Henry, King of Portugal

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Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
Cardeal D. Henrique, cpia de original de c. 1590.jpg
King of Portugal and the Algarves
Reign 4 August 1578 31 January 1580
Acclamation 28 August 1578; Lisbon
Predecessor Sebastian
Successor Anthony (disputed) or Philip I
Born 31 January 1512
Lisbon, Portugal
Died 31 January 1580 (aged 68)
Almeirim, Portugal
Burial Jernimos Monastery
Dynasty Aviz
Father Manuel I of Portugal
Mother Maria of Aragon
Religion Roman Catholicism
Cardinal Henry (Portuguese Henrique Portuguese pronunciation [?'?ik(?)]; 31 January
1512 31 January 1580) was King of Portugal and the Algarves and a cardinal of the
Roman Catholic Church. He ruled Portugal between 1578 and 1580 and was known as
Henry the Chaste (Portuguese Henrique o Casto) and the Cardinal-King

Contents [hide]
1 Life
1.1 Cardinal
1.2 Reign
1.2.1 Death and succession
2 Ancestry
3 See also
4 References
Life[edit]
Born in Lisbon, Henry was the fifth son of King Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of
Aragon.

Cardinal[edit]
As the younger brother of King John III of Portugal and a younger son in the royal
family, Henry was not expected to succeed to the Portuguese throne. Early in his
life, Henry took Holy Orders to promote Portuguese interests within the Catholic
Church, then dominated by Spain. He rose fast through the Church hierarchy,
becoming in quick succession Archbishop of Braga, Archbishop of vora and Grand
Inquisitor before receiving a Cardinal's hat in 1545,[1] along with the Titulus Ss.
Quattuor Coronatorum. From 1564 to 1570 he was Archbishop of Lisbon. Henry, more
than anyone, endeavoured to bring the Jesuits to Portugal to employ them in the
colonial empire.

Coat of Arms of King-Cardinal Henry I of Portugal.

Reign[edit]
Henry served as regent for his great-nephew, King Sebastian, after 1562, replacing
his sister-in-law (and Sebastian's grandmother) the Queen dowager Catherine, and
then succeeded him as king after the disastrous Battle of Alccer Quibir in 1578 in
which Sebastian died. Henry attempted to renounce his ecclesiastical office and
sought to take a bride for the continuation of the Avis dynasty, but Pope Gregory
XIII, not wanting to anger King Philip II of Spain, did not release him from his
vows.[2]

Death and succession[edit]

The Cardinal-King died in Almeirim without having appointed a successor, leaving
only a regency to care for the kingdom. One of the closest dynastic claimants was
King Philip II of Spain who, in November 1580, sent the Duke of Alba to claim
Portugal by force. Lisbon soon fell, and Philip was elected king of Portugal at the
Portuguese Cortes of Tomar in 1581on the condition that the kingdom and its
overseas territories would not become Spanish provinces.

Ancestry[edit]
[show]Ancestors of Henry, King of Portugal
See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henry I of Portugal.
Struggle for the throne of Portugal
War of the Portuguese Succession
Descendants of Manuel I of Portugal
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church Enrique de Portugal; Henry's brother
Alonso had also been made a Cardinal, in 1517 at the age of eight. (Cardinals of
the Holy Roman Church Alonso de Portugal).
Jump up ^ Ruth MacKay, The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal, (University
of Chicago Press, 2012), 44.
Henry, King of Portugal
House of Aviz
Cadet branch of the House of Burgundy
Born 31 January 1512 Died 31 January 1580
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Sebastian King of Portugal and the Algarves
15781580 Succeeded by
Anthony or Philip I
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Diogo de Sousa Archbishop of Braga
15331539 Succeeded by
Diego da Silva
Preceded by
Cardinal-Infante Afonso of Portugal
as Bishop of Evora Archbishop of Evora
15401564 Succeeded by
Joo de Melo
Preceded by
Fernando de Menezes Coutinho e Vasconcellos Archbishop of Lisboa
15641569 Succeeded by
Jorge de Almeida
Preceded by
Joo de Melo Archbishop of Evora
15741578 Succeeded by
Teotnio de Bragana