Afonso VI ' onMouseout='HidePop("7385")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/English_language">English
English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
Alphonzo or
Alphonse), or
Affonso (Old Portuguese), (21 August 1643 – 12 September 1683) was the twenty-second (or twenty-third according to some historians) king of
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
and the
AlgarveThe Algarve from the Arabic word meaning "the west" is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal. It has an area of 5,412 square kilometres with approximately 410,000 permanent inhabitants, and incorporates 16 municipalities...
s, the second of the
House of BraganzaThe Most Serene House of Braganza was the dynasty which ruled Portugal from 1640 to 1853 or until 1910 , and the Empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1889. It is a collateral line of the House of Aviz, which ruled Portugal from 1385 until 1580...
, known as "the Victorious" (
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
o Vitorioso).
At the age of three, Afonso suffered an illness that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, as well as leaving him mentally unstable.
Afonso VI ' onMouseout='HidePop("7385")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/English_language">English
English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
Alphonzo or
Alphonse), or
Affonso (Old Portuguese), (21 August 1643 – 12 September 1683) was the twenty-second (or twenty-third according to some historians) king of
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
and the
AlgarveThe Algarve from the Arabic word meaning "the west" is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal. It has an area of 5,412 square kilometres with approximately 410,000 permanent inhabitants, and incorporates 16 municipalities...
s, the second of the
House of BraganzaThe Most Serene House of Braganza was the dynasty which ruled Portugal from 1640 to 1853 or until 1910 , and the Empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1889. It is a collateral line of the House of Aviz, which ruled Portugal from 1385 until 1580...
, known as "the Victorious" (
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
o Vitorioso).
At the age of three, Afonso suffered an illness that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, as well as leaving him mentally unstable. His father created him 10th
Duke of BraganzaThe title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal, as the ancient Duchy of Braganza , is one of the oldest and most important dukedoms in Portugal...
.
After the 1653 death of his eldest brother
Teodósio, Prince of BrazilThe Infante Teodósio, Prince of Brazil was a Portuguese infante son of John IV of Portugal and his wife Luisa de Guzmán . In 1645 he was given the title of Prince of Brazil, a new crown-princely position thus created...
, Afonso became the heir-apparent to the throne of the kingdom. He received also the crown-princely title 2nd
Prince of BrazilPrince of Brazil was a title used in the Kingdom of Portugal, for the heir of the royal House of Braganza.The title was created by King John IV of Portugal on 27 October 1645 in favor of his eldest son and heir Infante Teodósio, soon after Portugal had got rid of its Spanish rulers...
.
He succeeded his father (João IV) in 1656 at the age of thirteen. His mother, (
Luisa of Medina-SidoniaLuisa de Guzmán was a Queen of Portugal by marriage. She was the wife of King John IV, the first Braganza ruler, as well as the mother of two Kings of Portugal and a Queen of England .-Biography:She was Spanish by birth, the daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, 8th Duke of Medina...
) was named regent in his father's will. His mental instability and paralysis, plus his disinterest in government, left his mother as regent for six years, until 1662. Afonso oversaw military victories over the
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
at
AmeixialThe Battle of Ameixial, was fought on June 8 1663, near the village of Santa Vitoria do Ameixial, some 10 km north-west of Estremoz, between Spanish and Portuguese as part of the Portuguese Restoration War....
(8 June 1663) and
Montes ClarosThe Battle of Montes Claros, was fought on June 17 1665, near Vila Viçosa, between Spanish and Portuguese as the last battle in the Portuguese Restoration War....
(17 June 1665), culminating in the final Spanish recognition of Portugal's independence on 13 February 1668 in the Treaty of Lisbon. Colonial affairs saw the
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
conquest of
JaffnaJaffna or Yazhpanam is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Though most of the residents of Jaffna are Sri Lankan Tamils, there is also a minor presence of Sri Lankan Moors and Portuguese Burghers...
patam, Portugal's last colony in
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
(1658) and the cession of Bombay and
TangierTangier or Tangiers [
pronounce] is a city of northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000...
to
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(23 June 1661) as dowry for Afonso's sister,
Catherine of BraganzaCatherine of Braganza was a Portuguese Infanta and the queen consort of Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland.-Early life:...
who had married King
Charles II of EnglandCharles II was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time. Instead they passed a statute making such a...
. English mediation in 1661 saw the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
acknowledge Portuguese rule of
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
in return for uncontested control of Sri Lanka.
In 1662, the
Count of Castelo Melhorthumb|Luis de Vasconcelos e Sousa, count of Castelo MelhorDom Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor, was a Portuguese politician and prime minister....
saw an opportunity to gain power at court by befriending the king. He managed to convince the king that his mother was out to steal his throne and exile him from Portugal. As a result, Afonso took control of the throne and his mother was sent to a convent.
He was married to Marie Françoise of Nemours, the daughter of the Duke of Savoy, in 1666, but this marriage would not last long. Marie Françoise, or Maria Francisca in Portuguese, filed for an annulment in 1667 based on the impotence of the king. The Church granted her the annulment, and she married Afonso's brother, Pedro, Duke of Beja, (future (
Peter IIalign=right|-|Peter II align=right|-|Peter II align=right|-|Peter II (Portuguese Pedro, , the Pacific (Port. o Pacífico) (April 26, 1648 – December 9, 1706), Regent (1668–1683) and 23rd (or 24th according to some historians) King of Portugal and the Algarves (1683–1706)....
)). That same year, Pedro managed to gain enough support to force the king to relinquish control of the government and he became Prince Regent in 1668. Afonso was exiled to the island of Terceira in the
AzoresThe Azores is a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about from Lisbon and about from the east coast of North America. The two westernmost Azorean islands actually lie on the North American plate...
for seven years, returning to mainland Portugal shortly before he died at
SintraSintra is a town in Sintra Municipality in Portugal, located in the Grande Lisboa subregion and the Lisbon Region. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its 19th century Romantic architecture....
in 1683.
His trial is the base for José Mário Grilo's 1990 film,
The King's Trial (
O Processo do Rei).
Ancestors