OTD 7 June 1502 King John III of Portugal a king with lots of diplomatic ties around the world

On 7 June 1502, a royal birth took place at the Alcáçova Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. Then the future King John III of Portugal (João III in Portuguese) was born.

King John III of Portugal -
own picture taken in 2017 at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon.


Family

John III was the eldest son of Koing Manuel I of Portugal and his second wife Maria of Aragon.
He was a member of the noble House of Aviz.

Youth

John III was educated by notable scholars of the time including the astrologer Tomás de Torres, Diogo de Ortiz, Bishop of Viseu and Luis Teixeira Lobo, one of the first Portuguese Renaissance humanists.


King João III of Portugal: Source picture Wikipedia



Love and marriage

At the age of 16, John III was chosen to marry his first cousin the 20-year- old Eleanor of Austria, the eldest daughter of Philip the Handsome of Austria-Burgundy and Queen Joanna of Castile. However this plan didn't work. Instead Eleanor married John's widowed father Manuel and John became melancholic.

John II married Catherine of Austria, the sister of emperor Charles V and of his first fiancée. This royal couple would have nine children but most of them died young.



King João III - Source picture: Wikipedia




Reign

On 19 December 1521, John III was crowned king in the Church of São Domingos in Lisbon.
The first years of John's reign explorations in the Far east continued, and the Portuguese reached China and Japan (1543).

The reign of John III was marked by active diplomacy. First of all there were close ties with spain. He married Catherine of Austria, John's sister Isabella of Portugal married Charles V.

John strengthened relations with the papal states by introducing the Inquisition in Portugal. This took place in 1536. The first Grand Inquisitor was Cardinal Henry, John's brother.

With England, John made commercial relations, just as countries of the Baltic regions and Flanders. Portugal was the first European country which made contact with Japan and China. He also "made trade" with Africa inter alia with Mozambique.

John III supported the humanist cause in literature and in sciences as well. The monarch awarded many scholarships to universities abroad.


Death

King John III of Portugal died on 11 June 1557 at the age of 55 at the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He died of apoplexy and he was buried at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Who is who? de Liedekerke family!

House of Wittelsbach - Between crazyness and excellence

Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark