| Peter II | |
|---|---|
 Portrait,c. 1690–1699 | |
| King of Portugal | |
| Reign | 12 September 1683 – 9 December 1706 |
| Predecessor | Afonso VI |
| Successor | John V |
| Regent of Portugal | |
| Regency | 27 January 1668 – 12 September 1683 |
| Monarch | Afonso VI |
| Born | 26 April 1648 Ribeira Palace,Lisbon, Portugal |
| Died | 9 December 1706 (aged 58) Palhavã Palace, Lisbon, Portugal |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue Detail | Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira João, Prince of Brazil João V Infante Francisco, Duke of Beja Infante António Infanta Teresa Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém Infanta Francisca |
| House | Braganza |
| Father | John IV of Portugal |
| Mother | Luisa de Guzmán |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
DomPedro II (Peter II; 26 April 1648 – 9 December 1706), nicknamedthe Pacific (Português: o Pacífico) wasKing of Portugal from 1683 until his death, previously serving as regent for his brotherAfonso VI from 1668 until his own accession.[1] He was the fifth and last child ofJohn IV andLuisa de Guzmán.
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Third son ofKing John IV andQueen Luisa,[2] Peter was createdDuke of Beja and Lord of theHouse of the Infantado.
Following his father's death, his mother became regent for the new kingAfonso VI, Peter's elder, partially paralyzed, and mentally unstable brother.[3] In 1662, Afonso put his mother away in a convent and assumed control of the state.[4] In January 1668, shortly before Spanish recognition of Portugal's restoration of independence, Peter acquired political ascendancy over his brother and was appointed regent,[5][6] banishing Afonso to theAzores[1] and, later, Sintra where he died in 1683. Peter thereupon inherited the throne.[7][8]
Peter not only inherited his brother's throne but also wed his former spouse, QueenMarie-Françoise of Savoy (1646–1683).[1][9] They had one daughter,Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira (1669–90),[10] who was heir presumptive.[1]
Peter consolidated Portugal's independence with the signing of theTreaty of Lisbon in 1668,[11] putting thePortuguese Restoration War, that began in 1640, to an end.[12] He formed an alliance with England[citation needed] and had its decisive support based on marriage clauses that unitedCharles II of England with his sisterCatherine of Braganza in 1661. Portugal cededTangier andBombay as adowry, and compromised to transfer to the English the majority of the places recovered from the Dutch, to share in half the commerce ofcinnamon, to install English families with the same privileges of the Portuguese families inGoa,Cochin, Diu,Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro. In exchange, England would give Lisbon military support, protecting Portuguese shipments in the Mediterranean and the coasts of Lisbon and Porto.
After his coup in 1667, Peter restored the nobility to their full power[13] and government by councils of nobles reached a high point during his reign[14] because he required their support in deposing Alfonso VI.[15] However, by the end of his reign, Peter centralized the monarchy's power and dissolved the excessive strength of the nobility.[16] His successors would rule as absolute monarchs,[17][18] and the Cortes would not be assembled for more than a century.[14][19]
His long tenure was one of important accomplishments. In 1671 he conceded freedom of commerce to the English residing in Portugal and began the establishment of textile manufactures. Isabel Luísa was proclaimed heir presumptive to the throne at thePortuguese Cortes of 1674,[16] Peter promulgating a letter on the regencies and tutorships of Kings to better found the rights of his daughter.
In 1674 his main concern was to improve the defenses of the realm, asking for contributions from theJunta dos Três Estados to the keeping of border garrisons, its paraphernalia and indispensable works in castles and forts. The Cortes didn't attend to totality of his request, but the great apprehension was in the coastal defense. Veríssimo Serrão, in his book "History of Portugal", Volume V, page 213 says the following,"The shipments from India and Brazil were the main object of greed so that the Crown was obliged to arm a fleet of 11 boats. (...) The squadron left the Tejo on 21 July 1675, under the command of Pedro Jacques de Magalhães. (...) But the results of such a costly undertaking were none."
There was a legal impediment to the marriage of his daughter with her cousin, the Duke of Savoy. The so-called Law of the Cortes of Lamego prevented the marriage of an heiress with a foreign prince.[19] This alleged document became fundamental law of the Realm in 1640. The Cortes, called on 1 November 1679, proceeded with the derogation.[16][19] By then the ambassador of Savoy, the Marquis of Ornano, had come to Lisbon to celebrate the marriage by proxy. But it would all turn ineffective to the extent that the embassy of the Duke of Cadaval, sent toTurin in May 1682, did not reach or did not finish the project,[20][19] by pressures, perhaps, ofLouis XIV on the dynasty of Savoy.
In 1683, Queen Maria Francisca died.[21] In the court there was a strong French party, headed by the Duke of Cadaval, the then Count of Vila Maior and by the Viscount of Ponte de Lima, but others favored a closer alliance with Spain. By marrying again, Peter II chose the sister of the Queen of Spain, daughter ofPhilipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine.[22] The new queen,Maria Sophia of Neuburg, never influenced political life, maintaining a low profile. The couple had eight children, including the younger John, who succeeded his father in 1706 as KingJohn V of Portugal.
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Peter initially supported France and Spain in theWar of Spanish Succession (1701–1714), but on 16 May 1703, Portugal and England signed theMethuen Treaty.[23] This trade accord granted mutual commercial privileges for Portuguese wine and English textile traders[23] and would later give England significant influence in the Portuguese economy. This was followed in December 1703 by a military alliance between Portugal, Austria and England for an invasion of Spain.[24] Portuguese and Allied forces, under the command of theMarquis of Minas, captured Madrid in 1706,[24] during the campaign which ended in the Allied defeat atAlmansa.
Peter obtained papal approval for the elevation of the Bahia bishopric to the status ofarchbishopric, and the creation of the bishoprics ofOlinda andRio de Janeiro in 1676.[25] In 1677 saw the creation of the bishopric ofMaranhão, directly subordinated to the archbishopric ofLisbon. In 1686, via decree from the Missionary Regiment, the privileges of theJesuits in the interior of the Northern region were restricted. There was, however, resistance to the reordering process of the colonial administration, such as theBeckman revolt of 1684 that sublevated the Maranhão colonists against the monopoly of theGeneral Company of Commerce of Grão-Pará and Maranhão and the rise of theTapuias in the 1680s in various regions of the Northeast.
The discovery ofgold in the interior ofCaetés,Minas Gerais, at the end of the 17th century, began an age of economic prosperity and administrative change.[23] The year 1693 saw the creation of theCaptaincy of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. TheIntendancy of Minas Gerais was formed in 1702. This period saw the destruction of theQuilombo dos Palmares, Alagoas, in 1695.
The King fixed the basis of his Brazilian policy in two main points: the importation of precious metals and stones and the expansion of the borders of the colony to the banks of theRío de la Plata. He sent theViscount of Barbacena to Brazil with instructions to encourage mining exploration. The reputation of the Paulistas was such that, urged by Barbacena, Peter wrote to twelve frontiersmen Piratinganos, and provided them with the "incomparable honor" of a direct summoning them to place their employment at the royal service.
Under his reign theCasa da Moeda do Brasil was created on 8 March 1694. The King ceded his seigniorage rights, tribute owed to him, in favor of the better functioning of this institution, that minted the first Brazilian coins for usage within the colony. These coins of 2,000 and 4,000réis in gold, and 640, 320, 160, 80, 40 and 20 réis in silver amplified and diversified the circulating midst in Brazil.
By the end of Peter's reign, there were two big problems in Brazil: the dispute over theColónia do Sacramento that, even though since 1680 recognized as Portuguese territory, was occupied by the Spanish in 1705, and the first conflicts between Paulistas and Emboabas, competing outsiders, including metropolitan people (ie. people from European Portugal), who arrived in the region in search of gold.
Beginning in 1703 the King went through times of deep drowsiness that doctors attributed to a "downflow of 'estilicido'", i.e., severe infection of thelarynx. On 5 December 1706 he was stricken with a "legitimate pleurisy", that derived a seizure, with which he lost consciousness. The bloodletting from his feet did not yield results, and on 9 December, the attack became fatal.[10] It is believed nowadays that the King suffered from a liver disease, because the autopsy found "a part of his liver twisted where 25 stones in the gall could be found". Other authors argue that Dom Pedro II died due to a slow agony caused bysyphilis.[26] He died in the Palhavã Palace, inLisbon.
He was the last surviving child ofJohn IV of Portugal, and is buried in Lisbon in thePantheon of the Braganzas.
Historian Veríssimo Serrão says of The King in his "History of Portugal", Volume IV, page 233:
"A coeval historian extolled his physical qualities, skilled both in arms as in horseback bullfighting, having an agility and strength that predisposed him to the exercise of violence. It was during his time that thePalace of Salvaterra de Magos became again the favorite place of court, Pedro II settling there in the months of January and February, to devote himself to the sport of riding. (...)Master of a great memory, the monarch never refused an audience to whoever asked it, was it day or night, delighted to listen to others and to discuss the issues in the smallest details. This quality was (...)one of his biggest flaws, because he always wanted to hear the opinion of advisers, fact that led to him dilating the problems. His reign had as a great aim to rebuild the country, shaken by the wars of Restoration. Since 1693 he could dispose of the gold from Brazil that gave to this work the decisive push that Portugal needed. But the participation in the Wars of the Spanish Succession went against the national interests."
He was tall, well proportioned, with dark eyes and dark hair.[27]
He earned the nickname "the Pacific", because peace was made with Spain during his regency in 1668.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ByMarie Françoise of Savoy-Nemours (1646–1683; married 2 April 1668) | |||
| Infanta Isabel Luísa of Portugal | 6 January 1669 | 21 October 1690 | 3rd Princess of Beira |
| ByMaria Sophia of Neuburg (6 August 1666 – 4 August 1699; married in 1687) | |||
| João, Prince of Brazil | 30 August 1688 | 17 September 1688 | Prince of Brazil and 12thDuke of Braganza |
| John V of Portugal | 22 October 1689 | 31 July 1750 | Prince of Brazil from 1697; succeeded Peter asKing of Portugal |
| Infante Francisco of Portugal | 25 May 1691 | 21 July 1742 | Duke of Beja |
| Infante António of Portugal | 15 March 1695 | 20 October 1757 | |
| Infanta Teresa Maria of Portugal | 24 February 1696 | 16 February 1704 | |
| Infante Manuel of Portugal | 3 August 1697 | 3 August 1766 | Count of Ourém. |
| Infanta Francisca Josefa of Portugal | 30 January 1699 | 15 July 1736 | |
| By Maria da Cruz Mascarenhas (c. 1655-?) | |||
| Luísa de Braganza | 9 January 1679 | 23 December 1732 | Natural daughter; Duchess ofCadaval through marriage first to Luís Ambrósio de Melo, 2nd Duke of Cadaval, and then toJaime Álvares Pereira de Melo, 3rd Duke of Cadaval |
| By Anne Armande du Verger (c. 1660-?) | |||
| Miguel of Braganza | 15 October 1699 | 13 January 1724 | Natural son |
| By Francisca Clara da Silva (c. 1650-?) | |||
| José de Braganza | 6 May 1703 | 3 June 1756 | Natural son;Archbishop ofBraga |
[Peter] III of Portugal (1648 1706 r. 1683–1706), the third son of [John] IV, who founded the Braganza ruling dynasty and secured the independence of Portugal from Spain. [Peter] [...] loved hunting both women and animals, and excelled as a horseback rider.
Peter II of Portugal Cadet branch of theHouse of Aviz Born: 26 April 1648 Died: 9 December 1706 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Portugal 12 September 1683 – 9 December 1706 | Succeeded by |
| House of Burgundy (1139–1383) | _-_Lesser.png) | |
|---|---|---|
| House of Aviz (1385–1580) | ||
| House of Habsburg (1581–1640) | ||
| House of Braganza (1640–1910) | ||
Debatable or disputed rulers are initalics. | ||
