Fernando II, Duke of Braganza

Fernando II

Duke of Braganza
Tenure 1 April 1478 – 20 June 1483
Predecessor Fernando I
Successor Jaime I
Born 1430
Kingdom of Portugal
Died 20 June 1483
Évora, Alentejo,
Kingdom of Portugal
Spouse Leonor de Menezes
Isabella of Viseu
Issue
among others...		 Jaime I
Dinis, 6th Count of Lemos
House House of Braganza
Father Fernando I
Mother Joana de Castro
Religion Roman Catholicism

Dom Fernando II of Braganza (Portuguese pronunciation: [fɨɾˈnɐ̃du]; 1430 – 20 June 1483) was the 3rd Duke of Braganza and the 1st Duke of Guimarães, among other titles. He is known for being executed for treason against the King.

Early life

A posthumous engraving of D. Fernando II.

Fernando, born in 1430, was a successful young man and quickly grew popular amongst the Portuguese nobility. He was most appreciated by King Afonso V of Portugal, and always escorted the King on his different incursions into Morocco, where he participated in several conquests and expeditions. The King, having favoured Fernando, rewarded him the title Count of Guimarães, in 1464. This title would soon be upgraded to Duke of Guimarães.

Fernando took part in the War of the Castilian Succession. Following King Henry IV of Castile's death, his daughter and heir, Joanna La Beltraneja, married to Afonso V of Portugal, was proclaimed Queen of Castile but she had the opposition of her aunt (the future queen Isabella I). The Portuguese invaded Castile and, during the Battle of Toro, Fernando II of Braganza was responsible for the Queen’s safety.

When his father, Fernando I, died in 1478, Fernando inherited the various titles of his father, the most important and noteworthy being the title of Duke of Braganza. At this time, the House of Braganza was the most powerful noble house in the Kingdom of Portugal and one of the most powerful ones in all of the Iberian Kingdoms.

Treason and downfall

When King João II succeeded his father, King Afonso V, João II sought to bring down the power of the Portuguese nobility, which had greatly flourished under Afonso V's reign. The King heavily focused on diminishing the powers of the two most powerful noble houses in the kingdom, House of Beja and Viseu and the House of Braganza.

The King accused his cousin, Diogo I of Beja and Viseu, of high treason and had him brutally executed. Soon after, King João II also accused Fernando II of Braganza of high treason and had him executed in Évora in 1483. Afterwards, the assets of the House of Braganza were confiscated and the family fled to Castile.[1] The family returned in 1498 and had all their property returned.

Marriage and issue

Fernando II of Braganza married twice. His first marriage was to D. Leonor de Menezes; they had no issue. He later married to Isabella of Viseu, in 1472, with whom he had four children, though only two lived past infancy.

NameBirthDeathNotes
FilipeunknownunknownStill born
Jaime IOctober 147920 September 153211th Count of Barcelos, 8th Count of Ourém, 5th Count of Arraiolos and Neiva, 4th Duke of Braganza, 3rd Marquis of Vila Viçosa, 2nd Duke of Guimarães
Dinis148115166th Count of Lemos
Margaridaunknownunknownstill born

Ancestry

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Gerli, E. Michael, and Armistead Samuel G., Medieval Iberia, p. 182, Taylor & Francis, 2003 ISBN 9780415939188

Bibliography

Media related to Ferdinand II of Braganza at Wikimedia Commons

Fernando II, Duke of Braganza
Cadet branch of the House of Aviz
Born: 1430 Died: 1483
Portuguese nobility
Preceded by
Fernando I		 Duke of Braganza; Marquis of Vila Viçosa;
Count of Barcelos, Ourém, Neiva, and Arraiolos
1478–1483 		Succeeded by
Jaime I
Preceded by
New Title		 Duke of Guimarães
1478–1483
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