Alfons V (Portugal)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alfonso V, the African, of Portugal

Alfonso V (Dom Afonso V) , called "the African" (O Africano) , (born January 15, 1432 in Sintra , † August 28, 1481 ibid) from the house of Avis was from 1438 to 1481 the twelfth king of Portugal . He ruled from 1449 until his death.

Life

Alfons V was born the son of Edward I of Portugal (1391-1438) and his wife Eleanor of Aragón (1402-1445). Since his father died early, Alfons ascended the Portuguese throne at the age of six. The rule for him was first his mother, then his uncle Peter , Duke of Coimbra, who was also to become his father-in-law. After Alfonso V reached the age of majority, Peter was not ready to hand over the rule to Alfonso. Alfons' mother, a princess from Aragon , finally got Alfons the support of her homeland. With this help, Alfonso was able to defeat his uncle and father-in-law at the Battle of Alfarrobeira in 1449, Peter of Portugal was killed in the battle, and Alfonso V was able to ascend the Portuguese throne.

Alfonso V was now the undisputed ruler of the country. However, he had paid for this victory by strengthening the position of the nobility, represented especially by the Duke of Braganza , at the expense of the central royal power. Alfons' further government was characterized by the attempt to regain the influence it had lost.

In 1451 he succeeded in meeting his sister Leonore with the later Roman-German Emperor Friedrich III. to marry from the House of Habsburg .

During this time, the discoveries of Henry the Navigator continued, which Alfons emphatically promoted. In 1440 a trading post was opened on the island of Arguin, off the coast of West Africa , and Portugal began trading in slaves and gold . The latter enabled the Portuguese crown to mint its own gold coins, the cruzados, from 1457 onwards . With the Bull Dum diversas on June 18, 1452 , Pope Nicholas V gave King Alfonso V, Henry the Seafarer and their descendants sovereignty over all of Africa, the sole right of navigation there, the trade monopoly and the right to lead infidels into slavery. In 1456 the Cape Verde Islands were discovered and given to the Order of Christ for settlement in the name of Portugal. In 1460 Guinea was reached.

The coat of arms of the Portuguese kings from John I to Alfonso V.

In foreign policy, Alfonso V was particularly active in northern Africa. Originally, however, he had completely different plans. After Constantinople fell and the Ottomans stood before Belgrade in 1456 , Pope Kalixtus III. called for a new crusade against the Muslims . Alfonso V promised the Pope to take part in the crusade with a force of 12,000 men. Because of the death of Pope Kalixtus III. however, in 1458 the crusade never took place. But since the promised army in Portugal had already been raised with great financial effort, Alfonso V now directed this army to the African continent. Tangier fell in 1471 . Alfonso V then expanded his royal title to affirm his claim to the North African territories ( Rei de Portugal e do Algarve, Senhor de Septa, Senhor d'Alcacere em África ), which earned him his nickname "the African".

In 1474 his brother-in-law, King Henry IV of Castile, died . Alfons V then actively intervened in the struggle for the Castilian throne. In 1464 he had courted the hand of Princess Isabella , a sister of the late Henry IV. After these plans had failed, however, he married Johanna, the daughter of Henry IV, and then supported her claims to the throne against Isabella.

However, at the Battle of Toro , Portugal was defeated by the Catholic kings and the Portuguese claims to the throne of Castile were repulsed. Alfonso V went to Nancy in France , where he tried in vain to King Louis XI. on his side and move him to intervene against Castile. Depressed and depressed by the defeat of Toro , he toyed with the idea of ​​abdicating and not returning to Portugal from France. He wanted to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem , King Louis XI. but could persuade him to return to his country. In the Peace of Alcaçovas , Alfonso V had to give up all claims to the Castilian throne for himself and his wife, but received freedom of action in North Africa from Spain.

In the last years of his life, the king became increasingly depressed and ailing, wanted to abdicate again, but previously died of the plague on August 28, 1481 at the age of 49 .

family

His first marriage was in 1447 with Isabel of Portugal , a daughter of Prince Regent Peter of Portugal . From this marriage there were three children:

  • Johann (January 29, 1451 - 1455)
  • Joan of Portugal (February 6, 1452 - May 12, 1490)
  • John II , the Strict (May 3, 1455 - October 25, 1495)

His second marriage was in 1475 with Joanna of Castile , a daughter of King Henry IV of Castile .

literature

See also

predecessor Office successor
Edward I. King of Portugal
1438–1481 		Johann II.
personal data
SURNAME Alfons V.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Afonso V (Portuguese); the African (nickname); O Africano (nickname, Portuguese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Portugal from the House of Avis
DATE OF BIRTH January 15, 1432
PLACE OF BIRTH Sintra , Portugal
DATE OF DEATH August 28, 1481
Place of death Sintra , Portugal