Frei João Álvares
Encyclopedia
Frei João Álvares was a 15th century Portuguese
friar
of a military Order
, chronicle
r and writer.
Álvares served as chamberlain and secretary of the Portuguese
royal prince or infante the holy Ferdinand, the youngest of the 'Illustrious Generation
' - the children of King John I
and Philippa of Lancaster
). He accompanied Ferdinand on the ill-fated Portuguese campaign to conquer
Tangier
from Marinid
Morocco in 1437. To preserve his army from destruction, Prince Henry the Navigator, commander of the expedition, signed a treaty that agreed to deliver Ceuta
(captured by the Portuguese earlier in 1415) back to Morocco. Henry handed over his brother Ferdinand to the Marinids as a noble hostage to ensure the delivery of Ceuta. As a member of his household, Álvares accompanied Ferdinand into Moroccan captivity.
As it turns out, the Portuguese refused to honor the treaty and deliver Ceuta, with the result that Ferdinand was left in Marinid captivity, first at Asilah
, then at Fez, where he eventually died in 1443. However, Álvares was successfully ransomed in 1448, five years after his master's death. He returned to Morocco in 1450 to ransom remaining captives and to collect the relic
s of Ferdinand, who was now starting to be religiously cultivated
as the Holy Prince (Infante Santo) in Portugal.
After returning to Portugal, Prince Henry commissioned Álvares to draft a chronicle of Ferdinand's life. Written by Álvares between 1451 and 1460 and first published in Lisbon in 1527, it is one of the few eyewitness accounts of the Battle of Tangiers and the captivity of Ferdinand. Its details are often at odds with the account of official royal chronicler Rui de Pina
and, despite being commissioned by Henry, often unflattering of Henry's leadership during the Tangier campaign. Intended as Christian hagiography
to promote the saint
ly cult of Ferdinand, Álvares's chronicle details Ferdinand's patient endurance of the humiliations and sufferings he underwent in Moroccan captivity. But Álvares refrains from endorsing the popular view that Ferdinand had volunteered for martyrdom, making it reasonably clear that Ferdinand originally expected the treaty to be honored and his release to be secured swiftly.
Sometime before 1460, Álvares accompanied Isabella of Portugal (Duchess of Burgundy) to Flanders
. He is also known to have traveled to Rome in 1470, seeking spiritual indulgences attached to the veneration of Ferdinand.
João Álvares was a member of the military order
of the Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz
and in 1461 was named commendatory abbot
of the Benedictine monastery
at Paço de Sousa (near Penafiel in northern Portugal
). He translated several religious works into Portuguese
, including the first edition of The Imitation of Christ of Thomas à Kempis
. He died in Paço de Sousa around 1490.
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
of a military Order
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...
, chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
r and writer.
Álvares served as chamberlain and secretary of the Portuguese
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
royal prince or infante the holy Ferdinand, the youngest of the 'Illustrious Generation
Illustrious Generation (Portugal)
The Ínclita Geração is a term commonly used by Portuguese historians to refer to a group of 15th C. infantes of the House of Aviz, specifically the sons of King John I of Portugal and his wife Philippa of Lancaster...
' - the children of King John I
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
and Philippa of Lancaster
Philippa of Lancaster
Philippa of Lancaster, LG was a Queen consort of Portugal. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage with King John I secured the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance and produced several famous children who became known as the "Illustrious Generation" in Portugal...
). He accompanied Ferdinand on the ill-fated Portuguese campaign to conquer
Battle of Tangier (1437)
The 1437 Battle of Tangier, sometimes referred to as the Siege of Tangiers, refers to the attempt by a Portuguese expeditionary force to seize the Moroccan citadel of Tangier, and their subsequent defeat by the armies of the Marinid sultanate of Morocco....
Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
from Marinid
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
Morocco in 1437. To preserve his army from destruction, Prince Henry the Navigator, commander of the expedition, signed a treaty that agreed to deliver Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
(captured by the Portuguese earlier in 1415) back to Morocco. Henry handed over his brother Ferdinand to the Marinids as a noble hostage to ensure the delivery of Ceuta. As a member of his household, Álvares accompanied Ferdinand into Moroccan captivity.
As it turns out, the Portuguese refused to honor the treaty and deliver Ceuta, with the result that Ferdinand was left in Marinid captivity, first at Asilah
Asilah
Asilah or Arzila is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 31 km from Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact...
, then at Fez, where he eventually died in 1443. However, Álvares was successfully ransomed in 1448, five years after his master's death. He returned to Morocco in 1450 to ransom remaining captives and to collect the relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s of Ferdinand, who was now starting to be religiously cultivated
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
as the Holy Prince (Infante Santo) in Portugal.
After returning to Portugal, Prince Henry commissioned Álvares to draft a chronicle of Ferdinand's life. Written by Álvares between 1451 and 1460 and first published in Lisbon in 1527, it is one of the few eyewitness accounts of the Battle of Tangiers and the captivity of Ferdinand. Its details are often at odds with the account of official royal chronicler Rui de Pina
Rui de Pina
-Biography:Rui de Pina was a native of Guarda. He acted as secretary of the embassy sent by King John II of Portugal to Castile in the spring of 1482, and in the following September returned there as sole envoy. He was present at the execution of Fernando II, Duke of Braganza at Évora in 1483,...
and, despite being commissioned by Henry, often unflattering of Henry's leadership during the Tangier campaign. Intended as Christian hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
to promote the saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
ly cult of Ferdinand, Álvares's chronicle details Ferdinand's patient endurance of the humiliations and sufferings he underwent in Moroccan captivity. But Álvares refrains from endorsing the popular view that Ferdinand had volunteered for martyrdom, making it reasonably clear that Ferdinand originally expected the treaty to be honored and his release to be secured swiftly.
Sometime before 1460, Álvares accompanied Isabella of Portugal (Duchess of Burgundy) to Flanders
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
. He is also known to have traveled to Rome in 1470, seeking spiritual indulgences attached to the veneration of Ferdinand.
João Álvares was a member of the military order
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...
of the Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz
Order of Aviz
The Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1910 Royal Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1789 Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz , previously Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz or Friars of Santa Maria of Évora, is a Portuguese Order of Chivalry...
and in 1461 was named commendatory abbot
Commendatory abbot
A commendatory abbot is an ecclesiastic, or sometimes a layman, who holds an abbey in commendam, drawing its revenues but not exercising any authority over its inner monastic discipline...
of the Benedictine monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Paço de Sousa (near Penafiel in northern Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
). He translated several religious works into Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, including the first edition of The Imitation of Christ of Thomas à Kempis
Thomas à Kempis
Thomas à Kempis was a late Medieval Catholic monk and the probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best known Christian books on devotion. His name means, "Thomas of Kempen", his home town and in German he is known as Thomas von Kempen...
. He died in Paço de Sousa around 1490.
Works
- c.1460, Tratado da vida e dos feitos do muito vertuoso Senhor Infante D. Fernando, first published 1527, Lisbon. Reprinted 1577, Coimbra. 1730 edition retitled Chronica dos feytos, vida, e morte do infante santo D. Fernando, que morreo em Fez, Fr. Jeronimo dos Ramos, editor, Lisbon: M. Rodrigues. online
Sources
- Adelino de Almeida Calado (1964) "Frei João Álvares: estudo textual e literário-cultural", Boletim da Biblioteca da Universidade de Coimbra, vol. 27 offprint
- Russell, P.E. (2000) Prince Henry 'the Navigator': a life New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.