Dom João I of Braganza (1543 – 22 February 1583) was the 6th

Duke of Braganza The title Duke of Braganza () in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Starting in 1640, when the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown were ...

and 1st Duke of Barcelos, among other titles. He is known for pushing the claims of his wife, Infanta Catherine of Portugal, to the throne of Portugal.

Life

In 1563 he married his first cousin Infanta Catherine, daughter of Infante Edward, Duke of Guimarães and Isabel of Braganza (João's aunt). After the disaster of the

Battle of Ksar El Kebir A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, where heirless King Sebastian of Portugal died, the aged Cardinal-Infante Henry became king. Because Henry was old and not allowed to have legitimate children, a dynastical crisis occurred even before his death. The

supported his wife's claim to the throne — she was a granddaughter of

King Manuel I 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. Manue ...

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

, another grandson of Manuel I and also a claimant to the throne, tried to bribe him into abandoning his wife's pretensions, offering him the Viceroyalty of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the post of Grand Master of the Order of Christ, a license to send a personal ship to

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

every year, and the marriage of his eldest son Teodósio to one of his daughters (either

Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia (; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, which comprised the Low Countries and the north of modern France, with her husband Albert ...

or Catherine Michaela). The Duke of Braganza, influenced by his wife, refused these overtures.

Portuguese succession crisis

When the Cardinal-King died, the Duke accompanied the governors of the Kingdom to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

and

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 ...

, trying to assure recognition for his wife's claim, but ultimately gave up and accepted the rule of Philip II (future Philip I of Portugal). After the civil war that followed, Anthony, Prior of Crato was defeated at the Battle of Alcântara, and Philip II entered Portugal and was confirmed by the

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...

Tomar Tomar (), also known in English as Thomar (the ancient name of Tomar), is a Portugal, Portuguese city and a municipality in the historical Ribatejo Portuguese Provinces of Portugal, province, and in Santarém District, Santarém district. The to ...

, where João occupied the post of Constable. When King Philip left to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, he endowed the post of

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

of the Kingdom to João's heir Teodósio, a marquessate ( Flexilla-Xarandilla) to his second son, ''Dom'' Duarte, and a commandment and many concessions to the third, ''Dom'' Alexandre, who was destined to become an ecclesiastic. He confirmed João's title of ''His

Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

'' and his rights of chancellery. He died at

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the Évora (district), 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, th ...

in 1583.

Marriage and issue

Through his marriage with Infanta Catherine of Portugal were born: * Maria (27 January 1565 – 30 April 1592) * Serafina (20 May 1566 – 6 January 1604), married Juan Gaspar Fernández Pacheco y Álvarez de Toledo, 5th Duke of Escalona * Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza (28 April 1568 – 29 November 1630), father of the future king

John IV of Portugal ''Dom (honorific), Dom'' John IV (; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), also known by the Portuguese as John the Restorer (), was the List of Portuguese monarchs, King of Portugal from 1640 until his death in 1656. He Portuguese Restoration War, ...

, married Ana de Velasco y Girón, daughter of the Duke of Frías * Duarte (21 September 1569 – 27 May 1627), 1st Marquis of Frechilla and Villarramiel, married first Beatriz Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, and later Guiomar Pardo y Tavera, 1st Marquise of Malagón * Alexandre (17 September 1570 – 11 September 1608),

Archbishop of Évora In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

* Querubina (11 March 1572 – 11 March 1580) * Angélica (8 June 1573 – 9 October 1576) * Isabel (13 November 1578 – 12 January 1582) * Filipe (17 November 1581 – 27 September 1608)

Ancestry

Bibliography

* "Nobreza de Portugal e Brasil", Vol. II pages 445 to 448. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989

External links

Genealogy of João I, 6th Duke of Braganza (in Portuguese)
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Joao 1 Of Braganza, Duke Portuguese royalty House of Braganza 1543 births 1583 deaths Dukes of Braganza 101 16th-century Portuguese people Constables of Portugal