buried.

Marriage and children

In 1447, Beatrice married her cousin

Infante Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

(Portuguese: ''Fernando''), 2nd Duke of Viseu, son of King Edward of Portugal (her uncle). From this marriage, they 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

, 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, page 298 and 312. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

External links