| Afonso V | |
|---|---|
 Portrait,c. 1470 | |
| King of Portugal | |
| Acclamation | 15 January 1446 |
| Reign | 13 September 1438 –11 November 1477 |
| Predecessor | Edward |
| Successor | John II |
| Regents | See list
|
| Reign | 15 November 1477 –28 August 1481 |
| Predecessor | John II |
| Successor | John II |
| Born | 15 January 1432 Sintra Palace,Portugal |
| Died | 28 August 1481(1481-08-28) (aged 49) Lisbon, Portugal |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue | |
| House | Aviz |
| Father | Edward, King of Portugal |
| Mother | Eleanor of Aragon |
| Signature |  |
Afonso V[a] (European Portuguese:[ɐˈfõsu]; 15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), also known asthe African (Portuguese:o Africano), wasKing of Portugal from 1438 until he died in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. The son ofEdward, King of Portugal, andEleanor of Aragon, Afonso acceded to the throne when he was only six years old. His early reign was marked by a struggle over the regency between his mother, Eleanor, and his uncle,Pedro, Duke of Coimbra. Pedro was appointed sole regent in 1439, but theBraganza faction at court continued to challenge his authority. Influenced by his other uncle,Afonso I, Duke of Braganza, the King dismissed Pedro in 1448 and defeated him in theBattle of Alfarrobeira in 1449.
Between 1458 and 1471, Afonso pursued military campaigns in Africa, concentrating efforts predominantly onMorocco. His successful conquests ofAlcácer-Ceguer,Arzila, andTangiers earned him the sobriquetO Africano.
Following the death ofHenry IV of Castile in 1474, Afonso claimed the throne of Castile on behalf of his niece,Joanna la Beltraneja. In May 1475, he led an army intoPalencia, wed Joanna, and proclaimed himself sovereign of Castile, instigating theWar of the Castilian Succession. After the disappointingBattle of Toro and failed attempts at securing support from France, Afonso abdicated the Portuguese throne to embark on a pilgrimage toJerusalem. He was persuaded to return to Portugal and reassume the crown in November 1477, just days after his heir,John, was declared king.
In the last years of Afonso's reign, the administration of the kingdom was largely directed by John. TheTreaty of Alcáçovas, in which Afonso's claim to the throne of Castile was renounced in exchange for Portuguese hegemony in the Atlantic south of theCanary Islands, was signed in 1479. The King died in 1481 and was succeeded by John.
Born inSintra on 15 January 1432, Afonso was the second son of KingEdward of Portugal by his wifeEleanor of Aragon.[1] Following the death of his older brother, Infante João (1429–1433), Afonso acceded to the position of heir apparent and was made the firstPrince of Portugal by his father, who sought to emulate the English court's custom of a dynastic title that distinguished the heir apparent from the other children of the monarch.[2] He was only six years old when he succeeded his father in 1438.[3][4]
During his minority, Afonso was placed under the regency of his mother, Eleanor, by the will left by his late father.[5][6] As both a foreigner and a woman, the queen was not a popular choice for regent.[2] When thecortes met in late 1438, a law was passed requiring a joint regency consisting of Eleanor andPedro, Duke of Coimbra, the younger brother of the late king.[7] The dual regency was a failure and in 1439, thecortes named Pedro "protector and guardian" of the king and "ruler and defender" of the kingdom.[8][9] Eleanor attempted to resist, but without support in Portugal she fled to Castile.[10][11]
Pedro's regency was characterized by political unrest and weakened authority caused by strife withAfonso, Count of Barcelos, his half-brother and political enemy.[12] In 1441, Afonso V's betrothal to Pedro's eldest daughter,Isabella, was arranged.[13] The engagement caused conflict between Pedro and the Count of Barcelos, who had wished for the monarch to marry his granddaughter.[14][15] Relations further deteriorated when Pedro had hisson elected theConstable of Portugal in 1443, a title that the Count of Barcelos believed rightfully belonged to his eldest son,Afonso, Marquis of Valença.[16][17]
Afonso reached the age of majority in 1446, but Pedro retained administrative power and the title of regent.[18] Afonso and Isabella were formally married on 6 May 1447,[13] seemingly strengthening Pedro's power at court.[19] However, the Count of Barcelos began to wield more influence over the young king and persuaded him to dispense Pedro in July 1448.[18][19] Shortly after, Pedro retired to Coimbra and Afonso issued an order forbidding him from leaving his estates.[20] The King also warned noblemen not to visit Pedro.[21] On 15 September 1448, Afonso nullified all the laws and edicts approved under the regency.[19] In November or December, he stripped Pedro's son of the title of Constable of Portugal.[22] In early 1449, Afonso interpreted Pedro's refusal to yield all arms as an act of rebellion and began preparing for civil war.[23][24]
On 5 May 1449, Pedro began marching his ducal army towards Lisbon.[25] He was eventually defeated and killed by Afonso V's royal forces in theBattle of Alfarrobeira on 20 May 1449.[26]
Afonso financially supported the exploration of theAtlantic Ocean led by his unclePrince Henry the Navigator.[27] In February 1449, he granted Henry a monopoly over navigation in the African Atlantic between Cape Cantin and Bojador.[28] The grant caused conflict withJohn II of Castile, who asserted that conquest of Barbary and Guinea were reserved for the Castilian crown.[29] John II was also angered by Henry's conduct in theCanary Islands and repeatedly wrote to Afonso complaining about displays of hostility, such as attacks on Castilian shipping.[30] Tensions finally deescalated with the marriage of Afonso's youngest sister,Joan, to John II's heir,Henry, in 1455.[31]
In 1452,Pope Nicholas V issued thepapal bullDum Diversas, which granted Afonso V the right to reduce "Saracens, pagans and any other unbelievers" to hereditary slavery. This was reaffirmed and extended in theRomanus Pontifex bull of 1455 (also by Nicholas V). These papal bulls came to be seen by some as a justification for the subsequent era of the slave trade and European colonialism.[32]
After Henry died in 1460, his nephewFerdinand inherited his titles and rights but the monopoly over trade reverted to the crown.[33] In 1469, Afonso V grantedFernão Gomes the monopoly of trade in the Gulf of Guinea,[34] provided that Gomes pay an annual rent of 200,000reais and explore 100leagues of the coast ofAfrica per year.[35]
Afonso V's interest in Africa was sparked by a desire to support Papal efforts against Islam, especially after thefall of Constantinople in 1453.[36][37] A large crusade was desired but the Papacy struggled to rally the necessary forces and Afonso, having already made war preparations in Portugal, saw an opportunity to pursue military campaigns in Africa.[27]
In 1458, Afonso V, leading an expeditionary force of 25,000 men, assaulted and captured the town ofAlcácer Ceguer.[38][39] After the conquest, he gave himself the title "king of Portugal and the Algarves", where the plural form of Algarve was meant to refer to both the originalKingdom of the Algarve in southern Portugal as well as the new territories in Africa.[40][41] For the next two decades, the Portuguese nobility and crown concentrated their efforts primarily on Morocco.[42] Between November 1463 and April 1464, Afonso made multiple unsuccessful attempts to seizeTangiers from theMarinids.[43] In August 1471, he launched another campaign to capture the city, but his fleet was diverted by a storm to the port ofArzila.[44] After a fierce battle,Arzila was captured.[45] Subsequently, the nearby population of Tangiers fled and the city fell into Portuguese control.[46] Consequently, the Portuguese controlled the North African coast fromCeuta to Tangiers.[47] Afonso's victories earned him the nickname ofthe African orO Africano.[48]
Following his campaigns in Africa, Afonso V found new grounds for battle in neighboringCastile.[49] On 11 December 1474 KingHenry IV of Castile died without a male heir, leaving just one daughter,Joanna. However, her paternity was questioned; it was rumored that his wife, QueenJoan of Portugal (Afonso's sister) had an affair with a nobleman namedBeltrán de La Cueva.[50] The death of Henry ignited awar of succession, with one faction supporting Joanna and the other supportingIsabella, Henry's half-sister. Afonso V was persuaded to intervene on behalf of Joanna, his niece.[51][52]
On 12 May 1475 Afonso entered Castile with an army of 5,600 cavalry and 14,000 foot soldiers.[53] He met Joanna inPalencia and the two were betrothed and proclaimed sovereigns of Castile on 25 May.[54] The formal marriage was delayed because their close blood relationship necessitated a papal dispensation.[55]
In March 1476, after several skirmishes and much maneuvering, the 8,000 men of Afonso andPrince John, faced a Castilian force of similar size in theBattle of Toro. The Castilians were led by Isabella's husband, PrinceFerdinand II of Aragon,Cardinal Mendoza and theDuke of Alba.[56] The fight was fierce and confusing but the result was a stalemate:[57][58][59] while the forces of Cardinal Mendoza and the Duke of Alba won over their opponents led by the Portuguese king—who left the battlefield to take refuge inCastronuño—the troops commanded by Prince John defeated and persecuted the troops of the Castilian right wing and recovered the Portuguese royal standard, remaining ordered in the battlefield where they collected the fugitives of Afonso.[60] Both sides claimed victory, but Afonso's prospects for obtaining theCastilian crown were severely damaged.[61]
After the battle, Afonso sailed to France hoping to obtain the assistance of KingLouis XI in his fight against Castile.[62] In September 1477, disheartened that his efforts to secure support had proved fruitless, Afonso abdicated the throne and embarked on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.[63][64] He was eventually persuaded to return to Portugal, where he arrived in November 1477.[65] Prince John had been proclaimed king days prior to Afonso's arrival, but relinquished his new title and insisted that his father reassume the crown.[66][67]
From 1477 to 1481, Afonso V and Prince John were "practically co-rulers."[67] Afonso made preparations for a second invasion of Castile in winter 1478, but was deterred by CastilianHermandad forces.[68] TheTreaty of Alcáçovas was finally negotiated in 1479, wherein Afonso renounced his claim to the Castilian throne in exchange for Portuguese hegemony in the Atlantic south of theCanary Islands.[69][70][71] Although the treaty was advantageous for Portugal, the king was deeply unhappy with the provision that forced his bride and niece, Joanna, into a convent.[72][73] Withdrawn and melancholic, he announced his intention to abdicate[b] for a second time and retired to a monastery inSintra.[74][75] He died of fever shortly after, on 28 August 1481.[76][77]
Afonso had three children with his first wifeIsabella of Coimbra:[78]
He had one illegitimate child with Maria Soares da Cunha:[citation needed]
| Ancestors of Afonso V of Portugal |
|---|
It was 1 March 1476. Eight thousand men for each side, the chronicles tell. With Afonso of Portugal were his son João and the bishops of Evora and Toledo. WithFernando of Aragón, Cardinal Mendoza and the Duke of Alba, as well as the militias ofZamora,Ciudad Rodrigo andValladolid. The battle was long, but not especially bloody: it is estimated that the casualties of each side did not reach a thousand.
After nine months, occupied with frontier raids and fruitless negotiations, the Castilian and Portuguese armies met at Toro ... and fought an indecisive battle, for while Afonso was beaten and fled, his son John destroyed the forces opposed to him.
...But in the left[Portuguese] Wing, in front of the Asturians and Galician, the reinforcement army of the Prince heir of Portugal, well provided with artillery, could leave the battlefield with its head high. The battle resulted this way, inconclusive. But its global result stays after that decided by the withdrawal of the Portuguese King, the surrender... of the Zamora's fortress on 19 March, and the multiple adhesions of the nobles to the young princes.
... The result of the battle was very uncertain; Ferdinand defeated the enemy's right wing led by Afonso, but the Prince had the same advantage over the Castilians.
The two sides finally and climactically clashed, in the major confrontation known as theBattle of Toro, on 1 March 1476. The Portuguese army, led by King Afonso, his twenty-one-year-old son Prince João, and the rebellious Archbishop Carrillo of Toledo opposed Ferdinand, the Duke of Alba, Cardinal Mendoza, and other Castilian nobles leading the Isabelline forces. Foggy and rainy, it was bloody chaos on the battlefield. (...) Hundreds of people – perhaps as many as one thousand – died that day. (...). Troops led by Prince João won in their part of the battle; some troops led byKing Ferdinand won in another part. But the most telling fact was that King Afonso had fled the battlefield with his troops in disarray; the Castilians seized his battle flag, the royal standard of Portugal, despite the valiant efforts of a Portuguese soldier,Duarte de Almeida, to retain it. (...). The Portuguese, however, later managed to recover the banner. The battle ended in an inconclusive outcome, but Isabella employed a masterstroke of political theater by recasting events as a stupendous victory for Castile. Each side had won some skirmishes and lost others, but Ferdinand was presented in Castile as the winner and Afonso as a craven failure. (...)..
Afonso V of Portugal Cadet branch of theHouse of Burgundy Born: 15 January 1432 Died: 28 August 1481 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Portugal 1438–1477 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | King of Portugal 1477–1481 | |
| Portuguese royalty | ||
| New title | Prince of Portugal 1433–1438 | 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. | ||
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