Fernando II, Duke of Braganza

Fernando II
D. Fernando II; Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa
Duke of Braganza
Tenure	1 April 1478 – 20 June 1483
Predecessor	Fernando I
Successor	Jaime I
Born	1430 Kingdom of Portugal
Died	20 June 1483 Évora, Alentejo, Kingdom of Portugal
Spouse	Leonor de Menezes Isabella of Viseu
Issue among others...	Jaime I Dinis, 6th Count of Lemos
House	House of Braganza
Father	Fernando I
Mother	Joana de Castro
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Dom Fernando II of Braganza (Portuguese pronunciation: [fɨɾˈnɐ̃du]; 1430 – 20 June 1483) was the 3rd Duke of Braganza and the 1st Duke of Guimarães, among other titles. He is known for being executed for treason against the King.

Early life

A posthumous engraving of D. Fernando II.

Fernando, born in 1430, was a successful young man and quickly grew popular amongst the Portuguese nobility. He was most appreciated by King Afonso V of Portugal, and always escorted the King on his different incursions into Morocco, where he participated in several conquests and expeditions. The King, having favoured Fernando, rewarded him the title Count of Guimarães, in 1464. This title would soon be upgraded to Duke of Guimarães.

Fernando took part in the War of the Castilian Succession. Following King Henry IV of Castile's death, his daughter and heir, Joanna La Beltraneja, married to Afonso V of Portugal, was proclaimed Queen of Castile but she had the opposition of her aunt (the future queen Isabella I). The Portuguese invaded Castile and, during the Battle of Toro, Fernando II of Braganza was responsible for the Queen’s safety.

When his father, Fernando I, died in 1478, Fernando inherited the various titles of his father, the most important and noteworthy being the title of Duke of Braganza. At this time, the House of Braganza was the most powerful noble house in the Kingdom of Portugal and one of the most powerful ones in all of the Iberian Kingdoms.

Treason and downfall

When King João II succeeded his father, King Afonso V, João II sought to bring down the power of the Portuguese nobility, which had greatly flourished under Afonso V's reign. The King heavily focused on diminishing the powers of the two most powerful noble houses in the kingdom, House of Beja and Viseu and the House of Braganza.

The King accused his cousin, Diogo I of Beja and Viseu, of high treason and had him brutally executed. Soon after, King João II also accused Fernando II of Braganza of high treason and had him executed in Évora in 1483. Afterwards, the assets of the House of Braganza were confiscated and the family fled to Castile. The family returned in 1498 and had all their property returned.

Marriage and issue

Fernando II of Braganza married twice. His first marriage was to D. Leonor de Menezes; they had no issue. He later married to Isabella of Viseu, in 1472, with whom he had four children, though only two lived past infancy.

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Filipe	unknown	unknown	Still born
Jaime I	October 1479	20 September 1532	11th Count of Barcelos, 8th Count of Ourém, 5th Count of Arraiolos and Neiva, 4th Duke of Braganza, 3rd Marquis of Vila Viçosa, 2nd Duke of Guimarães
Dinis	1481	1516	6th Count of Lemos
Margarida	unknown	unknown	still born

Ancestry

Family of Fernando II, Duke of Braganza

16. Peter I of Portugal               8. John I of Portugal                       17. Teresa Lourenço               4. Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza                             18. Pero Esteves, o Barbadão               9. Inês Pires                       19. Maria Anes               2. Fernando I, Duke of Braganza                                   20. Álvaro Gonçalves Pereira, Prior of Crato               10. Nuno Álvares Pereira                       21. Iria Gonçalves do Carvalhal               5. Beatriz Pereira de Alvim                             22. João Pires de Alvim               11. Leonor de Alvim                       23. Branca Pires Coelho               1. Fernando II, Duke of Braganza                                         24. Álvaro Pires de Castro, Count of Arraiolos               12. Pedro de Castro, Lord of Cadaval                       25. Maria Ponce de Leon               6. João de Castro, Lord of Cadaval                             26. João Afonso Telo de Menezes, Count of Ourém and of Barcelos               13. Leonor de Menezes                       27. Guiomar Lopes Pacheco               3. Joana de Castro                                   28. Vasco Martins da Cunha, Lord of Tábua               14. Martim Vasques da Cunha, Count of Valencia de Camp                       29. Leonor Lopes de Albergaria               7. Leonor da Cunha                             30. Alonso Téllez Girón               15. Teresa Tellez-Giron, Lord of El Frechoso                       31. Teresa Ruíz de Alarcón

See also

• Duke of Guimarães
• List of Dukes of Braganza

Bibliography

• ”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil” – Vol. II, page 440/442. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.
• Genealogy of Fernando II, 3rd Duke of Braganza, in Portuguese

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

Fernando II, Duke of Braganza House of Braganza Cadet branch of the House of Aviz Born: 1430 Died: 1483
Portuguese nobility
Preceded by Fernando I	Duke of Braganza; Marquis of Vila Viçosa; Count of Barcelos, Ourém, Neiva, and Arraiolos 1478–1483	Succeeded by Jaime I
Preceded by New Title	Duke of Guimarães 1478–1483