John of Braganza, born ca. 1430, was the second son of Fernando I, Duke of Braganza

Fernando I, Duke of Braganza

Ferdinand was the second son of Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza and of his wife, Beatriz Pereira de Alvim .-Life:...

 and of his wife, the duchess Joan of Castro.

Through a letter issued in 30 October 1471, king Afonso V of Portugal

Afonso V of Portugal

Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...

 granted him the Lordship of Montemor-o-Novo

Montemor-o-Novo

Montemor-o-Novo is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 1233.0 km² and a total population of 18,485 inhabitants. The city itself has a population of 12,000.The municipality is composed of 10 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora....

 and in 25 April 1473, he was appointed the 7th Constable of Portugal

Constable of Portugal

Constable of Portugal or Constable of the Kingdom was a title created by the King of Portugal Ferdinand I in 1382, to substitute the title Alferes Mór do Reino. The constable was the second most powerful person in the kingdom, after the King of Portugal...

, as was his great-grandfather, Nuno Álvares Pereira

Nuno Álvares Pereira

Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. , also spelled Nun'Álvares Pereira, was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile...

. Later, in 1478, the same king granted him the title of Marquis of Montemor-o-Novo – he was the first and sole marquis of this title.

Before 25 July 1460, he married his 5th cousin, Isabel of Noronha (niece of Christopher Columbus), a natural daughter of the Archbishop of Lisbon Pedro de Noronha (who was himself, a descendant of king Fernando I of Portugal through an illegitimate line).

When king John II of Portugal

John II of Portugal

John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...

 succeeded to the Portuguese throne and started actively his policy against the high nobility power (namely the Braganza

Duke of Braganza

The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...

 and the Viseu

Duke of Viseu

Duke of Viseu was a Portuguese Royal Dukedom created in 1415 by King John I of Portugal for his third male child, Prince Henry the Navigator, following the conquest of Ceuta....

 families) John was soon one the king’s targets. He escape to Castile

Kingdom of Castile

Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...

 but in Portugal he was condemned for treason, and his statue was symbolically executed in Abrantes

Abrantes

Abrantes is a municipality in Portugal, with a population of 41,560 inhabitants, located on the southern margin of the Tagus River.-History:...

, in 12 September 1483.

He died in Seville

Seville

Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...

, in 30 April 1484, where he was buried, together with his wife, in the Santa Paula Monastery.

Ancestry

External links

• Genealogy of John, Marquis of Montemor-o-Novo

Bigliography

• "Nobreza de Portugal e Brasil" - Vol. II, pages 29 and 30. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989;
• "O Marquês de Montemor e a sua vida pública" de Anastásia Mestrinho Salgado, Edições Cosmos, Lisbon 1997.