page_title: House of Braganza
section_title: Portuguese Renaissance
hierarchical_section_title: House of Braganza / History / Portuguese Renaissance
context_page_description: The Most Serene House of Braganza, also known as the Brigantine Dynasty, is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas.
  The house was founded by Afonso I, 1st Duke of Braganza, illegitimate son of King John I of Portugal of the House of Aviz, and would eventually grow into one of the wealthiest and most powerful noble houses of the Iberian Peninsula of the Renaissance period. The Braganzas came to rule the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves after successfully deposing the Philippine Dynasty in the Restoration War, resulting in the Duke of Braganza becoming King John IV of Portugal, in 1640. The Braganzas ruled Portugal and the Portuguese Empire from 1640 and with the creation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, in 1815, and the subsequent independence of the Empire of Brazil, in 1822, the Braganzas came to rule as the monarchs of Brazil.
context_section_description: Jaime I's tenure as Duke of Braganza was one of restoration and grandness. Upon his return to Portugal from exile, Jaime took possession of the House's formerly confiscated properties. In order to establish a new image for the House, he ordered the construction of a new seat for the House, which would become one of the largest palaces in Iberia, the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa. Jaime I's restoration also continued with the House's relations with the King, Jaime I having becoming a favourite of King Manuel I and even once his temporary heir. The Duke also had his share of scandal, having funded the conquest of the city of Azamor, for the royal crown as, as punishment for his ordering the murder of his first wife, Leonor Pérez de Guzman, daughter of Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 3rd Duke of Medina Sidonia.
  The children of Jaime I, both the two first children by his first wife, Leonor of Pérez de Guzman, and the later eight children by his second wife, Joana of Mendoça, all saw successful lives under the restored House of Braganza. Jaime I's first daughter, Isabel of Braganza, married Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães, and had three children, while his first son and successor, Teodósio I, was a successful prince of the Portuguese Renaissance. Five of Jaime I's children, Jaime, Maria, Fulgêncio, Teotónio, and Vicência, all entered into religious orders. The Duke's second daughter, Joana of Braganza, married Bernardino de Cardenas, 3rd Marquis of Elche, and his third daughter, Eugénia of Braganza, married Francisco de Melo, 2nd Marquis of Ferreira. Jaime I's only other son, other than Teodósio I, to not enter into the church, Constantino of Braganza, married Maria de Melo, daughter of D. Rodrigo de Melo, 1st Marquis of Ferreira, but had no children. Constantino was famed as a great officer of the Portuguese Empire, having served as the Viceroy of Portuguese India and Captain of Ribeira Grande, among other positions.
  The fifth Duke, Teodósio I, is remembered for being the personification of the Portuguese Renaissance. A patron of the arts and scholarly noble, Teodósio I maintained the prestige of the House of Braganza, although not leaving a significant mark on the House's history. The Duke notably ceded the Dukedom of Guimarães to Infante Duarte of Portugal as the dowry of his sister, Isabel of Braganza.
  Teodósio I's first son, Jaime of Braganza, died before he could inherit his father's titles, fighting alongside King Sebastião I at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. The Duke's only daughter, Isabel of Braganza, married Miguel Luis de Meneses, 1st Duke of Caminha, though their union had no issue. Teodósio I's last child and successor, João I, lived a very different life from Teodósio I's calm and relatively peaceful tenure, having been involved in the controversies of the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and the subsequent War of the Portuguese Succession.
  João I's tenure as Duke was one intertwined with controversy and intrigue. Having been married to Infanta Catarina, daughter of Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães, and thus a grandchild of King Manuel I, during the succession crisis of 1580, the couple pressed their claims to the Portuguese throne. Though Infanta Catarina was a popular claimant, her Habsburg cousin was eventually crowned Philip I of Portugal and the Iberian Union was established. In an attempt at reconciliation with the Brigantine House, King Philip I renewed the title of Constable of Portugal, which João I had held previously, to the Duke's first son, Teodósio II, alongside other title and land grants to the Duke and the House.
  João I's daughters, Maria, Serefina, Querubina, and Angélica, were some of the most eligible ladies of Portugal and all Iberia, though the only one to marry was Serefina of Braganza, who married Castilian Juan Fernandez Pacheco, 5th Duke of Escalona. The Duke's oldest son and successor, Teodósio II, famously fought in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir at the age of ten and later became an accomplished general. João I's second son, Duarte of Braganza, was made 1st Marquis of Frechilla, and
caption: In 1640, John IV of Portugal became the first Braganza to reign as King of Portugal, starting the Portuguese Restoration War.
exif: {}