Peter II (Portugal)
Peter II , Portuguese Dom Pedro II , (born April 26, 1648 in Lisbon , † December 9, 1706 in Alcântara Castle ), known as "the peacemaker" ( O Pacífico ), was the 23rd King of Portugal . He was the third monarch of the House of Braganza and ruled from 1683 to 1704.
Life
Peter II was born the fourth son of John IV of Portugal and his wife Luisa von Guzmán . As a younger son, he was not actually called to the throne, and so after the death of his father in 1656, his older brother Alfons VI ascended . the Portuguese throne. However, he was physically and mentally handicapped and therefore difficult to run the government over the country. Alfonso VI married in 1666. Maria Francisca Elisabeth of Savoy , Countess of Nemours. Peter fell in love with his brother's wife. He allied with her and together they forced Alfonso VI. to sign a document that he renounced the exercise of his rule. The disempowered Alfonso VI. then lived in captivity until the end of his life. Peter was appointed regent by the Cortes in 1667 and after the death of his brother in 1683 ascended the Portuguese throne as Peter II . In 1704 he became seriously ill, so that his sister Katharina von Braganza ruled Portugal until her own death on December 31, 1705.
During the reign of Peter II , the country's economy was reorganized according to mercantilist standards (reforms by the third Count of Ericeira) and a far-reaching trade treaty was concluded with England (1668). This gave English products in Portugal a tariff preference in compensation for English tariff preferences for Portuguese wine. In the Methuen Treaty of 1703 England was finally allowed the duty-free import of textiles and manufactured goods, Portugal paid for it with the gold and diamonds of Brazil . This treaty, which remained in force until 1842, contributed to Portugal becoming economically dependent on England and, as the country was inundated with cheap British products, neglecting its own industrialization .
The Cortes met for the last time in 1669. The following absolutist kings no longer called the old assembly of estates. It was only after the liberal revolution of 1820 that the Cortes were to meet again.
Portugal entered the War of the Spanish Succession on the British-Austrian side in 1703 .
family
Peter II was married twice. In 1668 he married Maria Francisca Elisabeth von Savoyen (June 22, 1646, † December 27, 1683), the divorced wife of his older brother. He had a daughter with her
- Elisabeth Luisa Josepha (January 6, 1669 - October 21, 1690)
On August 30, 1687, he married Marie Sophie von der Pfalz (* August 6, 1666 - August 4, 1699), a daughter of Elector Philipp Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg and Countess Magdalena von Hessen- Darmstadt .
He had the following children with her:
- Johann Franz (born August 30, 1688; † September 17, 1688)
- Johann V (born October 22, 1689; † July 31, 1750)
- Franz Xaver Joseph Antonius Benedikt Urban (* May 25, 1691 - July 21, 1742), seventh Duke of Beja
- Franziska Xaver (born January 30, 1694; † 169?)
- Antonius Franz Xaver Benedikt Theodosius Leopold Heinrich (* March 15, 1695 - † October 19, 1757)
- Theresa Maria (February 24, 1696 - February 16, 1704)
- Emmanuel Joseph Franz Antonius Gaetan Stephan Bartholomäus (* August 3, 1697 - † August 3, 1766)
- Franziska Josepha Maria Xaver (January 30, 1699 - June 15, 1756)
He was also the father of the following illegitimate children:
- Luisa (born January 9, 1679)
- Michael (October 15, 1699 - January 13, 1724)
- Joseph Karl (6 May 1703 - 3 June 1756), Archbishop of Braga
See also
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Alfonso VI |
King of Portugal 1683–1706 |
Johann V. |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Peter II |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Peter II the Peaceful; Peter the Peaceful; Pedro II; Pedro o pacífico |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Regent and King of Portugal (1683–1706) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 26, 1648 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lisbon |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 9, 1706 |
| Place of death | Alcântara Castle |