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 ( pt, Duarte (; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the King Philosopher (''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 s ...

and his wife Eleanor of Aragon.

Biography

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

Setúbal Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the Lisbon metropolitan area. In the t ...

on 18 September 1470. He was twice sworn Prince of Portugal (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 Afri ...

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 ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. 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, C ...

, which was patrolling the

strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

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

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 ...

Duke of Beja and Viseu

In 1453, his brother, King

granted him the title of 1st Duke of Beja. When his uncle,

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

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 Ksar es-Seghir ( ar, القصر الصغير, ⵇⵙⴰⵔ ⵙⵖⵉⵔ, ''al-Qasr as-Seghir''), also known by numerous other spellings and names, is a small town on the Mediterranean coast in the Jebala region of northwest Morocco, between Ta ...

; 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, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

, which was a

barbary corsairs The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. This area was known in Europe a ...

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 monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

, in Beja, founded by his wife.

Marriage and children

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

João João is the Portuguese equivalent of 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 the sections below. Kings ...

(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 Eleanor of Viseu (2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525; pt, Leonor de Viseu ) was a Portuguese '' infanta'' (princess) and later queen consort of Portugal. She is considered one of her country's most notable queens consort and one of the only t ...

(1458–1525), married to King John II of Portugal, becoming Queen of Portugal; * Infanta Isabella of Viseu (1459–1521), married to Ferdinand II, Duke of Braganza; * Infante Duarte of Viseu (1462-died in childhood); * Infante Dinis of Viseu (1464- died in childhood); * Infante Simão of Viseu (1467-died in childhood); * 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 Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the ...

, as Manuel I, following his cousin's ( John II) death; * Infanta Catarina of Viseu.

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 Medieval Portuguese nobility Dukes of Beja Dukes of Viseu 15th-century Portuguese people Constables of Portugal Donatários of the Azores Sons of kings