19 March 1604 King John IV of Portugal
On 19 March 1604 King John IV of Portugal was born at Vila Viçosa.
Family
His parents were Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza and Ana de Valesco
y Girón.
John was thus a grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza. He
belonged to the noble house of Braganza.
Love and marriage
In 1633, John married Luisa de Guzmán. She was a daughter of the 8th.
Duke of Medina Sidonia. The royal couple would have had 7 children.
Some of them died in childhood. One of their
children Catherine would marry King Charles II of England and
she became Queen Consort of England.
John also had a natural daughter.
Duty
Around the time of his birth Portugal was ruled by the Spanish branch of the
House of Habsburg. King Philip II of Portugal (Philip III of Spain)
and later King Philip III of Portugal (Philip IV of Spain) ruled the
Portuguese issues.
However in 1640 there was a huge revolution organized by the
nobles and the bourgeoisie.
Within a matter of hours and with popular support, John then the
8th. Duke of Braganza became King John IV of Portugal, claiming
the right to rule over Portugal through his grandmother.
The Portuguese Restoration War ended with the recognition of the
independence of Portugal. Portugal signed alliances with France and
Sweden.
A keen patron
King John IV of Portugal was a patron of music and the arts. He wrote
music and was a composer too. During his reign he collected one of the
largest libraries in the world. Unfortunately this was destroyed in the
Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.
Death
King John IV died on 6 November 1656 at the Ribeira Palace in
Lisbon, Portugal.
He was buried at the Pantheon of the Braganza family.
 |
| John IV of Portugal - own picture taken in 2017 in Lisbon |
Family
His parents were Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza and Ana de Valesco
y Girón.
John was thus a grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza. He
belonged to the noble house of Braganza.
Love and marriage
In 1633, John married Luisa de Guzmán. She was a daughter of the 8th.
Duke of Medina Sidonia. The royal couple would have had 7 children.
Some of them died in childhood. One of their
children Catherine would marry King Charles II of England and
she became Queen Consort of England.
John also had a natural daughter.
Duty
Around the time of his birth Portugal was ruled by the Spanish branch of the
House of Habsburg. King Philip II of Portugal (Philip III of Spain)
and later King Philip III of Portugal (Philip IV of Spain) ruled the
Portuguese issues.
However in 1640 there was a huge revolution organized by the
nobles and the bourgeoisie.
Within a matter of hours and with popular support, John then the
8th. Duke of Braganza became King John IV of Portugal, claiming
the right to rule over Portugal through his grandmother.
The Portuguese Restoration War ended with the recognition of the
independence of Portugal. Portugal signed alliances with France and
Sweden.
 |
| King John IV, own picture taken in 2017 in Lisbon |
A keen patron
King John IV of Portugal was a patron of music and the arts. He wrote
music and was a composer too. During his reign he collected one of the
largest libraries in the world. Unfortunately this was destroyed in the
Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.
Death
King John IV died on 6 November 1656 at the Ribeira Palace in
Lisbon, Portugal.
He was buried at the Pantheon of the Braganza family.
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