John IV of Portugal
Encyclopedia : J : JO : JOH : John IV of Portugal
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John was born at Vila Viçosa and succeeded his father Teodósio II as Duke of Braganza when the latter died insane in 1630. He married Luisa de Guzman (1613-1666), eldest daughter of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, in 1633. By the unanimous voice of the people he was raised to the throne of Portugal (of which he was held to be the legitimate heir) during the revolution on December 1, 1640, against the Spanish king Philip IV.
His accession led to a protracted war with Spain, which only ended with the recognition of Portuguese independence in a subsequent reign (1668). Portugal signed alliances with France (June 1, 1641) and Sweden (August 1641) but by necessity its only contribution in the Thirty Years' War were in the field against Spain and against Dutch encroachments on the Portuguese colonies.
In Portugal, a Spanish invasion was defeated at Montijo, near Badajoz, Spain, in 1644. Abroad, the Dutch took Malacca (Jan 1641) and the Sultan of Oman captured Muscat (1648). The Portuguese, nevertheless, and despite having to divide their forces between Europe, Brazil and Africa, managed to retake Luanda, in Angola, from the Dutch in 1648 and, by 1654, had recovered most of Brazil, effectively ceasing to be a viable Dutch colony. This was countered by the loss of Ceilan (Portuguese Ceilão), present day Sri Lanka, to the Dutch who took Colombo in 1656.
King John IV died in 1656 and was succeeded by his son Afonso VI. His daughter Catarina married King Charles II of England.
John was a patron of music and the arts, and a considerably sophisticated writer on music; in addition to this, he was a composer. During his reign he collected one of the largest libraries in the world, but it was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Among his writings is a defense of Palestrina, and a Defense of Modern Music (Lisbon, 1649).
Ancestors
| John IV of Portugal | Father: Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza | Father's father: John I, Duke of Braganza | Father's father's father: Teodósio I, Duke of Braganza |
| Father's father's mother: Isabel de Lancastre | |||
| Father's mother: Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza | Father's mother's father: Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães | ||
| Father's mother's mother: Isabel of Braganza | |||
| Mother: Ana de Velasco y Giron | Mother's father: Juan Fernández de Velasco, Duke of Frias | Mother's father's father: Iñigo Fernández de Velasco, Duke of Frias | |
| Mother's father's mother: Juana Enriquez de Ribera y Portocarrero | |||
| Mother's mother: Ana Ángela de Aragón y Guzmán | Mother's mother's father: Juan Alfonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia | ||
| Mother's mother's mother: Ana de Aragón |
Marriages and descendants
John married Luisa de Guzman, daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzman, 8th Duke of Medina-Sidonia. From that marriage several children were born. Because some of John's children were born and died before his father became King they are not considered princes or princesses (infantes) of Portugal.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Luisa de Guzman (October 13 1613-October 27 1666; married on January 12 1633) | |||
| Prince Teodósio | February 8 1634 | May 13 1653 | Prince of Brazil and 9th Duke of Braganza. Died young. |
| Ana | January 21 1635 | January 21 1635 | |
| Princess Joan | September 18 1635 | November 17 1653 | |
| Princess Catherine | November 25 1638 | December 31 1705 | Queen consort through marriage to Charles II of England. |
| Manuel | September 6 1640 | September 6 1640 | |
| Prince Afonso | August 21 1643 | September 12 1683 | Who succeeded him as 21st (or 22nd according to some historians) King of Portugal. |
| Prince Peter | April 26 1648 | December 9 1706 | Who succeeded his brother Afonso as 22nd (or 23rd according to some historians) King of Portugal. |
| Illegitimate offspring | |||
| Maria de Bragança | April 30 1644 | February 7 1693 | Natural daughter. |
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Philip III
Afonso VI
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