Isabella of Viseu

Infanta Isabella
Duchess of Braganza
Isabella of Viseu in a c. 1645 genealogy of the Kings of Portugal (National Library of Portugal).
Born	1459
Died	1521
Spouse	Fernando II, Duke of Braganza
Issue	Jaime, Duke of Braganza Dinis of Portugal
House	House of Aviz House of Braganza
Father	Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu
Mother	Beatrice of Portugal

Isabella of Viseu (1459–1521) was a daughter of Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu and his wife and cousin Infanta Beatrice, Duchess of Viseu. She was a member of the House of Aviz and later, House of Braganza.

Family

She was the sister of Manuel I of Portugal and Leonor of Viseu. Her maternal grandparents were Infante João of Portugal and his wife Isabella of Barcelos. Her paternal grandparents were Edward of Portugal and Leonor of Aragon.

Isabella's cousin was Isabella I of Castile, wife of Ferdinand II of Aragon and mother of the English queen, Catherine of Aragon.

Life

Marriage

She married Fernando II, Duke of Braganza, a marriage that would later end in tragedy. This was Fernando's second marriage, after the death of his first wife, Leonor de Menezes. Leonor had not borne any children, so Isabella needed to deliver a son.

Isabella and Fernando had four children:

• Jaime, Duke of Braganza (d.1532), succeeded his father as Duke of Braganza. Married firstly to Eleanor of Mendoza, had issue. Married secondly to Joana de Mendoça and had issue.
• Philip of Braganza, died young
• Dinis of Portugal (1481–1516), younger surviving son and ancestor of John IV of Portugal.
• Margaret of Braganza (c.1483), died young.

Downfall

Even at a young age, John II of Portugal was not popular among the peers of the kingdom since he was immune to external influence and appeared to despise intrigue. The nobles (including particularly Isabella's husband, the Duke of Braganza) were afraid of his future policies as king. Events proved them right.

After the official accession to the throne in 1481, John II took a series of measures to curtail the overgrown power of his aristocracy and to concentrate power on himself. Immediately, the nobles started to conspire; John II did nothing but observe. Letters of complaint and pleas to intervene were exchanged between the Duke of Braganza and Queen Isabella I of Castile. In 1483, this correspondence was intercepted by royal spies. The House of Braganza was outlawed, their lands confiscated and Isabella's husband executed in Évora.

The following year Isabella's brother was murdered by King John himself because there was word of a new conspiracy that also involved Isabella's second cousin and her father's brother in law. Isabella's family would have felt safe because her sister Leonor was married to John II, but they weren't safe at all. Many other members of Isabella's family were murdered including her elder brother Diogo, Duke of Viseu.

Later years

In 1495, John died without surviving issue and Isabella's brother succeeded him as Manuel I of Portugal. At first, Leanor was made heiress but because she was Dowager Queen and had no surviving children, the post as heiress was passed to Isabella, who in turn passed it to her eldest son Jaime, who was heir from 1495 until 1498 when Manuel's son Miguel da Paz, Prince of Portugal was born.

Isabella died in 1521, she was 62 years of age at the Lisbon Convent of the Mother of God, her brother died later in the year, her sister Leonor died 4 years later. Out of their four children Jaime and Dinis survived to adulthood, Jaime later succeeded his father as Duke of Braganza.

Ancestry

Family of Isabella of Viseu

16. Peter I of Portugal (= 24)               8. John I of Portugal (= 12, 28)                       17. Teresa Lourenço (= 25)               4. Edward of Portugal                             18. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (= 26)               9. Philippa of Lancaster (= 13)                       19. Blanche of Lancaster (= 27)               2. Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu                                   20. John I of Castile               10. Ferdinand I of Aragon                       21. Eleanor of Aragon               5. Eleanor of Aragon                             22. Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque               11. Eleanor of Alburquerque                       23. Beatrice of Portugal               1. Isabella of Viseu                                         24. Peter I of Portugal (= 16)               12. John I of Portugal (= 8, 28)                       25. Teresa Lourenço (= 17)               6. Infante João, Lord of Reguengos                             26. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (= 18)               13. Philippa of Lancaster (= 9)                       27. Blanche of Lancaster (= 19)               3. Infanta Beatriz of Portugal                                   28. John I of Portugal (= 8, 12)               14. Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza                       29. Inês Pires Esteves               7. Isabella of Barcelos                             30. Nuno Álvares Pereira               15. Beatriz Pereira de Alvim                       31. Leonor de Alvim

See also

• Duke of Braganza