OTD February 8th 1291 Afonso IV of Portugal
On 8 February 1291 Afonso was born in Lisbon as the rightful heir to
the throne of Portugal.
Family
His parents were King Denis of Portugal and Elizabeth of Aragon.
Afonso was thus a member of the Portuguese noble House of Burgundy.
Youth
Afonso IV was born as the rightful heir to the Portuguese throne. However,
he was not the favourite son of King Denis. He preferred his illegitimate son,
Afonso Sanches. The rivalry between the half-brothers even led to several
civil wars.
King of Portugal
On 7 January 1325, Afonso's father died and Afonso IV became king, but his
rival Afonso Sanches exiled to Castile and stripped him of all the lands and
fiefdom given by their father Denis. After a few failed attempts at invasion,
the brothers finally signed a peace treaty arranged by Afonso's mother
Queen Elizabeth.
Love and Marriage
On 12 September 1309 Afonso married Beatrice of Castile, daughter of
Sancho IV of Castile and Maria de Molina. They had 7 children together.
Afonso broke tradition of previous kings and he had not any illegitimate
children.
Later life
The last part of Afonso IV's reign was marked by political intrigue.
Afonso lost control over his court. His heir Pedro fell in love with his
wife's lady-in-waiting Inês de Castro. Worried about his grandson's
life and the growing power of Castile within Portugal's borders,
Afonso ordered Inês de Castro to become a prisoner in a convent in
Coimbra. Later she was murdered. Pedro put himself at the head of
an army and devastated the country between the Douro and the Minho
rivers.
Death
Afonso IV of Portugal died on May 28th. 1357 at the age of 66.
He was succeeded by Pedro.
Source pictures: Wikipedia
the throne of Portugal.
Family
His parents were King Denis of Portugal and Elizabeth of Aragon.
Afonso was thus a member of the Portuguese noble House of Burgundy.
Youth
Afonso IV was born as the rightful heir to the Portuguese throne. However,
he was not the favourite son of King Denis. He preferred his illegitimate son,
Afonso Sanches. The rivalry between the half-brothers even led to several
civil wars.
King of Portugal
On 7 January 1325, Afonso's father died and Afonso IV became king, but his
rival Afonso Sanches exiled to Castile and stripped him of all the lands and
fiefdom given by their father Denis. After a few failed attempts at invasion,
the brothers finally signed a peace treaty arranged by Afonso's mother
Queen Elizabeth.
Love and Marriage
On 12 September 1309 Afonso married Beatrice of Castile, daughter of
Sancho IV of Castile and Maria de Molina. They had 7 children together.
Afonso broke tradition of previous kings and he had not any illegitimate
children.
Later life
The last part of Afonso IV's reign was marked by political intrigue.
Afonso lost control over his court. His heir Pedro fell in love with his
wife's lady-in-waiting Inês de Castro. Worried about his grandson's
life and the growing power of Castile within Portugal's borders,
Afonso ordered Inês de Castro to become a prisoner in a convent in
Coimbra. Later she was murdered. Pedro put himself at the head of
an army and devastated the country between the Douro and the Minho
rivers.
Death
Afonso IV of Portugal died on May 28th. 1357 at the age of 66.
He was succeeded by Pedro.
Source pictures: Wikipedia
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