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Afonso IV of Portugal ( February 8 1291 - May 28 1357), known as the Brave, was the seventh king of Portugal from 1325 until his death. He was the son of Dinis of Portugal by his wife, princess Isabella of Aragon.
Afonso, born in Lisbon, was his father's only legitimate son and the rightful heir to the Portuguese throne. However, he was not, according to several sources, Dinis' favourite son; his half-brother, the illegitimate Afonso Sanches , enjoyed full royal favour. From early in life, the notorious rivalry led to several outbreaks of civil war. On January 7, 1325, Afonso's father died and he became king, taking full revenge on his brother. His rival was sentenced to exile in Castile, and stripped of all the lands and fiefdoms donated by their common father. Afonso Sanches, however, did not sit still. From Castile, he orchestrated a series of attempts to usurp the crown for himself. After a few failed attempts at invasion, both brothers signed a peace treaty, arranged by the Queen Isabella.
In 1309, Afonso IV married princess Beatrice, daughter of King Sancho IV of Castile by his wife Maria de Molina . The first-born of this union, princess Maria of Portugal, married King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1328Events May 1 Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton England recognises Scotland as an independent nation after the Wars of Scottish Independence May 12 Nicholas V is consecrated at St Peter's Basilica in Rome by the bishop of Venice. May 26 William of Ockham sec, at the same time that Afonso IV's heir, Peter, was promised to another Castilian princess, Constance. These arrangements were imperiled by the ill will of Alfonso XI of Castile, who was, at the time, publicly mistreating his wife. Afonso IV was not happy to see his daughter abused, and started a war against Castile. Peace arrived four years later, with the intervention of princess Maria herself. A peace treaty was signed in SevilleThis article is about the city in Spain. For the place in the U. state of Ohio see Seville, Ohio and for the automobile see Cadillac Seville. Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain, crossed by the riv in 1339Events Emperor Go-Murakami ascends to the throne of Japan Births Duke Rudolf IV of Austria, 'the Founder', on November 1 Deaths Emperor Go-Daigo of Japan Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, on February 17 1339. and, in the next year, Portuguese troops played an important role in the victory of the Battle of Salado over the Marinids MoorsMoors is used in this article to describe the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called "Moorish". For other meanings look at Moors (Meaning) or Blackamoors. The name derives from the ancient Berber tribe of in October 1340.
The last part of Afonso IV's reign is marked not by open warfare against Castile, but by political intrigue. Civil warFor other uses, see Civil War (disambiguation A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. Civil war is usually a high intensity stage in an unresolved political struggle for national control of state pow between King Peter I of CastilePeter I ( August 30, 1334 March 23, 1369; Spanish: Pedro I , sometimes known as Peter the Cruel or Pedro the Cruel was the king of Castile from 1350 to 1369. He was the son of Alfonso XI and Maria, daughter of Alphonso IV of Portugal. He earned for himsel and his half-brother Henry of Trastamara led to the exile of many Castilian nobles to PortugalRepublica Portuguesa ( In Detail) National motto: None Official language Portuguese 3 Capital Lisbon President Jorge Sampaio Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes Area Total % water World ranking: 109th 92,391 kmē0. 5 % Population Total ( 2004) Density World. These immigrants immediately created a faction among the Portuguese court, aiming at privileges and power that, somehow, could compensate what they lost at home. The faction grew in power, especially after Ines de Castro, daughter of an important nobleman and maid of princess Constance of Castile, became the lover of her lady's husband: Peter, the heir of Portugal. Afonso IV was displeased with his son's choice of lovers, and hoped that the relationship would be a futile one. Unfortunately for internal politics, it was not. Peter was openly in love with Ines, recognized all the children she bore, and, worst of all, favoured the Castilians that surrounded her. Moreover, after his wife's death in 1349, Peter refused the idea of marrying anyone other than Ines herself.
The situation became worse as the years passed and the aging Afonso IV lost control over his court. Peter's only male heir, future king Fernando of Portugal, was a sickly child, while the illegitimate children sired with Ines thrived. Worried about his legitimate grandson's life, and the growing power of Castile within Portugal's borders, Afonso IV ordered the murder of Ines de Castro in 1355. He expected his son to act reasonably, but the heir was not able to forgive him for the act. Enraged at the barbaric act, Peter put himself at the head of an army and devastated the country between the Douro and the Minho rivers before he was reconciled to his father in early 1357. Afonso died almost immediately after, in Lisbon in May.
As king, Afonso IV is remembered as a soldier and a valiant general, hence the nickname the Brave. But perhaps his most important contribution was the importance he gave to the Portuguese navy. Afonso IV granted public funding to raise a proper commercial fleet and ordered the first maritime explorations. The Canary Islands (today a part of Spain) were discovered during his reign.
