Henry ( pt, Henrique ; 31 January 1512 — 31 January 1580), dubbed the Chaste ( pt, o Casto, links=no) and the Cardinal-King ( pt, o Cardeal-Rei, links=no), was
king of Portugal and a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, who ruled
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 th ...
between 1578 and 1580. As a clergyman, he was bound to
chastity, and as such, had no children to succeed him, and thus put an end to the reigning
House of Aviz. His death led to the
Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and ultimately to the 60-year
Iberian Union that saw Portugal share a monarch with that of
Habsburg Spain
Habsburg Spain is a contemporary historiographical term referring to the huge extent of territories (including modern-day Spain, a piece of south-east France, eventually Portugal, and many other lands outside of the Iberian Peninsula) ruled be ...
. The next independent monarch of Portugal would be
John IV, who
restored the throne after 60 years of Spanish rule.
Life
Born 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. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
, Henry was the fifth son of
King Manuel I of Portugal and
Maria of Aragon.
Cardinal
As the younger brother of
King John III of Portugal
John III ( pt, João III ; 7 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious ( Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1521 until his death in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the t ...
and a younger son in the Royal Family, Henry was not expected to succeed to the Portuguese throne. Early in his life, Henry took
Holy Orders to promote Portuguese interests within the Catholic Church, then dominated by
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. He rose rapidly through the Church hierarchy, becoming in quick succession
Archbishop of Braga,
Archbishop of Évora, and
Grand Inquisitor before being made a cardinal in 1545,
Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Enrique de Portugal
Henry's brother Alonso had also been made a cardinal, in 1517 at the age of eight.
. with the title of Santi Quattro Coronati. From 1564 to 1570 he was Patriarch of Lisbon
The Patriarch of Lisbon ( la, Patriarcha Olisiponensis, pt, Patriarca de Lisboa), also called the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon once he has been made cardinal, is the ordinary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lisbon. He is one of the ...
. Henry, more than anyone, endeavoured to bring the Jesuits
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
to Portugal to encourage their activity in the colonial empire.
Reign
Henry served as regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
for his great-nephew King Sebastian
Sebastian ( pt, Sebastião I ; 20 January 1554 – 4 August 1578) was King of Portugal from 11 June 1557 to 4 August 1578 and the penultimate Portuguese monarch of the House of Aviz.
He was the son of João Manuel, Prince of Portugal, and h ...
, replacing his sister-in-law and Sebastian's grandmother Queen dowager Catherine, following her resignation from the role in 1562.[Disney, p. 174.] King Sebastian died without an heir in the disastrous Battle of Alcácer Quibir that took place in 1578, and the elderly cardinal was proclaimed king soon after. Henry sought to be released from his ecclesiastical vows so he could take a bride and pursue the continuation of the Aviz dynasty, but Pope Gregory XIII, not wanting to antagonize Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, did not grant him that release.[MacKay, p. 44.][Disney, p. 176.]
Death and succession
The Cardinal-King died in Almeirim, on his 68th birthday, without having appointed a successor, leaving only a regency to care for the kingdom. One of the closest dynastic claimants was King Philip II of Spain who, in November 1580, sent the Duke of Alba to claim Portugal by force. 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. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
soon fell, and Philip was elected king of Portugal at the Portuguese Cortes of Tomar in 1581—on the condition that the kingdom and its overseas territories would not become Spanish provinces.
Ancestry
See also
* Struggle for the throne of Portugal
* War of the Portuguese Succession
* Descendants of Manuel I of Portugal
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry of Portugal
1512 births
1580 deaths
16th-century Portuguese cardinals
16th-century Portuguese monarchs
Archbishops of Lisbon
Bishops of Évora
House of Aviz
Portuguese infantes
Regents of Portugal
Roman Catholic archbishops of Braga