Johann III. (Portugal)

King John III from Portugal

Johann III. (Portuguese Dom João III ), called "the pious" ( O Piedoso or O Pio ) or "the colonial ruler " ( o Colonizador ) (* June 6, 1502 in Lisbon ; † June 11, 1557 ibid) came from the house of Avis and ruled from December 19, 1521 to June 11, 1557 as the fifteenth king of Portugal . Under his rule Brazil was settled, new colonies in Asia such as Bombaim acquired, and maritime trade between Europe and China and Japanopened up. The Portuguese colonial empire reached under Johann III. its largest worldwide extent.

Life

Johann III. was born as the eldest son of King Emanuel I (Manuel) and his second wife Maria of Aragón . He was educated by high clergymen such as the Bishop of Viseu and the most important Portuguese humanist, Luis Texeira Lobo, who had been rector of the University of Siena. At the age of sixteen he was to be betrothed to Eleanor of Castile (1498–1558) , who, however, was married to his father in her third marriage. After the death of his father, he ascended the Portuguese throne on December 19, 1521.

The marriage of his sister Isabella of Portugal (1503–1539) to Charles V was politically motivated . the wedding took place on March 10, 1526 in Seville. Shortly before, in February 1525, he had married Charles V's sister, Catherine of Castile .

Johann III. went down in Portuguese history as the king who brought the Inquisition to the country. As early as 1496, following the example of the Catholic Kings in Spain , his father had expelled the Jews from Portugal (see persecution of Jews and anti-Semitism ), but at the same time allowed Jews who converted to Christianity to stay. Presumably many of these " New Christians " (Cristãos-Novos), who had not converted to the Catholic faith voluntarily, secretly continued to follow their old religion. Johann III. therefore commissioned the Inquisition to investigate the faith practices of the "New Christians". Over the next 200 years, 1,454 people were sentenced to death by the Inquisition in Portugal. In 1540, Johann III. also the Jesuits to settle in the country.

Overall, Portugal was at the time of John III. at the height of his power, even if the first shadows appeared under his rule. The splendid court roster drove up foreign debts, although the state made enormous profits through the Casa da Índia . The by Johann III. The inquisition called into the country drove parts of the formerly Jewish middle class into exile. In terms of foreign policy, Johann III, like his father, concentrated on acquiring colonies overseas . As early as 1524, at the Badajoz Congress, the Portuguese claim to Brazil was internationally recognized.

The Portuguese Empire under John III.

In 1529, Spain and Portugal agreed on their colonial claims through the Treaty of Saragossa . In 1532, Martim Afonso de Sousa founded São Vicente , the first permanent settlement in Brazil . Since 1534 the king gave away large areas of land in Brazil as fiefdoms (donatárias) and thus promoted the development of the country. In 1545, Salvador da Bahia was founded as the capital of Brazil. Under Johann III. were Diu , Celebes , Muscat and Sur conquered. He renounced the Philippines and secured the Moluccas , which were of great importance for the Indian trade . In 1542 Fernão Mendes Pinto discovered the sea route to Japan and Portugal began to trade with the land via Nagasaki . In 1541 the clergyman Franz Xavier finally came to Asia, who initiated the Jesuit mission there . Macau , the first permanent Portuguese trading settlement in the Empire of China , was founded in 1553 .

family

King John III of Portugal, attributed to Cristóvão Lopes .

Catherine of Castile; Painting by Anthony Mor from 1552.

On February 15, 1525 he married Catherine of Castile in Lisbon (January 14, 1507; † January 12, 1578), daughter of Philip the Fair and Joan the Mad . She was thus also a sister of the Roman-German Emperor Charles V and the stepmother of Johann III. Eleanor of Austria .

He had the following children with Katharina:

• Alfons (* 1526; † 1526)
• Maria (October 15, 1527; † July 12, 1545), by marriage Queen of Spain ⚭ 1543 Philip II , King of Spain
• Isabella (* 1529; † 1529)
• Beatrice (* 1530; † 1530)
• Emanuel (* 1531; † 1537), appointed heir to the throne in 1535
• Philipp (* 1533; † 1539), appointed heir to the throne in 1537
• Dionysus (Dinis) (* 1535; † 1537),
• Johann Manuel (* 1537; † 1554), Crown Prince of Portugal; ⚭ 1552 Joan of Spain (1535–1573)
• Anton (* 1539; † 1540)

Since all sons of King John III. before he died, his grandson Sebastian I succeeded him on the Portuguese throne.

ancestors

Eduard (Portugal) (1391-1438)

Ferdinand of Portugal-Viseu (1433–1470)

Eleanor of Aragon (1402–1445)

Manuel I (Portugal) (1469-1521)

John of Portugal (1400–1442)

Beatrix of Portugal (1430–1506)

Isabella of Braganza (1402–1465)

Johann III. (Portugal) (1502–1557)

John II (Aragón) (1397–1479)

Ferdinand II (Aragon) (1452-1516)

Juana Enríquez (1425–1468)

Mary of Aragon (1482-1517)

John II (Castile) (1405-1454)

Isabella I (Castile) (1451–1504)

Isabella of Portugal (1428 / 1431–1496)

See also

• History of Portugal
• Timeline Portugal
• Portugal under the house of Avis

literature

• Paulo Drummond Braga, D. João III , Hugin, Lisbon, 2002.

Web links

Commons : Johann III. of Portugal  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

predecessor	government office	successor
Manuel I.	King of Portugal 1521–1557	Sebastian I.