Afonso VI of Portugal
Encyclopedia : A : AF : AFO : Afonso VI of Portugal
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Portuguese Royalty
House of Braganza
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| John IV
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| Children include
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| Teodósio, Prince of Brazil
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| Joana, Princess of Beira
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| Infanta Catarina, Queen of England
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| Afonso, Prince of Brazil
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| Infante Pedro, Duke of Beja
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| Afonso VI
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| Peter II
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| Children include
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| Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira
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| João, Prince of Brazil
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| Infante Francisco, Duke of Beja
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| Infante António
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| Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém
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| Infanta Francisca Josefa
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| Luísa, Duchess of Cadaval (natural daughter)
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| José, Archbishop of Braga (natural son)
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| John V
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| Children include
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| Infanta Maria Bárbara, Queen of Spain
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| José, Prince of Brazil
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| Pedro, Prince of Brazil
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| Joseph I
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| Children include
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| Maria Francisca, Princess of Beira
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| Infanta Maria Ana Francisca Josefa
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| Infanta Maria Francisca Doroteia
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| Benedita, Dowager Princess of Brazil
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| Maria I and Peter III
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| Children include
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| José, Prince of Brazil
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| João, Prince of Brazil
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| Infanta Mariana
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| John VI
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| Children include
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| Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira
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| Infanta Maria Isabel, Queen of Spain
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| Infante Pedro, Prince of Brazil
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| Infanta Maria Francisca, Countess of Molina
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| Infanta Isabel Maria
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| Infante Miguel, Duke of Braganza
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| Infanta Maria da Assunção
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| Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Duchess of Loulé
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| Peter IV (I of Brazil)
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| Children include
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| Infanta Maria da Glória, Duchess of Porto
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| Januária, Princess Imperial of Brazil
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| Princess Francisca, Princess de Joinville
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| Peter II of Brazil
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| Michael I
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| Children include
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| Infanta Maria das Neves, Duchess of San Jaime
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| Miguel II, Duke of Braganza
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| Infanta Teresa, Archduchess of Austria
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| Infanta Maria Josefa, Duchess in Bavaria
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| Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarães, Countess di Bardi
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| Infanta Maria Ana, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
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| Infanta Maria Antónia, Duchess of Parma
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| Grandchildren include
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| Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza
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| Great-Grandchildren include
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| Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
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| Maria II and Ferdinand II
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| Children include
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| Pedro, Prince Royal of Portugal, Duke of Braganza
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| Infante Luís, Duke of Porto
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| Infante João, Duke of Beja
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| Infanta Maria Ana
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| Infanta Antónia, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
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| Infante Augusto, Duke of Coimbra
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| Grandchildren include
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| Carlos, Prince Royal of Portugal, Duke of Braganza
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| Great-grandchildren include
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| Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, Duke of Braganza
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| Infante Manuel, Duke of Beja
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Afonso VI (
Portuguese pron. IPA /
ɐ'fõsu/;
English Alphonzo or
Alphonse), or
Affonso (Old Portuguese), (
August 21,
1643–
September 12,
1683) was the twenty-second (or twenty-third according to some historians)
King of
Portugal and
Algarves, the second of the
House of Braganza, known as
the Victorious (
Port. o Vitorioso).
At the age of three, Afonso suffered an illness that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, as well as leaving him mentally unstable. His father created him 11th Duke of Braganza.
After the 1653 death of his eldest brother Teodosio, Prince of Brazil, Afonso became the heir-apparent to the throne of the kingdom. He received also the crown-princely title 2nd Prince of Brazil.
He succeeded his father (João IV) in 1656 at the age of thirteen. His mother, (Luisa of Medina-Sidonia) was named regent in his father's will. His mental instability and paralysis, plus his disinterest in government, left his mother as regent for six years, until 1662. Luisa oversaw military victories over the Spanish at Ameixial (June 8 1663) and Montes Claros (June 17 1665), culminating in the final Spanish recognition of Portugal's independence on February 13 1668. Colonial affairs saw the Dutch conquest of Jaffnapatam, Portugal's last colony in Sri Lanka (1658) and the cession of Bombay and Tangier to England (June 23 1661) as dowry for Afonso's sister, Catherine of Braganza who had married King Charles II of England. English mediation in 1661 saw the Netherlands acknowledge Portuguese rule of Brazil in return for uncontested control of Sri Lanka.
In 1662, the Count of Castelo-Melhor saw an opportunity to gain power at court by befriending the king. He managed to convince the king that his mother was out to steal his throne and exile him from Portugal. As a result, Afonso took control of the throne and his mother was sent to a convent.
He was married to (
Marie Françoise of Nemours), the daughter of the
Duke of Nemours, in 1666, but this marriage would not last long. Marie, or Maria Francisca, as the Portuguese call her, filed for an annulment in 1667 based on the impotence of the king. The Church granted her the annulment, and she married Afonso's brother, D. Pedro, (future (
Pedro II)). That same year, Pedro managed to gain enough support to force the king to relinquish control of the government and he became the Prince Regent. Afonso was banished to the island of
Terceira in the
Azores for seven years, returning to mainland Portugal shortly before he died at
Sintra in
1683.
"|Preceded by:
John IV
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan=""|Succeeded by:
Peter II
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References
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