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Pedro II, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Pedro II, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro II, King of Portugal was born on April 26, 1648, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He was the youngest of the seven children and the fourth but the third surviving of the four sons of João IV, King of Portugal and Luisa de Guzmán y Sandoval. Catherine of Braganza who married Charles II, King of England and King of Scots, was Pedro’s sister. His paternal grandparents were the Portuguese nobleman Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza and the Spanish noblewoman Ana de Velasco y Téllez-Girón. Pedro’s maternal grandparents were the Spanish nobles Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán y Silva, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia and Juana Lorenza Gomez de Sandoval y de la Cerda.

Pedro had six elder siblings:

Pedro’s eldest brother Teodósio was the heir to the throne. However, on May 13, 1653, Teodósio died at age 19 due to tuberculosis and Pedro’s brother Afonso became heir to the throne of Portugal. When Afonso was about three years old, he had a “malignant fever” that affected the right side of his body and left him physically and mentally challenged. Today, it is suspected that he had a disease of the central nervous system, perhaps meningoencephalitis. Meningoencephalitis can cause permanent neurological damage including memory difficulty, learning disabilities, brain damage, and gait problems, and Afonso appears to have had those issues. As he was the second son and was also mentally challenged, Afonso was not prepared to be king.

Pedro’s brother Afonso VI, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

When Pedro was eight years old, his father João IV, King of Portugal died on November 6, 1656, and his thirteen-year-old brother succeeded as Alfonso VI, King of Portugal. João IV had appointed his wife Luisa as the regent during the minority of their son Afonso VI. Luisa remained in power until 1662, when Afonso, with the help of his favorite Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor, assumed power. Afonso appointed Castelo Melhor his escrivão da puridade (scribe of purity), a position that enabled Castelo Melhor to exercise the functions of a prime minister and control the Kingdom of Portugal. The Portuguese government was split between a pro-French faction led by Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor, and a pro-English faction led by Afonso’s brother Pedro. In 1662, Afonso and Pedro’s sister Catherine had married King Charles II of England. Castelo Melhor and King Louis XIV of France saw a French marriage for Afonso as a way to offset his sister’s English marriage.

Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal, wife of both Afonso VI and Pedro II; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1666, Afonso married Marie Françoise of Savoy, daughter of French military leader Charles Amadeus of Savoy, Duke of Nemours, and Élisabeth de Bourbon-Vendôme, a granddaughter of King Henri IV of France and his mistress Gabrielle d’Estrées. Problems with the marriage began to occur immediately after the wedding ceremony. Afonso left the wedding celebrations early and showed no interest in consummating the marriage. Maria Francisca wanted to serve the French interests but she also wanted power. She soon discovered Afonso was controlled by Castelo Melhor who had no intention of sharing power. This caused her to cooperate with her brother-in-law Pedro and his pro-English faction, and then most likely, she began an affair with Pedro. Maria Francisca persuaded her first cousin once removed King Louis XIV of France that supporting Pedro was a better way to further French interests.

In 1668, after a palace coup led by Pedro and Maria Francisca, Afonso VI was forced to dismiss Castelo Melhor who went into exile and was not permitted to return to Portugal until 1685. Pedro assumed the role of Prince Regent. Afonso VI was sent to Terceira Island in the Azores. In 1673, a conspiracy to restore Afonso to the throne was discovered and squelched. A decision was made to return Afonso to Lisbon where he could be better monitored. Afonso was taken to the Palace of Sintra in Lisbon, and for the rest of his life, he lived there, under guard and shut up in his quarters. While Pedro never formally usurped the throne, Afonso was king in name only for the rest of his life. Maria Francisca retired temporarily to a convent and asked the Roman Catholic Church to annul her marriage on the grounds of non-consummation. This was approved by her uncle Louis de Bourbon, Cardinal Vendôme. Maria Francisca and Pedro were married on April 2, 1668, after receiving a papal bull authorizing the marriage.

Pedro and Maria Francisca’s daughter Isabel Luísa of Braganza, Princess of Beira; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro and Maria Francisca had one daughter:

As Prince Regent, Pedro ensured Portugal’s independence with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, formally ending the Portuguese Restoration War with Spain. He formed an alliance with England based on clauses in the marriage contract of his sister Catherine of Braganza who had married King Charles II of England in 1661.

On September 12, 1683, 40-year-old Afonso VI, King of Portugal suffered a stroke and died later the same day. His brother succeeded him as Pedro II, King of Portugal, and Maria Francisca was Queen of Portugal for a second time. However, her second time as Queen of Portugal would be short. On December 27, 1683, 37-year-old Maria Francisca died at Palhavã Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, just three months after the death of her first husband Afonso.

Maria Sophia of Neuberg, Pedro’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Portugal had a succession crisis. Isabel Luísa of Braganza, Princess of Beira, Pedro II’s only child and his heir presumptive, was not married. Because of her sickly nature and the Law of the Cortes of Lamego that prevented the marriage of an heiress to a foreign prince, all marriage possibilities failed. Pedro knew he had to marry again to provide for the succession. In a proxy marriage on July 2, 1687, in Heidelberg, Electorate of the Palatinate, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, 39-year-old Pedro II married 21-year-old Maria Sophia of Neuburg, the daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Elector of the Palatinate, Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg and his second wife Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Marie Sophia was chosen as Pedro’s second wife because of her family’s reputation for producing fertile women. Maria Sophia arrived in Lisbon, Portugal on August 12, 1687, and on the same day, Pedro and Maria Sophia were formally married at Ribeira Palace.

Pedro and Maria Sophia’s eldest son João V, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro and Maria Sophia had eight children. Only their eldest surviving child João V, King of Portugal married and had children although some of their sons had illegitimate children. Isabel Luísa, Pedro’s daughter by Maria Francisca, remained the heir presumptive to the throne of Portugal until 1689 when her half-brother, the future João V, King of Portugal was born. A year later, Isabel Luísa died from smallpox at the age of twenty-one.

Pedro and Maria Sophia’s children:

The Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. The four tombs against the wall on the right under the window are the tombs of (top, left to right) Pedro II and Afonso VI (bottom, left to right) Maria Sophia of Neuburg and Maria Francisca of Savoy; Credit – Por Alegna13 – Obra do próprio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16664413

Sadly, Pedro II became a widower for a second time. On August 4, 1699, 32-year-old Maria Sophia died at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal from erysipelas, a bacterial infection of the skin that can spread to other areas of the body through the bloodstream. Pedro survived Maria Sophia by seven years. On December 5, 1706, he had a seizure that resulted in a stroke. Pedro II, King of Portugal died on December 9, 1706, aged 58, at Palhavã Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He was succeeded by his 17-year-old son João V, King of Portugal. Pedro was interred at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Sophia of Neuburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Sophia_of_Neuburg> [Accessed 28 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Peter II of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_II_of_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Afonso VI, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/afonso-vi-king-of-portugal/> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-francisca-of-savoy-queen-of-portugal/> [Accessed 28 May 2022].
  • Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Pedro II de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_II_de_Portugal> [Accessed 28 May 2022].

Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Francisca of Savoy was Queen of Portugal twice, once as the wife of Afonso VI, King of Portugal, and then as the wife of his brother Pedro II, King of Portugal. Born Marie Françoise Élisabeth of Savoy, on June 21, 1646, at the Hôtel de Nemours in Paris, France, she was the second of the five children and the second of the two daughters of Charles Amadeus of Savoy, Duke of Nemours and Élisabeth de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Vendôme. Maria Francisca’s paternal grandparents were Henri of Savoy, Duke of Nemours and Anne of Lorraine, Duchess of Aumale in her own right. Her maternal grandparents were César de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (the legitimized son of King Henri IV of France and his mistress Gabrielle d’Estrées) and Françoise of Lorraine. Maria Francisca was a first cousin once removed of Louis XIV, King of France.

Maria Francisca had only one surviving sibling. Her three younger brothers all died in infancy.

Maria Francisca’s father Charles Amadeus of Savoy, Duke of Nemours was a French military leader. On July 30, 1652, Charles Amadeus was killed, aged twenty-eight, in a duel by his brother-in-law François de Vendôme, Duke of Beaufort. The two men disagreed about Charles Amadeus’ mistress Élisabeth-Angélique de Coligny, Duchess of Châtillon (link in French). Maria Francisca was only six years old when her father was killed. Her widowed mother devoted herself to the education of her two daughters, supported by her own mother.

Afonso VI, King of Portugal, Maria Francisca’s first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1666, in Portugal, 23-year-old King Afonso VI sat upon the throne. Debilitated mentally and physically due to the effects of a disease he contracted in childhood, he was controlled by his favorite Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor who had manipulated himself into a position that gave him the power of a prime minister. The Portuguese government was split between a pro-French faction led by Castelo Melhor, and a pro-English faction led by Afonso’s brother Pedro. In 1662, Afonso’s sister Catherine of Braganza married King Charles II of England. Castelo Melhor and King Louis XIV of France saw a French marriage for Afonso as a way to offset his sister’s English marriage with Marie Françoise of Savoy being chosen as the bride.

Marie Françoise of Savoy arrived in Portugal on August 2, 1666. The wedding took place the same day and Marie Françoise became known as Maria Francisca. Problems with the marriage began to occur immediately after the wedding ceremony. Afonso left the wedding celebrations early and showed no interest in consummating the marriage. Maria Francisca was intelligent and wanted to serve the French interests but she also wanted power. She soon discovered Afonso was controlled by Castelo Melhor who had no intention of sharing power. This caused her to cooperate with her brother-in-law Pedro and his pro-English faction and then she began an affair with him. Maria Francisca persuaded her first cousin once removed King Louis XIV of France that supporting Pedro was a better way to further French interests.

Afonso VI’s brother, the future Pedro II, King of Portugal, and Maria Francisca’s second husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Soon Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor and his pro-France faction were losing ground to Pedro, Maria Francisca, and their pro-English faction. After a palace coup led by Pedro and Maria Francisca, Afonso VI was forced to dismiss Castelo Melhor who went into exile and was not permitted to return to Portugal until 1685. Pedro assumed the role of Prince Regent in 1668. While Pedro never formally usurped the throne, Afonso was king in name only for the rest of his life. Maria Francisca retired temporarily to a convent and asked the Roman Catholic Church to annul her marriage on the grounds of non-consummation. This was approved by her uncle Louis de Bourbon, Cardinal Vendôme. Maria Francisca and Pedro were married on April 2, 1668, after receiving a papal bull authorizing the marriage.

Maria Francisca and Pedro II’s daughter Isabel Luísa of Braganza, Princess of Beira; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro II needed heirs but Maria Francisca was able to produce only one daughter Isabel Luísa. She was the heir presumptive to the throne of Portugal, from her birth in 1669 until 1689 when her half-brother, the future João V, King of Portugal, the son of Pedro II’s second wife Maria Sophia of Neuburg, was born. Although Isabel Luísa had several prospective grooms, no marriage materialized. She died from smallpox at the age of twenty-one.

As for Afonso VI, he was exiled to Terceira Island in the Azores. In 1673, a conspiracy to restore Afonso to the throne was discovered and squelched. A decision was made to return Afonso to Lisbon where he could be better monitored. Afonso arrived in Lisbon on September 14, 1674, and was taken to the Palace of Sintra in Lisbon, where he lived for the rest of his life, under guard and shut up in his quarters. On September 12, 1683, 40-year-old Afonso suffered a stroke and died later the same day.

Maria Francisca as the founder of the Convent of the Francesinhas, by António de Oliveira de Louredo, 1703: Credit – Wikipedia

Afonso’s brother succeeded him as Pedro II, King of Portugal, and Maria Francisca was Queen of Portugal for a second time. However, her second time as Queen of Portugal would be short. Maria Francisca was seriously ill with dropsy, now called edema, the build-up of fluid in the body’s tissue. There are many underlying causes of dropsy including heart failure, kidney problems, low protein levels, liver problems, deep vein thrombosis, and infections. On December 27, 1683, 37-year-old Maria Francisca died at Palhavã Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, just three months after the death of her first husband Afonso. Maria Francisca was initially buried in the Convento das Francesinhas (Convent of the Little French Nuns) in Lisbon, Portugal, which she had founded in 1667. In 1912, her remains were transferred to the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.

The Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. The four tombs against the wall on the right under the window are the tombs of (top, left to right) Pedro II and Afonso VI (bottom, left to right) Maria Sophia of Neuburg and Maria Francisca of Savoy; Credit – Por Alegna13 – Obra do próprio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16664413

Four years after Maria Francisca’s death, Pedro II, King of Portugal married Maria Sophia of Neuburg. The couple had eight children including Pedro II’s successor João V, King of Portugal. Pedro II survived Maria Francisca by twenty-three years, dying on December 9, 1706, at Palhavã Palace in Lisbon, Portugal at the age of fifty-eight.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Afonso VI of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_VI_of_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Charles Amadeus, Duke of Nemours – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Amadeus,_Duke_of_Nemours> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Francisca of Savoy – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Francisca_of_Savoy> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Peter II of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_II_of_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Afonso VI, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/afonso-vi-king-of-portugal/> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Charles-Amédée de Savoie-Nemours — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Am%C3%A9d%C3%A9e_de_Savoie-Nemours> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie-Françoise-Élisabeth de Savoie — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Fran%C3%A7oise-%C3%89lisabeth_de_Savoie> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Afonso VI de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_VI_de_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Francisca de Saboia, Rainha de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Francisca_de_Saboia,_Rainha_de_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Pedro II de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_II_de_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].

Afonso VI, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Afonso VI, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Debilitated mentally and physically due to the effects of a disease he contracted in childhood, controlled by a favorite early in his reign, relieved of his sovereign power by his brother who married his wife after their marriage was annulled, and confined under guard for the last fifteen years of his life, Afonso VI, King of Portugal was born on August 21, 1643, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He was the sixth of the seven children and the third but the second surviving of the four sons of João IV, King of Portugal and Luisa de Guzmán y Sandoval. Catherine of Braganza who married Charles II, King of England and King of Scots, was Afonso’s sister. His paternal grandparents were the Portuguese nobleman Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza and the Spanish noblewoman Ana de Velasco y Téllez-Girón. Afonso’s maternal grandparents were the Spanish nobles Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán y Silva, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia and Juana Lorenza Gomez de Sandoval y de la Cerda.

A childhood portrait of Afonso’s sister Catherine of Braganza, who married King Charles II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Afonso had six siblings:

At the time of his birth, Afonso was second in the line of succession to the Portuguese throne after his brother Teodósio who was nine years older. When Afonso was about three years old, he had a “malignant fever” that affected the right side of his body and left him physically and mentally challenged. Today, it is suspected that he had a disease of the central nervous system, perhaps meningoencephalitis. Meningoencephalitis can cause permanent neurological damage including memory difficulty, learning disabilities, brain damage, and gait problems, and Afonso appears to have had those issues. As he was the second son and was also mentally challenged, Afonso was not prepared to be king. However, on May 13, 1653, Afonso’s eldest brother Teodósio died at age 19 due to tuberculosis and Afonso became heir to the throne of Portugal.

Afonso’s mother Luisa who served as his regent; Credit – Wikipedia

Afonso’s father João IV, King of Portugal died on November 6, 1656, aged 52. Afonso was only thirteen years old when he succeeded his father. João IV had appointed his wife Luisa as the regent during the minority of their son Afonso VI. During her years as Regent of Portugal, Luisa defended the independence of Portugal and was responsible for the diplomatic success of the new alliance with England which included the marriage of her daughter Catherine to Charles II, King of England and King of Scots.

Afonso’s favorite Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor; Credit – Wikipedia

Luisa appointed Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor as one of Afonso’s gentlemen of the bedchamber. However, this appointment would work against Luisa and ultimately remove her from her power position. Because Afonso was physically and mentally challenged, his mother Luisa wanted to continue as regent after he reached the age of majority in November 1662. However, shortly after Afonso VI reached the age of majority, Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor, who was seven years older than Afonso, saw an opportunity to gain power. Becoming Afonso’s favorite, Castelo Melhor convinced Afonso that his mother Luisa was planning to steal his throne and exile him from Portugal, although there was no evidence that this was true. As a result, Afonso took control of the throne and appointed Castelo Melhor his escrivão da puridade (scribe of purity), a position that enabled Castelo Melhor to exercise the functions of a prime minister. Luisa remained in the palace until March 1663, when she retired to the Discalced Carmelite convent in Xabregas, Lisbon, Portugal. She died there three years later.

The Portuguese government was split between a pro-French faction led by Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor, and a pro-English faction led by Afonso’s brother Pedro. In 1662, Afonso’s sister Catherine had married King Charles II of England. Castelo Melhor and King Louis XIV of France saw a French marriage for Afonso as a way to offset his sister’s English marriage.

Afonso’s wife Marie Françoise of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

The chosen bride for Afonso was Marie Françoise of Savoy, daughter of French military leader Charles Amadeus of Savoy, Duke of Nemours, and Élisabeth de Bourbon-Vendôme, a granddaughter of King Henri IV of France and his mistress Gabrielle d’Estrées. Marie Françoise of Savoy arrived in Portugal on August 2, 1666. The wedding took place the same day and Marie Françoise became known as Maria Francisca. Problems with the marriage began to occur immediately after the wedding ceremony. Afonso left the wedding celebrations early and showed no interest in consummating the marriage. Maria Francisca was intelligent and wanted to serve the French interests but she also wanted power. She soon discovered Afonso was controlled by Castelo Melhor who had no intention of sharing power. This caused her to cooperate with her brother-in-law Pedro and his pro-English faction, and then most likely, she began an affair with him. Maria Francisca persuaded King Louis XIV of France that supporting Pedro was a better way to further French interests.

Afonso’s brother, the future Pedro II, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Soon Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor and his pro-France faction were losing ground to Pedro, Maria Francisca, and their pro-English faction. After a palace coup led by Pedro and Maria Francisca, Afonso VI was forced to dismiss Castelo Melhor who went into exile and was not permitted to return to Portugal until 1685. Pedro assumed the role of Prince Regent in 1668. While Pedro never formally usurped the throne, Afonso was king in name only for the rest of his life. Maria Francisca retired temporarily to a convent and asked the Roman Catholic Church to annul her marriage on the grounds of non-consummation. This was approved by her uncle Louis de Bourbon, Cardinal Vendôme. Maria Francisca and Pedro were married on April 2, 1668, after receiving a papal bull authorizing the marriage.

Afonso VI imprisoned in the Palace of Sintra by Alfredo Roque Gameiro, 1917; Credit – Wikipedia

Afonso was exiled to Terceira Island in the Azores. In 1673, a conspiracy to restore Afonso to the throne was discovered and squelched. A decision was made to return Afonso to Lisbon where he could be better monitored. Afonso arrived in Lisbon on September 14, 1674, and was taken to the Palace of Sintra in Lisbon. For the rest of his life, he lived there, under guard and shut up in his quarters.

The Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. Afonso’s tomb is against the wall with the window on the top right; Credit – Por Alegna13 – Obra do próprio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16664413

On September 12, 1683, 40-year-old Afonso suffered a stroke and died later the same day. He was interred in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. Afonso’s brother succeeded him as Pedro II, King of Portugal, and Maria Francisca was Queen of Portugal for a second time.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Afonso VI of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_VI_of_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Francisca of Savoy – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Francisca_of_Savoy> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. João IV, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/joao-iv-king-of-portugal/> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Luisa de Guzmán, Queen of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/luisa-de-guzman-queen-of-portugal/> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Afonso VI de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_VI_de_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Francisca de Saboia, Rainha de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Francisca_de_Saboia,_Rainha_de_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].

Luisa de Guzmán, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Luisa de Guzmán, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Luisa de Guzmán was the wife of João IV, the first King of Portugal from the Portuguese House of Braganza. She was also the mother of Catherine of Braganza, the wife of Charles II, King of England and King of Scots. Luisa María Francisca de Guzmán y Sandoval was born on October 13, 1613 at the Castle of San Pedro de Huelva, the seat of the powerful Spanish House of Medina Sidonia, in Huelva, Andalucía, Spain. She was the only daughter of Manuel Pérez de Guzmán y Silva, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia and Juana Lorenza Gomez de Sandoval y de la Cerda (died 1624). Luisa’s paternal grandparents were Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia, the commander-in-chief of the ill-fated Spanish Armada, and Ana Gomez de Silva y de Mendoza, daughter of Ana de Mendoza de la Cerda y de Silva Cifuentes, Princess of Eboli, Duchess of Pastran. Her maternal grandparents were Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, a powerful favorite of King Felipe III of Spain, and Catalina de la Cerda y Portugal. Luisa was descended from the Kings of Portugal through both her mother and her father. She was also a descendant of Ferdinand II, King of Aragon through one of his illegitimate children and Pope Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia, via one of his many mistresses.

Luisa had four brothers:

  • Gaspar de Guzmán y Sandoval, 9th Duke of Medina Sidonia (1602 – 1664), married (1) Ana de Guzmán y Silva, had four children (2) Juana Fernández de Córdoba y Enríquez de Ribera, had two children
  • Melchor de Guzmán y Sandoval (? – 1639), married Luisa Josefa Manrique de Zúñiga, 3rd Marquesa of Villamanrique, had two children
  • Alonso de Guzmán y Sandoval (born circa 1611 – ?)
  • Juan de Guzmán y Sandoval (born circa 1612 – ?)

In 1580, the throne of Portugal was taken by the Spanish Habsburgs. In 1578, King Sebastian of Portugal from the House of Aviz was killed in battle without any heirs, causing a succession crisis. He was succeeded by his elderly great-uncle Henrique who was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and had no descendants because he had taken a vow of chastity as a priest. When Cardinal-King Enrique died two years later, three grandchildren of Manuel I, King of Portugal (1469 – 1521) claimed the Portuguese throne:  King Felipe II of Spain (the son of Manuel I’s daughter Isabella of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress), António, Prior of Crato (the son of Manuel I’s son Luis, Duke of Beja), and João’s grandmother Catarina, Duchess of Braganza (the daughter of Manuel I’s son Duarte, Duke of Guimarães and the grandmother of Luisa’s husband João IV, King of Portugal). Ultimately, the grandchild who was successful in his claim was Felipe II, King of Spain. The Iberian Union was the union of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal that existed between 1580 and 1640, under the Spanish Habsburg kings Felipe II, Felipe III, and Felipe IV who reigned as Filipe I, Filipe II, and Filipe III of Portugal.

Felipe IV, King of Spain (also Filipe III, King of Portugal) had a plan to incorporate Portugal into the Kingdom of Spain. Part of the plan was to carry out a Spanish-Portuguese marriage policy to confuse and unify the nobles of Spain and Portugal. The marriage of the Spanish Luisa de Guzmán and the Portuguese João Braganza, 8th Duke of Braganza came as an opportunity not to be missed. By bringing together two important ducal houses, one from Spain and the other from Portugal, the Spanish government hoped to prevent a Portuguese uprising against Spain.

Luisa’s husband, João Braganza, 8th Duke of Braganza, later João IV, King of Portugal, in 1630; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 12, 1633, Luisa married João Braganza, 8th Duke of Braganza.

Luisa and João had seven children:

Luisa’s daughter Catherine, later Queen of England and Queen of Scots, as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Spain’s plan to prevent a Portuguese uprising through Luisa and João’s marriage did not work. By 1640, taxes on Portuguese merchants had increased. Portuguese nobles began to lose their influence as government posts in Portugal were increasingly given to Spaniards. They soon realized that if Portugal became part of the Kingdom of Spain, they stood to lose all their power. Luisa was ambitious by nature, and despite being Spanish, she supported a rebellion against Spain, saying to her husband, “Rather Queen for a day than Duchess all my life.”

This situation eventually caused a rebellion organized by the Forty Conspirators, a Portuguese nationalist group composed of forty men of the Portuguese nobility. On December 1, 1640, taking advantage that Spanish troops were fighting in the Thirty Years’ War and dealing with a revolution in the Catalonia region of Spain, the Forty Conspirators’ plot unfolded. Secretary of State Miguel de Vasconcelos was killed. Filipe III’s cousin Margaret of Savoy, the Habsburg Vicereine of Portugal who ruled in Filipe III’s place, was arrested. Within a few hours, Luisa’s husband João was proclaimed João IV, King of Portugal, claiming legitimate succession through his grandmother Catarina, Duchess of Braganza, and she was Queen of Portugal.

Luisa as Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

After she became Queen of Portugal, Luisa settled at the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon. She oversaw her children’s education but she also took an active part in Portuguese politics. She supported her husband’s policies during the Portuguese Restoration War (1640 – 1648), periodic skirmishes between Portugal and Spain that lasted into the reign of João IV’s son, and ended with Spain’s official recognition of Portugal’s independence in 1648. After the Revolt of 1641 and the attempted assassination of João IV on August 29, 1641, Luisa supported the execution of the conspirators. Luisa acted as the regent whenever João needed to leave Lisbon.

João IV, King of Portugal died on November 6, 1656, aged 52, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He had suffered from gout and its side effects since 1648. In his will, João IV had appointed Luisa as the regent during the minority of their son Afonso VI who became King of Portugal at the age of thirteen. During her years as Regent of Portugal, Luisa defended the independence of Portugal and was responsible for the diplomatic success of the new alliance with England which included the marriage of her daughter Catherine to Charles II, King of England and King of Scots.

Because Afonso VI was physically and mentally challenged, his mother Luisa wanted to continue as regent after he reached the age of majority in November 1662. However, shortly after Afonso VI reached the age of majority, 26-year-old Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor saw an opportunity to gain power at court by befriending the mentally unstable king. Becoming Afonso’s favorite, Castelo Melhor convinced Afonso that his mother Luisa was planning to steal his throne and exile him from Portugal, although there was no evidence that this was true. As a result, Afonso took control of the throne and appointed Castelo Melhor his escrivão da puridade (scribe of purity), a position that enabled Castelo Melhor to exercise the functions of a prime minister. Luisa remained in the palace until March 1663, when she retired to the Discalced Carmelite convent in Xabregas, Lisbon, Portugal.

Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza Credit – Wikipedia Commons

Luisa died on February 27, 1666, aged 52, at the Discalced Carmelite convent in Xabregas, Lisbon, Portugal where she was initially buried. Her remains were later transferred to the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luisa de Guzmán – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_de_Guzm%C3%A1n> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Manuel Pérez de Guzmán y Silva, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_P%C3%A9rez_de_Guzm%C3%A1n_y_Silva,_8th_Duke_of_Medina_Sidonia> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luisa Francisca de Guzmán – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_Francisca_de_Guzm%C3%A1n> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. João IV, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/joao-iv-king-of-portugal/> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • geni_family_tree. 2022. Luisa Maria de Guzmán, Rainha-Consorte de Portugal. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Luisa-Maria-de-Guzm%C3%A1n-Rainha-Consorte-de-Portugal/6000000000307250005> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luísa de Gusmão – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%ADsa_de_Gusm%C3%A3o> [Accessed 22 May 2022].

João IV, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

João IV, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

João IV was the first King of Portugal from the Portuguese House of Braganza. The Braganzas came to power in Portugal after deposing the Spanish Habsburg Philippine dynasty, which had reigned in Portugal since 1580, in a rebellion, resulting in João, 8th Duke of Braganza becoming King João IV of Portugal, in 1640. João IV was the father of Catherine of Braganza, the wife of Charles II, King of England and King of Scots.

João IV, King of Portugal was born on March 19, 1604, at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa in Vila Viçosa, Évora, Portugal, which had been the seat of the House of Braganza for centuries. He was the eldest of the four children and the eldest of the three sons of Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza and the Spanish noblewoman Ana de Velasco y Téllez-Girón. João’s mother died, aged 22, on November 7, 1607, after a long illness, when he was only three years old. Her death was deeply felt by her husband who did not marry again.

João had three younger siblings:

  • Duarte of Braganza, Lord of Vila do Conde (1605 – 1644), unmarried
  • Catarina of Braganza (1606 – 1610), died in childhood
  • Alexandre of Braganza (1607 – 1637), unmarried

In 1580, twenty-four years before João’s birth, the throne of Portugal was taken by the Spanish Habsburgs. In 1578, King Sebastian of Portugal from the House of Aviz was killed in battle without any heirs, causing a succession crisis. He was succeeded by his elderly great-uncle Henrique, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and had no descendants because he had taken a vow of chastity as a priest. When Cardinal-King Enrique died two years later, three grandchildren of Manuel I, King of Portugal (1469 – 1521) claimed the Portuguese throne: King Felipe II of Spain (the son of Manuel I’s daughter Isabella of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress), António, Prior of Crato (the son of Manuel I’s son Luis, Duke of Beja), and João’s grandmother Catarina, Duchess of Braganza (the daughter of Manuel I’s son Duarte, Duke of Guimarães). Ultimately, the grandchild who was successful in his claim was Felipe II, King of Spain. The Iberian Union was the union of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal that existed between 1580 and 1640, under the Spanish Habsburg kings Felipe II, Felipe III, and Felipe IV who reigned as Filipe I, Filipe II, and Filipe III of Portugal.

João IV’s wife Luisa de Guzmán; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1630, upon the death of his father, Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza, João became the 8th Duke of Braganza. On January 12, 1633, João married Luisa de Guzmán, from the Spanish Ducal House of Medina Sidónia. Luisa was the daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose father had been the commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armada, and Juana Lorenza Gomez de Sandoval y de la Cerda, whose father was a favorite of Felipe III, King of Spain, also Filipe II, King of Portugal.

João IV and Luisa de Guzmán had seven children:

Filipe III, King of Portugal (1621 – 1640) also Felipe IV, King of Spain (1621 – 1665); Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign (1621 – 1640) of Filipe III, King of Portugal (also Felipe IV, King of Spain from 1621 – 1665), a different approach toward Portugal began. Taxes on Portuguese merchants were increased. Portuguese nobles began to lose their influence as government posts in Portugal were increasingly given to Spaniards. Finally, Filipe III tried to make Portugal a Spanish province and if that happened, Portuguese nobles stood to lose all their power.

The Acclamation of King João IV of Portugal in 1640. Detail from an 1823 mural by José da Cunha Taborda, Ajuda National Palace, Lisbon, Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

This situation eventually caused a rebellion organized by the Forty Conspirators, a Portuguese nationalist group during the Iberian Union composed of forty men of the Portuguese nobility. Their goal was to depose the House of Habsburg from the throne of Portugal. On December 1, 1640, taking advantage that Spanish troops were fighting in the Thirty Years’ War and dealing with a revolution in the Catalonia region of Spain, the Forty Conspirators’ plot unfolded. Secretary of State Miguel de Vasconcelos was killed. Filipe III’s cousin Margaret of Savoy, the Habsburg Vicereine of Portugal who ruled in Filipe III’s place, was arrested. Within a few hours and with popular support and the support of his Spanish-born wife Luisa de Guzmán who said, “Rather Queen for a day than Duchess all my life,” João was proclaimed João IV, King of Portugal, claiming legitimate succession through his grandmother Catarina, Duchess of Braganza. João IV’s accession to the throne of Portugal caused the Portuguese Restoration War (1640 – 1648), periodic skirmishes between Portugal and Spain that lasted into the reign of João IV’s son and ended with Spain’s official recognition of the independence of Portugal in 1648.

During João IV’s reign, he made several alliances, and particularly important were the alliances with England and France. Although some colonial possessions were lost during his reign, João IV’s forces managed to retake Luanda in Portuguese Angola in Africa from the Dutch and recovered northern Colonial Brazil, which had been occupied by the Dutch. In 1549, João IV restructured the fifteen private and autonomous Captaincy Colonies of Brazil, which had been a colony of Portugal since 1500, into the Governorate General of Brazil in the city of Sao Salvador, which became the capital of a single and centralized Portuguese colony in South America. Brazil would remain a colony of Portugal until its independence in 1825.

Allegory of the Acclamation of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as Patroness of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1646, João IV placed the crown of Portugal on the head of the statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in the church at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa in Vila Viçosa, Évora, Portugal, the seat of the House of Braganza. João IV proclaimed the Virgin Mary to be the queen, the patron saint, and the protector of Portugal. After this, no Portuguese monarch would ever wear the crown. Instead, the crown was always placed on a cushion next to the monarch.

Tomb of João IV, King of Portugal; Credit – www.findagrave.com

João IV, King of Portugal died on November 6, 1656, aged 52, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He had suffered from gout and its side effects since 1648. He was interred in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. John IV of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_IV_of_Portugal> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luisa de Guzmán – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_de_Guzm%C3%A1n> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Ana de Velasco e Girón – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_de_Velasco_e_Gir%C3%B3n> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. João IV de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_IV_de_Portugal> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luísa de Gusmão – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%ADsa_de_Gusm%C3%A3o> [Accessed 22 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Teodósio II, Duque de Bragança – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teod%C3%B3sio_II,_Duque_de_Bragan%C3%A7a> [Accessed 22 May 2022].

Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, Italy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Basilica of Santa Chiara with the green roof – the church is on the left and the monastery is on the right; Credit- By Miguel Hermoso Cuesta – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39940345

The Basilica of Santa Chiara located in Naples, Italy is a Roman Catholic church, named for Saint Clare of Assisi (Chiara in Italian), one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi and the founder of the women’s religious order the Poor Clares. The basilica is the burial site for some members of the House of Anjou-Naples (reigned the in Kingdom of Naples 1282 – 1435) and the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (reigned 1759 – 1861). Besides the basilica, the complex includes an adjoining monastery and an archaeological museum.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was located in today’s southern Italy. It included the island of Sicily and all of the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States. Ferdinando I, the first King of the Two Sicilies, had previously reigned over two kingdoms, as Ferdinando IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinando III of the Kingdom of Sicily. In 1816, the two kingdoms were merged into the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

Kings of Two Sicilies

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History of the Basilica of Santa Chiara

Construction began in 1310 during the reign of Robert of Anjou, King of Naples (1276 – 1343), founder of the Basilica and Monastery of Santa Chiara, who is interred in a tomb above the main altar. Naples architect Gagliardo Primario (link in Italian) designed the basilica in the Gotico Angioiano style, an early Gothic style in southern Italy named after the House of Anjou. The interior was decorated with the works of the most important artists of the time including sculptor Tino di Camaino and painter Giotto. Work on the basilica was mostly finished by 1328 but the consecration to Saint Clare of Assisi did not take place until 1340.

The interior with the 18th-century Baroque refurbishment; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1742 to 1762, the interior was refurbished in a Baroque style by a group of artists led by painter, sculptor, and architect Domenico Vaccaro. The stuccoed ceiling was replaced with frescoes by a team of artists including Francesco De Mura, Giuseppe Bonito, Sebastiano Conca, and Paolo de Maio. The floor was paved in marble with a design by Ferdinando Fuga.

The interior of the Basilica of Santa Chiara after the bombing of August 4, 1943; Credit – Wikipedia

During World War II, on August 4, 1943, American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft targeted the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) submarine base in Naples. The resulting fire that lasted two days severely damaged the Basilica of Santa Chiara and caused the loss of all the frescoes painted during 18th-century refurbishment and most of the Giotto’s 14th-century frescoes.


On the left, the interior with the 18th-century Baroque refurbishment; On the right, the interior today with the surviving original Gothic interior; Credit – Wikipedia

The restoration work started in 1944 and concentrated on the 14th-century architecture that remained intact, restoring the basilica to its original 14th-century appearance and removing the 18th-century refurbishments. The restoration work was completed in 1953 and the basilica was reopened to the public. Pillars, friezes, marble fragments, and sculptures that had been removed from the basilica were moved to a room in the monastery, that became the Marble Room, a part of the Museo dell’Opera di Santa Chiara (link in Italian). The goal of the museum is to reconstruct the history of the Basilica of Santa Chiara.

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The Exterior of the Basilica of Santa Chiara

The facade of the Basilica of Santa Chiara; Credit – By Effems – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75281369

The exterior of the Basilica of Santa Chiara is quite simple. The entrance consists of a large 14th-century Gothic portal, with a porch and three arched openings. Over the entrance, the facade has a wide pinnacle in which an openwork rose window is set.

The 14th-century portal; Credit – Par Lalupa — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2865567

To the left of the church is the bell tower, a separate structure. It was started in 1338 but not completed due to a lack of funds after the death of Robert of Anjou, King of Naples in 1343. Work began again at the beginning of the 15th century but an earthquake in 1456 collapsed most of the bell tower, leaving only the marble base. The bell tower was finally completed in 1601 in the Baroque style.

The bell tower to the left of the basilica; Credit – By Marco Ober – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94584568

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The Interior of the Basilica of Santa Chiara

The nave of the Basilica of Santa Chiara; Credit – By Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32072299

The interior has a single rectangular nave with no decoration and without a transept or choir. The transept is the part of the body of a church, usually crossing the nave, at right angles, at the entrance to the choir, forming a cross. The eighteenth-century marble floor by Ferdinando Fuga was part of the Baroque refurbishment that survived the bombings of World War II.

The Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi which survived the 1943 bombing; Credit – By IlSistemone – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30409940

There are ten side chapels on each side of the nave, for a total of twenty, with circular arches at each entrance. Each chapel is dedicated to a saint and many of them contain tombs of noble Neapolitan families from the14th through 17th centuries.

The Main Altar

The main altar; Credit – Wikipedia

The main altar is a plain, simple table. A large wooden crucifix from the 14th century, probably by an unknown Sienese artist, stands behind the altar.

Behind the altar, the marble tomb of the basilica’s founder Robert of Anjou, King of Naples towers over the altar. The tomb was sculpted by the Florentine sculptors, the brothers Giovanni and Pacio Bertini (links in Italian) between 1343 and 1345. The tomb contains sculptures of members of Robert’s family. Robert’s effigy is dressed in a Franciscan habit. At the top of the tomb, Robert sits on a throne.

The Bourbon Chapel

The Bourbon Chapel at the Basilica of Santa Chiara; Credit – Di IlSistemone – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38099754

The 18th-century Bourbon Chapel, which survived the World War II bombing, is directly to the right of the main altar. Carlo IV, King of Naples and King of Sicily (later Carlos III, King of Spain) had the chapel built beginning in 1742. It was to be a temporary burial place while the burial vault under the basilica was being built. However, it has remained the burial place of the four Kings of Two Sicilies and their wives, with one exception. Several children of Carlo IV, King of Naples and King of Sicily (reigned 1734 – 1759) who died before he became Carlos III, King of Spain in 1759 were also remain interred in the Bourbon Chapel.

Access to the royal crypt; Credit – Di Giuseppe Guida – Flickr: Basilica di Santa Chiara., CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20267754

On the floor of the Bourbon Chapel is the access to the royal crypt which is decorated with the coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

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January 25, 2014 – The Beatification of Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies

Maria Cristina at prayer; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies (1812 – 1836) was the first wife of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies, and has been venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy since her beatification in 2014. She was shy, modest, reserved, and a very devout Catholic. After her marriage to Ferdinando II, she found herself living in a court with a lifestyle that was very far from her sensitivity. This caused her to never feel quite comfortable. During the short time that she was Queen of the Two Sicilies, Maria Cristina managed to prevent the carrying out of all death sentences. She was called “the Holy Queen” for her deep religious devotion. Maria Cristina endured her nearly constant illnesses with patience and piety and was popular with the people for her charity, modesty, and humility. On January 21, 1836, five days after giving birth to her only child, the future Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies, 23-year-old Maria Cristina died from childbirth complications and was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara.

In 1859, a cause for the canonization of Maria Cristina as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church was opened. On July 10, 1872, Maria Cristina was declared to be a Servant of God and on May 6, 1937, she was declared a Venerable Servant of God. On May 3, 2013, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing a miracle due to her intercession and approved Maria Cristina’s beatification. She is known in the Roman Catholic Church as Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy and is one step away from canonization as a saint.

Guests at the Beatification of Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy at the Basilica of Santa Chiara; Credit – https://realcasadiborbone.it/en/duke-duchess-castro-attend-beatification-queen-maria-cristina/

On January 25, 2014, the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, Italy, where Maria Cristina is interred in the Bourbon Chapel, was the site of her beatification ceremony. Several thousand people attended the ceremony including members of the two branches of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies led by Carlos, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, Duke of Calabria and Carlo, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro. Both branches claim to be Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and this event united them for the first time in fifty years. Carlos, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, Duke of Calabria, who died the following year, did not attend the beatification and was represented by his wife. Following the beatification ceremony, members of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies paid their respects at the tomb of Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy.

Tomb of Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38973019

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Burials of the House of Anjou-Naples (reigned 1282 – 1435)

Credit – Di User:MatthiasKabel – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23301141; Credit – Di User:MatthiasKabel – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23301141

In the photo above, the tomb of Robert of Anjou, King of Naples, is immediately behind the main altar. To the right of the altar is the tomb of Robert of Anjou’s son Charles, Duke of Calabria. To the left of the altar is the tomb of Maria of Calabria, daughter of Charles, Duke of Calabria and granddaughter of Robert of Anjou, whose descendants inherited the crown of Naples following the death of her older sister Joanna I, Queen of Naples who had succeeded her paternal grandfather Robert of Anjou, King of Naples.

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Burials of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (reigned 1759 – 1861)

The Bourbon Chapel at the Basilica of Santa Chiara; Credit – Di IlSistemone – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38099754

The four Kings of the Two Sicilies and their wives, with one exception, were buried in the baroque-style Bourbon Chapel which was not damaged in the 1943 World War II bombing. The wife of Ferdinando I, Maria Carolina of Austria, was buried in her native Austria, at the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the traditional burial site of her birth family, the House of Habsburg.

Buried in the Bourbon Chapel are:

The remains of Francesco II, the last King of the Two Sicilies, his wife Maria Sophia of Bavaria, and their daughter Maria Cristina who died in infancy were originally buried at the Church of the Holy Spirit of the Neapolitans in Rome. In 1984, their remains were transferred to the Bourbon Chapel. Several children of Carlo IV, King of Naples and Sicily (reigned 1734 – 1759) who died before he became Carlos III, King of Spain and abdicated the throne of Naples and Sicily in favor of his son Ferdinando in 1759, were also buried in the Bourbon Chapel. Other members of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies were interred in the royal crypt which is reached by the entrance in the floor of the Bourbon Crypt. (Photo above in the Bourbon Chapel section.)

It will be noticed that many offspring of Ferdinand I died as children and some are listed as “of Naples and Sicily.” Ferdinando I reigned as King of Naples and Sicily from 1759 – 1816, and then as King of the Two Sicilies from 1816 – 1825. Ferdinando I and his wife Maria Carolina of Austria had seventeen children but ten died in childhood. Of those ten children, seven died from smallpox.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Basilika Santa Chiara (Neapel) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilika_Santa_Chiara_(Neapel)> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
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  • Findagrave.com. 2022. Memorials in Chiesa Santa Chiara – Find a Grave. [online] Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2138668/memorial-search?page=1#sr-119632076> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-cristina-of-savoy-queen-of-the-two-sicilies/> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Basilica di Santa Chiara (Napoli) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Chiara_(Napoli)> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Cappella dei Borbone – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappella_dei_Borbone> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Sepolcro di Roberto d’Angiò – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepolcro_di_Roberto_d%27Angi%C3%B2> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
  • Realcasadiborbone.it. 2014. Beatification of Queen Maria Cristina of Savoy – Real Casa di Borbone delle Due Sicilie. [online] Available at: <https://realcasadiborbone.it/en/duke-duchess-castro-attend-beatification-queen-maria-cristina/> [Accessed 19 May 2022].

Count Pierre de Polignac, Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Count Pierre de Polignac; Credit – Wikipedia

Count Pierre de Polignac, after his marriage, Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois, was the husband of Princess Charlotte of Monaco, daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco. Pierre and Charlotte were the parents of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and the paternal grandparents of Albert II, the current Prince of Monaco. Count Pierre Marie Xavier Raphaël Antoine Melchior de Polignac was born on October 24, 1895 at the Château de Kerscamp in Hennebont, in the Britanny region of northwest France. He was the seventh of the eight children and the fourth of the five sons of Count Maxence de Polignac (1857 – 1936), from an old French noble family, and his Mexican-born wife Susana de la Torre y Mier (1858 – 1913). Pierre’s great-great-grandparents were Jules de Polignac, 1st Duke of Polignac and his wife Yolande de Polastron, Duchess of Polignac (1749 – 1793), a favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, and the Governess to the Children of France from 1782 – 1789.

Pierre had seven siblings:

  • Countess Joséphine de Polignac (1882 – 1976), married Amaury de Jacquelot, Count du Boisrouvray, had two children
  • Countess Marie-Louise de Polignac (1884 – 1944), married Eon Charles Aimé Le Gouvello Du Timat, had seven children
  • Count Xavier de Polignac (1886 – 1941), married María de la Torre y Formento, had one child
  • Countess Anne de Polignac (1889 – 1970), became a nun, Sister Marie de St. Louis Bertrand
  • Count Bertrand de Polignac (1893 – 1910), died in his teens
  • Count Maxence de Polignac (1894 – 1963), married Laura de la Torre y Formento, had two children
  • Count Raymonde de Polignac (1900 – ?)

Meanwhile, in Monaco, there was a succession issue. Albert I, Prince of Monaco had only one child, a son, Louis, Hereditary Prince of Monaco (the future Louis II, Prince of Monaco). However, as Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monegasque throne was likely to pass to his first cousin once removed Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach, a German nobleman who was the son of his father’s aunt Princess Florestine of Monaco. However, Louis did have an illegitimate daughter. Louis served for ten years in the French Foreign Legion. While serving in Algeria, Louis met Marie Juliette Louvet, a cabaret singer. The couple was deeply in love, but Louis’ father would not grant permission to marry. A daughter, Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet, was born in 1898.

To avoid having Prince Wilhelm of Urach become the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Louis’ father, Albert I, Prince of Monaco arranged to have a law passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis’ heir and a member of the Princely Family of Monaco. However, this law was later ruled invalid under earlier statutes. In October 1918, another law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. On May 16, 1919, Louis legally adopted his illegitimate daughter Charlotte, giving her the Grimaldi surname. Her grandfather Albert I, Prince of Monaco created her Her Serene Highness Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois. Upon the death of her grandfather and the accession of her father to the throne of Monaco, Charlotte would become the Hereditary Princess of Monaco.

Princess Charlotte of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte’s grandfather Albert I, Prince of Monaco made a list of eligible young Frenchmen who could be prospective husbands for his granddaughter. One of the most promising was Count Pierre de Polignac, from one of the oldest French aristocratic families. Pierre was a frequent visitor to Monaco as the houseguest of the many rich and titled people who had homes in the principality. Charlotte had met Pierre and thought him handsome. However, according to the treaty with France and Monaco’s Bill of Accession, a female Grimaldi could inherit the throne only if her husband was also a Grimaldi. A prenuptial agreement was drawn up specifying Pierre’s name change, limiting his power if Charlotte became Sovereign Princess of Monaco, and guaranteeing him a large personal income for life.

Pierre and Charlotte on their wedding day; Credit – Mad for Monaco

On March 18, 1920, Pierre became Pierre Grimaldi, Count of Polignac. The next day Pierre and Charlotte were married at the Cathedral of Monaco and Pierre became His Serene Highness Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois, taking the male version of Charlotte’s title Duchess of Valentinois. Nine months later, on December 28, 1920, in Paris, France, Charlotte gave birth to Princess Antoinette of Monaco. Pierre and Charlotte had fulfilled their duty. Monaco had an heir even if Charlotte and Pierre never had a son. On June 26, 1922, Charlotte’s grandfather Prince Louis II died, her father succeeded to the throne as Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and Charlotte became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco. The next year, on May 31, 1923, Charlotte gave birth to the future Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.

Prince Pierre, Prince Rainier, Princess Charlotte, Princess Antoinette, and Louis II, Prince of Monaco on January 1, 1924

Pierre and Charlotte’s children:

Once Pierre had produced a male heir, he was no longer necessary. His father-in-law Prince Louis II disliked him and Charlotte had become unhappy shortly after the marriage. In the mid-1920s, the couple unofficially separated. Pierre and Charlotte were legally separated by a French court on March 20, 1930. On February 18, 1933, they were divorced by the ordinance of Prince Louis II, and the divorce was confirmed by a French tribunal in December 1933. Pierre received an annual annuity of 500,000 francs. After the divorce, Pierre was styled His Serene Highness Prince Pierre of Monaco, losing the right to use the male counterpart of Charlotte’s title Duchess of Valentinois. The marriage was legally over but there was never an annulment from the Roman Catholic Church. Having been born illegitimate, and now divorced, Charlotte knew that she would never be fully accepted by the very Catholic Monaco, and so she renounced her succession rights to the Monegasque throne in May 1944 in favor of her son Rainier. Five years later, Charlotte’s father died, and Rainier became Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

Prince Pierre, circa 1960

During the reign of his son Prince Rainier III, Pierre lived in a villa near the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. In 1951, Pierre founded the Le Prix littéraire Prince Pierre de Monaco, an award to honor French-language writers with an exemplary body of work, and served as its president from 1951 until his death in 1964. In 1966, Pierre’s son Prince Rainier III expanded the original organization into The Prince Pierre Foundation in memory of his father who was a great patron of the arts. The foundation awards annual prizes in literature, music, and contemporary art. Pierre’s granddaughter The Princess of Hanover (Princess Caroline of Monaco) serves as the President. In 1957, Prince Pierre became President of the Monaco National Commission of UNESCO and the Monaco Olympic Committee. The Princess Caroline Ludothèque, a library, still in existence, offering children direct access to books, toys, and games, was founded by Prince Pierre in 1960, and named after his granddaughter Princess Caroline.

Chapelle de la Paix (Chapel of Peace) in Monaco. photo: www.structurae.info

On November 10, 1964, Prince Pierre, aged 69, died of cancer at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, France. He was buried at the Chapelle de la Paix in Monaco where his former wife Princess Charlotte, his daughter Princess Antoinette and her deceased children have also been buried.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Pierre,_Duke_of_Valentinois> [Accessed 7 May 2022].
  • Fondationprincepierre.mc. 2022. Prince Pierre | Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco. [online] Available at: <https://www.fondationprincepierre.mc/en/prince-pierre-40> [Accessed 7 May 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Pierre de Polignac — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Polignac> [Accessed 7 May 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2013. Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/september-30-1898-birth-of-princess-charlotte-of-monaco-duchess-of-valentinois/> [Accessed 7 May 2022].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1964. Prince Pierre, 69, of Monaco Is Dead. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1964/11/11/97432520.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0> [Accessed 7 May 2022].

Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Joan Beaufort; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Joan Beaufort was the only daughter and the youngest of the four children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his mistress Katherine Swynford, whom he later married in 1396. Joan was born circa 1379, possibly at Kettlethorpe Hall in Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire, England, a property that had belonged to the first husband of Joan’s mother, Sir Hugh Swynford who had died in 1371.

Joan’s mother Katherine Swynford; Credit – http://kettlethorpechurch.co.uk/katherine-swynford/

Joan Beaufort’s paternal grandparents were King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England. Her maternal grandmother is unknown but her maternal grandfather was Paon de Roet, a knight from the County of Hainault (now part of Belgium and France) who first came to England in 1328 when Philippa of Hainault married King Edward III of England.

Joan’s father John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster; Credit – Wikipedia

All British monarchs since King Henry IV are descended from John of Gaunt. In fact, most European monarchies are descended from John. The Houses of Lancaster, York, and Tudor were all descended from John of Gaunt’s children:

During the Wars of the Roses, the battle for the English throne pitted the House of Lancaster and the House of York against each other. Note in the lists of descendants below, the several family members who were killed in battle or executed during the Wars of the Roses.

Joan had three elder brothers:

Joan had three half-siblings from her mother’s first marriage to Sir Hugh Swynford (circa 1340 – 1371), a knight in service to John of Gaunt:

  • Blanche Swynford (1367 – circa 1374), died in childhood
  • Sir Thomas Swynford (1368 – 1432), married (1) Jane Crophill, had three children (2) Margaret Grey, no children
  • Margaret Swynford (born c. 1369), became a nun at Barking Abbey in 1377 with help from her future stepfather John of Gaunt, where she lived the religious life with her cousin Elizabeth Chaucer, daughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and Katherine’s sister Philippa de Roet

King Henry IV of England, Joan’s half-brother from her father’s first marriage to Blanche of Lancaster; Credit – Wikipedia

Joan had seven half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to the wealthy heiress Blanche of Lancaster:

The effigy of Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile, Joan’s half-sister from her father’s second marriage to Constance of Castile; Credit – Wikipedia

Joan had two half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Infanta Constance of Castile:

  • Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile (1372 – 1418), married King Enrique III of Castile and León, had three children. Through their son Juan II of Castile, Catherine and Enrique III are the grandparents of Isabella I, Queen of Castile and great-grandparents of Catherine of Aragon (daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon), the first wife of King Henry VIII of England.
  • John of Lancaster (1374 – 1375), died in infancy

Joan and her siblings likely spent their early years at Kettlethorpe Hall in Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire, England, a property that had belonged to the first husband of John’s mother, Sir Hugh Swynford who had died in 1371. Kettlethorpe was a small, quiet village, close to the city of Lincoln but 150 miles from London. It would have been a perfect place for John of Gaunt to carry on a discreet affair and have his illegitimate children raised as he had made a second marriage in 1371 and Katherine was a recent widow.

Two years after the death of his second wife Constance of Castile, John of Gaunt married his mistress Katherine Swynford, Joan Beaufort’s mother, on January 13, 1396, at Lincoln Cathedral in England. After the marriage of Katherine and John, their four children were legitimized by both John of Gaunt’s nephew King Richard II of England and Pope Boniface IX. After Henry Bolingbroke, John of Gaunt’s eldest son by his first wife Blanche of Lancaster, deposed his first cousin King Richard II in 1399, and became King Henry IV, he inserted the Latin phrase excepta regali dignitate (except royal status) in the documents that had legitimized his Beaufort half-siblings and supposedly that phrase barred them from the throne. However, many disputed and still dispute the authority of a monarch to alter an existing parliamentary statute on his or her own authority, without the further approval of Parliament.

John of Gaunt treated his Beaufort children as cherished members of the family but he was careful that the provisions he made for them would not interfere with the Lancaster inheritance reserved for his legitimate children. Instead, he found other forms of income for them through marriages and for his second son Henry, through the church. Because of John of Gaunt’s cautions, his Beaufort children were held in great affection by their half-siblings.

When Joan was seven-years-old, she was betrothed to 13-year-old Robert Ferrers of Wem (circa 1373 – 1396), the heir of his mother Elizabeth Boteler, 4th Baroness Boteler of Wem. Joan and Robert were married in 1391 or 1392, and the couple remained in the household of John of Gaunt. Robert predeceased his mother, dying sometime between May 1395 and November 1396.

Joan and Robert had two daughters:

  • Elizabeth Ferrers (1393 – 1474), married John de Greystoke, 4th Baron Greystoke, had twelve children
  • Mary Ferrers (1394 – 1458), married her stepbrother Sir Ralph Neville, had two children

Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland with twelve of his twenty-two children, from the Neville Book of Hours, circa 1427-1432; Credit – Wikipedia

In November 1396, Joan married the recently widowed Ralph Neville, then 4th Baron Neville de Raby, after 1397, 1st Earl of Westmorland. Ralph was the son of John Neville, 3th Baron Neville de Raby and Maud Percy, daughter of Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy of Alnwick. The seventeen-year-old Joan immediately became the stepmother to Neville’s eight children by his first wife Margaret Stafford who died on June 9, 1396. Joan and Ralph lived primarily at Raby Castle near Staindrop in County Durham, England.

Joan’s eight stepchildren, the children of her second husband Ralph Neville:

  • Maud Neville (circa 1383 – 1438), married Peter Mauley, 5th Baron Mauley, had two daughters
  • Alice Neville (circa 1384 – circa 1434), married (1) Sir Thomas Grey, had nine children, beheaded for his part in the Southampton Plot (2) Sir Gilbert Lancaster, had one son
  • Philippa Neville (1386 – circa 1453) married Thomas Dacre, 6th Baron Dacre of Gilsland, had nin children
  • Sir John Neville (circa 1387 – circa 1420), Elizabeth Holland, had three sons and a daughter
  • Elizabeth Neville, a nun
  • Anne Neville (circa 1384 – 1421), married Sir Gilbert Umfraville (died at the Battle of Baugé in Anjou during the Hundred Years’ War), no children
  • Sir Ralph Neville (circa 1392 – 1458), married his step-sister Mary Ferrers, daughter of Robert Ferrers of Wem and Joan Beaufort, had five children
  • Margaret Neville (circa 1396 – circa 1463), married (1) Richard Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Bolton, had three children (2) William Cressener, had three sons

Joan Beaufort and her six daughters from her second marriage, from the Neville Book of Hours, circa 1427-1432; Credit – Wikipedia

Joan and Ralph had fourteen children:

Ralph Neville was initially loyal to Joan’s first cousin King Richard II and secured the English northern border with Scotland for him. As a reward, Ralph was created Earl of Westmorland in 1397. However, after Richard II was deposed in 1399 by his first cousin Henry Bolingbroke, Ralph gave his loyalty to the new King Henry IV, Joan’s half-brother. For his support of the new king, Ralph was rewarded with a lifetime appointment as Earl Marshal in 1399, although he resigned the office in 1412.

In 1403, Ralph was created a Knight of the Garter. He was important to his wife’s half-brother King Henry IV and then to Henry IV’s son King Henry V as a reliable ally in the troubled north of England. Because of Joan’s royal connections and dynastic importance, Ralph decided in 1404 to disinherit his children from his first marriage in favor of his children from his second marriage. This created a long dispute called the Neville–Neville Feud that took years to settle.

In 1423, Ralph and Joan took Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, the orphaned heir of the House of York, into their household as a royal ward. Richard’s mother Anne de Mortimer had died due to childbirth complications shortly after Richard’s birth. It was through his mother, a descendant of Edward III’s second surviving son Lionel of Antwerp that Richard inherited his strongest claim to the throne. Richard’s father Richard of Conisbrough, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, a grandson of King Edward III, died in 1415. Within a few months of his father’s death, Richard’s childless uncle, Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, was killed at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and so Richard inherited his uncle’s title and lands, becoming the 3rd Duke of York. From 1415 – 1423, Richard had been the royal ward of Robert Waterton.

Eventually, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York married Ralph and Joan’s youngest child Cecily, and they were the parents of the Yorkist Kings of England, Edward IV and Richard III. Richard, 3rd Duke of York was the Yorkist claimant to the English throne during the Wars of the Roses until he was killed at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. Richard and Cecily’s eldest son Edward, Earl of March, the future King Edward IV, then became the leader of the Yorkist faction.

The Collegiate Church of St. Mary in Staindrop that Ralph built; Credit – By George Ford, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9172971

After the early death of thirty-five-year-old King Henry V in 1422, and the accession of his nine-month-old only child as King Henry VI, Ralph served on the regency council of the young king. In addition to his political activities, Ralph built several churches including the Collegiate Church of St. Mary in Staindrop, County Durham, England where his primary home Raby Castle was located. He was buried at the Collegiate Church of St. Mary after his death on October 21, 1425, at the age of about 61. Ralph’s tomb contains effigies of himself and his two wives but neither wife is buried there.

Tomb of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland with the effigy of his second wife Joan Beaufort. The effigy of Ralph’s first wife Margaret Stafford lies on his right side. Neither wife is buried with him. Credit – www.findagrave.com

Joan survived her husband Ralph by fifteen years, dying on November 13, 1440, aged 60-61, in Howden, Yorkshire, England. Although Joan had built a chantry in 1437 for her second husband Ralph and herself at the Collegiate Church of St. Mary in Staindrop, she decided that she wanted to be buried near her mother Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster at Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln, England.

Tombs of Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland on the left and her mother Katherine Swyford, Duchess of Lancaster on the right (behind the chairs); Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Beaufort,_Countess_of_Westmorland> [Accessed 1 July 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Neville,_1st_Earl_of_Westmorland> [Accessed 1 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2017. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/john-of-gaunt-1st-duke-of-lancaster/> [Accessed 1 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/katherine-swynford-duchess-of-lancaster/> [Accessed 1 July 2022].
  • geni_family_tree. 2022. Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, 4th Baron Neville de Raby. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Ralph-Neville-1st-Earl-of-Westmorland-4th-Baron-Neville-de-Raby/6000000001069437500> [Accessed 1 July 2022].
  • Jones, Dan, 2012. The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Бофорт, Джоан — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82,_%D0%94%D0%B6%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BD> [Accessed 1 July 2022].
  • Weir, Alison, 2009. Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. New York: Ballantine Books.
  • Williamson, David, 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry Beaufort was an English prelate and statesman who was Bishop of Lincoln (1398 – 1404), Bishop of Winchester (1404 – 1447), a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (1426 – 1447), and Lord Chancellor of England three times (1403 – 1405, 1413 – 1417, and 1424 – 1426). Born circa 1375, Henry Beaufort was the second of the three sons and the second of the four children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his mistress Katherine Swynford, whom he later married as his third wife in 1396. The surname of Henry and his three siblings is derived from the now-demolished Beaufort Castle, a property in Champagne, France that John of Gaunt had sold years before. John of Gaunt likely felt it was a safe name to give to his illegitimate children by Katherine Swynford.

All British monarchs since King Henry IV are descended from Henry’s father John of Gaunt. In fact, most European monarchies are descended from John. The Houses of Lancaster, York, and Tudor were all descended from John of Gaunt’s children:

During the Wars of the Roses, the battle for the English throne pitted the House of Lancaster and the House of York against each other.

Henry’s father John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry Beaufort’s paternal grandparents were King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England. His maternal grandmother is unknown but his maternal grandfather was Paon de Roet, a knight from the County of Hainault (now part of Belgium and France) who first came to England in 1328 when Philippa of Hainault married King Edward III of England.

Henry’s mother Katherine Swynford; Credit – http://kettlethorpechurch.co.uk/katherine-swynford/

Henry had three siblings:

Henry had three half-siblings from his mother’s first marriage to Sir Hugh Swynford (circa 1340 – 1371), a knight in service to John of Gaunt:

  • Blanche Swynford (1367 – circa 1374), died in childhood
  • Sir Thomas Swynford (1368 – 1432), married (1) Jane Crophill, had three children (2) Margaret Grey, no children
  • Margaret Swynford (born c. 1369), became a nun at Barking Abbey in 1377 with help from her future stepfather John of Gaunt, where she lived the religious life with her cousin Elizabeth Chaucer, daughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and Katherine’s sister Philippa de Roet

King Henry IV of England, Henry’s half-brother from his father’s first marriage to Blanche of Lancaster; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry had seven half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to the wealthy heiress Blanche of Lancaster:

The effigy of Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile, Henry’s half-sister from his father’s second marriage to Constance of Castile; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry had two half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Infanta Constance of Castile:

  • Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile (1372 – 1418), married King Enrique III of Castile and León, had three children. Through their son Juan II of Castile, Catherine and Enrique III are the grandparents of Isabella I, Queen of Castile and great-grandparents of Catherine of Aragon (daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon), the first wife of King Henry VIII of England.
  • John of Lancaster (1374 – 1375), died in infancy

Henry and his siblings likely spent their early years at Kettlethorpe Hall in Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire, England, a property that had belonged to the first husband of Henry’s mother, Sir Hugh Swynford, who had died in 1371. Kettlethorpe was a small, quiet village, close to the city of Lincoln but 150 miles from London. It would have been a perfect place for John of Gaunt to carry on a discreet affair and have his illegitimate children raised as he had made a second marriage in 1371 and Katherine was a recent widow.

Two years after the death of his second wife Constance of Castile, John of Gaunt married his mistress Katherine Swynford, Henry Beaufort’s mother, on January 13, 1396, at Lincoln Cathedral in England. After the marriage of Katherine and John, their four children were legitimized by both John of Gaunt’s nephew King Richard II of England and Pope Boniface IX. After Henry Bolingbroke, John of Gaunt’s eldest son by his first wife Blanche of Lancaster, deposed his first cousin King Richard II in 1399, and became King Henry IV, he inserted the Latin phrase excepta regali dignitate (except royal status) in the documents that had legitimized his Beaufort half-siblings and supposedly that phrase barred them from the throne. However, many disputed and still dispute the authority of a monarch to alter an existing parliamentary statute on his or her own authority, without the further approval of Parliament.

John of Gaunt treated his Beaufort children as cherished members of the family but he was careful that the provisions he made for them would not interfere with the Lancaster inheritance reserved for his legitimate children. Instead, he found other forms of income for them through marriages and for his second son Henry, through the church. Because of John of Gaunt’s cautions, his Beaufort children were held in great affection by their half-siblings.

Henry was destined from an early age to have a career in the Roman Catholic Church. At that time in the Church, there were benefices, ecclesiastical offices that bestowed an income on its holder. A prebend was a type of benefice connected with a cathedral or a collegiate church (a church administered by a chapter of canons). In January 1390, when Henry was about fifteen years old, he was given the wealthy prebend of Thame in the Diocese of Lincoln. In August 1390, Henry had been given the prebend of Riccall in the Diocese of York. The additional wealthy prebend of Sutton in the Diocese of Lincoln was given to Henry in January 1391.

It was not at all unusual for teenagers to be granted church offices at this time. The benefices would provide for Henry’s living expenses and his education. Beginning in the academic year of 1390 – 1391, Henry attended Queens College at the University of Oxford to study civil and canon law. After his year at Oxford, Henry was sent to Aachen, a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, to continue his studies in civil and canon law.

In 1397, Pope Boniface IX issued a papal bull making twenty-two-year-old Henry Beaufort the Dean of Wells Cathedral in Somerset, England, most likely at the request of Henry’s father John of Gaunt. It was at this time that John of Gaunt pressed Pope Boniface IX to legitimize his four children by his former mistress Katherine Swynford whom he had married in 1396. The pope was more than eager to grant the influential John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster his wish. In early April 1397, Henry was ordained as a deacon, and later that month, he was appointed Chancellor of Oxford University.

On February 27, 1398, in a move that astounded many, twenty-one-year-old Henry was named Bishop of Lincoln by his first cousin King Richard II of England who had received a papal bull from Pope Boniface IX instructing him to do so. Despite thirty being the required age for bishops, John of Gaunt had again pressed Pope Boniface IX, and again wishing to gain favor with John of Gaunt, the pope agreed. Henry resigned from the position of Chancellor of Oxford University and on July 14, 1398, he was consecrated as Bishop of Lincoln.

Henry Beaufort, while Bishop of Lincoln, fathered an illegitimate daughter with an unknown woman. Jane Beaufort and her husband Sir Edward Stradling were both named in Beaufort’s will. Sir Edward held several government positions over the years which he may have owed to the influence of his father-in-law.

  • Jane Beaufort (1402 – 1453), married Sir Edward Stradling, had one son and one daughter

In 1403, four years after his half-brother Henry Bolingbroke deposed their mutual first cousin King Richard II and became King Henry IV, Henry Beaufort was appointed Lord Chancellor of England for the first of three times. On November 14, 1404, he was appointed Bishop of Winchester. Henry Beaufort was a trusted advisor to his half-brother King Henry IV (reigned 1399 – 1413) and his nephew King Henry V (reigned 1413 – 1422). He played an important role in English history during the first half of the fifteenth century and became extremely wealthy and influential in the process.

King Henry V of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1421, King Henry V named Henry Beaufort the godfather of his only child, the future King Henry VI. On August 31, 1422, thirty-five-year-old King Henry V, a warrior king, the victor against the French at the Battle of Agincourt, determined to conquer France once and for all, succumbed to dysentery, a disease that killed more soldiers than battle, leaving a nine-month-old son to inherit his throne. The infant King Henry VI was entrusted to the care of his great uncles, Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester and Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter.

King Henry VI’s accession – It is likely that Henry Beaufort is in this drawing; Credit – Wikipedia

During the minority of King Henry VI, Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester was a leading figure on the regency council. In 1424, Beaufort was appointed Chancellor of England for the third and final time but was forced to resign in 1426 because of disputes with King Henry VI’s other uncles, in particular Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. Pope Martin V appointed Beaufort as a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in 1426.

There is often confusion over Beaufort’s participation in the trial of Joan of Arc, who is famous for her role in the Siege of Orléans and the coronation of King Charles VII of France during the Hundred Years’ War against England. After successfully leading several French military actions, Joan of Arc was captured, handed over to the English, convicted as a heretic, and burnt at the stake in 1431. Twenty-five years later, her conviction was formally overturned, and she became a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1920. Although an 1825 painting by Paul Delaroche shows Henry Beaufort interrogating Joan of Arc, she was actually interrogated by Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, the judge in the trial of Joan of Arc, and there is no evidence that an encounter with Beaufort ever took place. The full record of the trial, which lists all those who took part in Joan of Arc’s trial on a daily basis, shows that Beaufort was not at the trial nor the execution. His only appearance was on May 26, 1431. On that day, afraid of what would happen to her in English hands, Joan relented and signed a document in which she admitted to her charges.

Tomb of Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester; Credit – By Scrivener-uki – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8755532

Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester died on April 11, 1447, aged 71 -72, at Wolvesey Castle, also known as the Old Bishop’s Palace, in Winchester, England. He was buried in the chantry he had founded at Winchester Cathedral. His tomb has an effigy of him wearing the red robes of a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a wide-brimmed hat.

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Works Cited

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