All the Kings of Portugal

Afonso Henriques 1143-1185

Sancho I 1185-1211

Afonso II 1211-1223

Sancho II 1223-1248

Afonso III 1248-1279

Dinis I 1279-1325

Afonso IV 1325-1357

Pedro I 1357-1367

Fernando I 1367-1383

Joao I 1385-1433

Duarte 1433-1438

Afonso V 1438-1481

Joao II 1481-1495

Manuel I 1495-1521

Joao III 1521-1557

Sebastiao 1557-1578

Henrique 1578-1580

Antonio 1580

Filipe I 1581-1598

Filipe II 1598-1621

Filipe III 1621-1640

Joao IV 1640-1656

Afonso VI 1656-1683

Pedro II 1683-1706

Joao V 1706-1750

José 1750-1777

Maria I 1777-1816

Joao VI 1816-1826

Pedro IV 1826

Maria II 1826-1853

Miguel 1828-1834

Pedro V 1853-1861

Luis I 1861-1889

Carlos 1889-1908

Manuel II 1908-1910


Afonso Henriques

King 1143-1185

He was born on July 25, 1111. Son of Count Henrique (who had been donated the county of Portugal in 1095 whose ducal dynasty had been abolished) and Countess Teresa (who tookover
her husband's county upon his death in 1111).
He deposed his mother in the battle of São Mamede (1128) and succeeded her as Count of Portugal.
He was crowned King by his soldiers after the battle of Ourique (1138 or 1139) and was recognised as a vassal-king by the king of Leon (his suzerain) in 1140.
On October 1143 in the conference of Zamora the suzerainty was transferred to the Pope, becoming then pratically independent.
Although he ruled as an independent king the Pope only recognised his title (as well as its total independence) in 1179 (until then the pope addressed Afonso Henriques as Dux Portucalensis).
Energetic soldier-king he was responsible for the conquering of vast areas south of the original county, including Lisbon (1147).
He died in Coimbra in 6.12.1185 and was succeeded by his son, Sancho I.

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Sancho I

King 1185-1211

He was born on November 11, 1154. Son of Afonso Henriques.
He succeeded his father in all his qualities. He distinguished in the colonization of the new conquered lands.
He died in Coimbra in 26.3.1211 and was succeeded by his son, Afonso II.

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Afonso II

King 1211-1223

He was born on April 23, 1185. Son of Sancho I.
He had not inherited the warrior qualities of his father and grandfather but he was a good statesman. He interrupted the south expantion and reorganized the Portuguese political system.
He died in Coimbra in 25.3.1223 and was succeeded by his son Sancho II.

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Sancho II

King 1223-1248

He was born on September 8, 1202. Son of Afonso II.
He conquered Alentejo. Concerning internal affairs he was weak and indecisive. He was replaced by his younger brother Afonso III who became regent (1247-1249) after a civil war (1245-1247) and later became king since Sancho II had no children.
He died in exile in Toledo, Castile (Spain) in 4.1.1248 and was succeeded by his brother Afonso III.

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Afonso III

King 1248-1279

He was born on May 5, 1210. Son of Afonso II, brother of Sancho II.
He was called from Bologna (where he was married to the local sovereign) by the nobles to rule Portugal and upon his brother's death without offspring he inherited the throne.
He completed the Portuguese part of the christian Reconquest of Iberian Peninsula by conquering the Algarve in 1149. He was the first "King of Portugal and the Algarves".
He died in Lisbon in 16.2.1279 and was succeeded by his son Dinis.
 

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Dinis

King 1279-1325

He was born on October 9, 1261. Son of Afonso III.
He was by far the best King Portugal ever had. He incentivated culture (founded the University of Coimbra), commerce and agriculture.
He died in Santarém in 7.1.1325 and was succeeded by his son Afonso IV.

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Afonso IV

King 1325-1357

He was born on February 8, 1291. Son of Dinis.
He was an austere though good ruler of Portugal.
He died in Lisbon in 28.5.1357 and was succeeded by his son Pedro I.

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Pedro I

King 1357-1367

He was born on April 18, 1320. Son of Afonso IV.
He was the protagonist of one of the most famous love stories ever. While he was prince his lover Inês de Castro (or wife, as he claimed to have had a non-religious marriage with her) was assassinated under the orders of his father. When he became the king he ordered the exhumation of the body of Inês de Castro and made the whole court recognize her body as the Queen of
Portugal. He persecuted the murderers of Inês and executed them savagely. He reigned obcessed with justice and was harsh on those who didn't follow the law.
He died in Estremoz in 18.1.1367 and was succeeded by his son Fernando I.

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Fernando I

King 1367-1383

He was born on October 31, 1345. Son of Pedro I.
He published important laws, rebuilt several city walls, developed foreign trade and the navy but got involved in many wars that devastated the country.
He married his only daughter with the king of Castile.
He died in Lisbon in 22.10.1383.

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Joao I

King 1385-1433

He was born on April 11, 1357. Illegitim son of Pedro I.
He was elected King following an uprising. Fearing Castilian control the people refused Beatriz (only daughter of Fernando I) as their Queen and elected the Master of Avis (João I) as their regent and later king.
Following the death of Beatriz with no offspring, his legitimacy was strenghtened.
His reign marked the starting of the process of the Discoveries, the apogee of the Portuguese History. He conquered Ceuta in North Africa. He supported his son Henry's exploring adventures.
He died in Lisbon in 14.8.1433 and was succeeded by his son Duarte.

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Duarte

King 1433-1438

He was born on October 31, 1391. Son of João I.
Eloquent writer.
He died in Tomar in 1438 and was succeeded by his son Afonso V.

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Afonso V

King 1438-1481

He was born on January 15, 1432. Son of Duarte.
Following the early death of his father he was subjected to a tremendous influence from the nobility. He focused more in wars in Northern Africa than in the Discoveries process itself.
He died in Sintra in 28.8.1481 and was succeeded by his son Joao II.

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Joao II

King 1481-1495

He was born on May 3, 1455. Son of Afonso V.
He was the opposit of his father. He contributed a lot to the Discoveries
process and was a Machiavelic kind of king. He conquered Tanger in North Africa. He signed a treaty with Spain settling the boarders between the two countries's colonies.
He died on Alvor in 25.10.1495 and was succeeded by his first cousin Manuel I.

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Manuel I

King 1495-1521

He was born on May 31, 1469. Grandson of Duarte.
Since João II died without descendents, he succeeded to the throne since he was the closest relative of João II.
He inherited the kingdom at his apogee and wasted its money on vanities.
He died on Lisbon in 13.12.1521 and was succeeded by his son Joao III.

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Joao III

King 1521-1557

He was born June 6, 1502. Son of Manuel I.
He installed the Inquisition in Portugal.
He died on Lisbon in 11.6.1557 and was succeeded by Sebastiao.

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Sebastiao

King 1557-1578

He was born on January 20, 1554. Grandson of Joao III.
His father died some months before his birth.
He believed Portugal was the saviour of Christianity and (even against the advice of all his counsellors) confronted a gigantic Morish army in Alcácer-Quibir. Despite the massive losses of the enemy side, the battle was lost and he died on the battlefield.
Since his body was never recovered and noone testified his death, later during the Spanish dynasty the people created a myth that's apart of the essence of being Portuguese: the Sebastianism. According to the believers, Sebastião would return in a day of fog in a white horse to reclaim his
throne.
He died with no descendents in Alcácer-Quibir in 4.8.1578 and was succeeded by Henrique.

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Henrique

King 1578-1580

He was born on January 31, 1512. Son of Manuel I.
He inherited the kingdom very old and since he was a cardinal he couldn't have children. He failed to resolve the succession problem.
He died in Almeirim in 30.1.1580 adn was succeeded by Antonio.

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Antonio

King 1580

He was born in 1531. Illegitimate son of a natural son of Manuel I.
Ellected king by the people, he was soon crushed by the Spanish forces.

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Filipe I

King 1581-1598

He was born on March 21, 1527. Felipe II of Spain.
Grandson of Manuel I by his mother. He was the second-in-line after the Duchess of Bragança (who was descendent of Manuel I in a male line).
During the succession crisis of 1580 he got the support of the higher classes who were coveting the commerce in the Spanish America.
He promised (and accomplished) to rule Spain and Portugal as two separate kingdoms.
He died in Escorial, Spain in 13.9.1598 and was succeeded by his son, Filipe II.

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Filipe II

King 1598-1621

He was born on April 14, 1578. Felipe III of Spain.
Son of Filipe I.
He started to disrespect the commitment of his father.
He died in Madrid, Spain in 31.3.1621 and was succeeded by his son Filipe III.

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Filipe III

King 1621-1640

He was born on April 8, 1605. Felipe IV of Spain.
Son of Filipe II.
He fully disrepected the commitment of his grandfather. He fell under a revolution in the 1.12.1640 that restored the rightful line.
He died in Madrid, Spain in 17.9.1665.

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Joao IV

King 1640-1656

He was born on March 19, 1604. He became King in 1640 after liberating the country from Spain. Joao IV was a descendant of Afonso, Duke of Bragança, who was an illegitimate son of Joao I. He was also the great grandson of Catarina (granddaughter of Manuel I; married to Teodósio, Duke of Bragança) who was the legitimate heiress when Filipe I who was second in line took over with the help from the nobilty.
With him, the House of Bragança became rulers of Portugal.
He died in Lissabon on November 6, 1656 and was succeeded by his son Afonso VI.

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Afonso VI

King 1656-1683

He was born on August 21, 1643. Son of João IV.
Due to his mental incapacity he transferred the power to his brother Pedro II (1667), who later inherited the throne.
He died in Sintra in 12.9.1683.

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Pedro II

1683-1706

He was born on April 26, 1648. Son of João IV, brother of Afonso VI.
He took over power (1667) due to his brother's mental incapacity and later
inherited the throne upon his death with no offspring.
He died in 1706 and was succeeded by his son João V.

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Joao V

1706-1750

He was born on October 22, 1689. Son of Pedro II.
Enriched by the gold from Brazil he ruled as an absolute king following the style of Louis XIV of France. He wasted much of the gold on personal vanity.
He died in Lisbon in 31.7.1750 and was succeeded by his son José I.

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José I

1750-1777

He was born on June 6, 1714. Son of João V.
His reign was marked by the power of the head of government: Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo (later Marquis of Pombal).
He died in 1777 and was succeeded by his daughter Maria I.

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Maria I

1777-1816

She was born on December 17, 1734. Daughter of José I.
Following the French revolution she started to become mentally unstable and was often replaced by her son (the future João VI) after 1792. In 1799 she was definitely replaced by her son after totally losing reason.
She was married to her uncle, who was titular King as Pedro III.
She died in Brazil in 20.3.1816 and was succeeded by her son João VI.

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Joao VI

1816-1826

He was born on May 13, 1767. Son of Maria I.
He took over the reigning responsibilities from his mother in 1792 and ruled as prince-regent from 1799 until he inherited the throne.
Following French invasions he fled to Brazil in 1808 and estabilished the capital of the country there until his return to Portugal in 1821.
He was a permissive king, conscient of the events of his time. His actions avoided several blood sheds. He promoted Brazil to kingdom in 1815.
He died in Lisbon in 10.3.1826 and was succeeded by his son Pedro IV.

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Pedro IV

1826

He was born on October 12, 1798. Son of João VI.
He was the successor to the throne of Portugal and Brazil but he embraced the national cause of Brazil and declared its independence in 1822, proclaiming himself Emperor of Brazil.
Following the death of João VI he rapidly abdicated towards his daughter (Maria II) leaving later the throne of Brazil to his only son (Pedro II of Brazil).
He fought in the Portuguese civil war heading the liberal side to secure his daughter's throne.
He died in Queluz in 24.9.1834.

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Maria II

1826-1853

She was born on April 4, 1819. Daughter of Pedro IV.
She was proclaimed queen in 1826 at 7 and saw her throne usurped by her uncle and first husband in 1828.
After having his throne restored in 1834 she had an unstable reign withconfrontations from the right wing with the left wing.
She married a German prince, who became titular King as Fernando II.
She died in Lisbon in 15.11.1853.

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Miguel

1828-1834

He was born on October 26, 1802. Son of João VI, brother of Pedro IV.
Head of the absolutist cause he married Maria II and was recognized as regent during her childhood. He usurped the throne under the argument that no foreign could be considered king of Portugal, and Pedro IV as Brazilian was a foreign. After a civil war he fled to exile.
He died on Bronnbach Castle, Austria in 14.11.1866.

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Pedro V

1853-1861

He was born on September 16, 1837. Son of Maria II and Fernando II.
He rivals Dinis as the best king of Portugal ever. He incentivated progress, defended human rights and was definitely a king who cared. During a plague in Lisbon he was brave enough to visit the victims risking his life and became popular.
His early death by disease in Lisbon in 11.11.1861 shocked the whole kingdom. He was succeeded by his brother Luis I.

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Luis I

1861-1889

He was born on October 31, 1838. Son of Maria II and Fernando II, brother of Pedro V.
Also a human king, he tried to follow in his brother's steps.
He died in Cascais in 19.10.1889 and was succeeded by his son Carlos I.

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Carlos I

1889-1908

He was born on September 28, 1863. Son of Luís I.
Though he was a very cultured king he was not very popular due to the episode of the British Ultimatum in 1890, which strenghtened the Republican cause.
He was murdered with his elder son on their arrival to Lisbon in 1.2.1908 after a failed Republican coup and was succeeded by his second son Manuel II.

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Manuel II

1908-1910

He was born on November 15, 1889. Son of Carlos I.
He was removed after a Republican coup in the 5.10.1910.
He died in exile in Twickenham, England in 2.7.1932 without offspring, extincting then the line of Maria II. Portugal is now a Republic but the head of the Royal House of Portugal is Duarte Pio de Bragança, a great grandson of Miguel.

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