António, Prior of Crato
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- For the Portuguese Prince see: António of Braganza
Anthony I, King of Portugal (Portuguese: António, pron. IPA [ɐ̃'tɔniu]) (Lisbon, 1531 – Paris, August 26, 1595), known by The Prior of Crato (and, rarely, as The Determined, The Fighter or The Independentist), was a grandson of Manuel I, claimant of the Portuguese throne during the 1580 crisis (struggle for the throne of Portugal) and, according to some historians, King of Portugal and Algarves (during a short time in 1580, in the continent, and since then until 1583, in the Azores Islands).
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[edit] Life
Antonio was the illegitimate son of Prince Louis, Duke of Beja (1506–1555) by Yolande (Violante) Gomez, a Jewess, who is said to have died a nun. This made him the grandson of King Manuel I (1495–1521). Due to his illegitimate status, his claim to the throne was considered invalid; furthermore, his father was also Prior of Crato (that enabled him to marry without a Pope's dispensation). He was a disciple of Bartolomeu dos Mártires.
Antonio was educated in Coimbra, and placed in the Order of St. John. He was endowed with the wealthy priory of Crato. In 1571 he was governor of the Portuguese North African fortification of Tangier. Nonetheless, little is known of his life until 1578. In that year, he accompanied King Sebastian (1557–1578) in his invasion of Morocco, and was taken prisoner by the Moors in the disaster of Alcácer Quibir, where the young King was slain. Antonio is said to have secured his release on easy terms by a fiction. He was asked the meaning of the cross of St. John that he wore on his doublet, and replied that it was the sign of a small benefice which he held from the Pope, and would lose if he were not back by the 1st of January. His captor, believing him to be a poor man, allowed him to escape for a small ransom.
On his return to Portugal, Antonio laid his claim to the throne. His pretensions were, however, denied. His uncle, Cardinal Henry, the only surviving brother of King John III (1521–1557), became the new monarch. The cardinal was old and the last legitimate male representative of the royal line (see History of Portugal). In January 1580, when the Cortes were assembled in Almeirim (where the rightful heir of the Portuguese throne was decided), the old Cardinal-King Henry died. The regency of the kingdom was assumed by a governing junta composed of five members.
By this time, the Portuguese throne was disputed by several claimants. Among them were Catherine, Duchess of Braganza (1540–1614), her nephew the Farnese Rainuccio of Parma, Philip II of Spain and the Prior of Crato himself. The Duchess was later named as the legitimate heir, after her descendants obtained the throne in 1640 (through John IV of Portugal), but at that time, she was one of possible heirs. According to feudal custom, her late older sister's son Rainuccio, an Italian, was the closest heir, followed by the Duchess herself, and only after them, King Philip. Philip II was a foreigner and descended from Manuel I through a female line. As for Anthony, although King Manuel I's grandson in male line, he was an illegitimate grandson.
Antonio, relying on the popular hostility to a Spanish ruler, presented himself as an alternative candidate to King Philip II. He endeavoured to prove that his father and mother were married after his birth but no evidence of the marriage could be found. Antonio's claim, which was inferior to those of Philip II and the duchess of Braganza, was not supported by the nobles or gentry. His partisans were drawn exclusively from the inferior clergy, the peasants and workmen. Moreover, Philip managed to bribe the upper classes of Portugal with gold from the Americas which ensured the success of his pursuit of the Portuguese crown. For them, the idea of a personal union with Spain would be highly profitable for Portugal, which had been experiencing an economic downturn at the time.
Antonio tried to win the Portuguese people to his cause, comparing the current situation to the one of 1385. Then, just as in 1580, the king of Castile invoked arguments of blood nature to inherit the Portuguese throne; and like in 1580, the Master of Aviz (John I), illegitimate son of King Peter I, claimed his rights to the throne that ended in victory for Portugal in the Aljubarrota and in the Cortes of Coimbra in 1385.
In July 24, 1580, Antonio proclaimed himself King of Portugal in Santarém which followed by popular acclamation in several locations of the country. However, he governed in the continent for only 20 days, culminating in his defeat in the Battle of Alcântara by the Spanish armies led by the Duke of Alba on August 25.
After the above event, he attempted to rule Portugal from Terceira Island, in the Azores, where he established an opposition government to the Spanish occupation (ocupación) that lasted until 1583, and which even minted coin — a typical act of sovereignty and royalty. Because of that, many authors consider him the last monarch of the House of Aviz (instead of Cardinal-King Henry) and the 18th King of Portugal.
In early 1581, he fled to France carrying with him the crown jewels, including many valuable diamonds. He was well received by Catherine de Medici, who had a claim of her own to the Crown of Portugal. She looked upon him as a convenient instrument to be used against Philip II. By promising to cede the Portuguese colony of Brazil to her and the sale of some of his jewels, Antonio secured support to fit out a fleet manned by Portuguese exiles and French and English adventurers.
As the Spaniards had not yet occupied the Azores, he sailed for them, but was utterly defeated at sea by the Marquis of Santa Cruz off Saint Michael's on July 27, 1582. He then returned to France and lived for a time in Ruel near Paris. Peril from the assassins, employed by Philip II to remove him, drove Antonio from one refuge to another until he finally went to England.
Elizabeth favoured him for much the same reasons as Catherine de Medici did. In 1589, the year after the Armada, he accompanied an English expedition, under the command of Francis Drake and Norris, to the coast of Spain and Portugal. The force consisted partly of the queen's ships, and in part by privateers who joined in search of booty. Antonio, with all the credulity of an exile, believed that his presence would provoke a general rising against Philip II. However, none took place and the expedition was a costly failure.
His government on Terceira Island was only recognized in the Azores. In the continent and in the Madeira Islands, power was exercised by Philip II, who was acclaimed king in 1580 as Philip I of Portugal, and recognized as official king the following year by the Cortes of Tomar.
After his defeat in the Azores, Antonio went as an exile to France — traditional enemy of the Habsburgs of Spain — receiving their support; he also congregated the support of England. Another attempt for an invasion was made but it ended in failure.
Antonio soon fell into poverty. His remaining diamonds were disposed of by degrees. The last and finest was acquired by M. de Sancy, from whom it was purchased by Sully. It was later included in the jewels of the crown. During his last days, he lived as a private gentleman on a small pension given by Henry IV. He died in Paris on August 26, 1595. He left two illegitimate sons, and his descendants can be traced until 1687. In addition to papers which he published to defend his claims, Antonio was the author of the Panegyrus Alphonsi Lusitanorum Regis (Coimbra 1550), and of a cento of the Psalms, Psalmi Confessionales (Paris 1592), which was translated into English under the title of The Royal Penitent by Francis Chamberleyn (London 1659), and into German as Heilige Betrachtungen (Marburg, 1677).
Anthony continued to fight for the restoration of independence of his country until the end of his life. He did not see the end of the Philippine dynasty, in 1640, when a Portuguese — the grandson of his cousin, the Duchess of Braganza — was acclaimed king as John IV of Portugal, after a victorious coup in December 1, 1640.
[edit] Ancestors
| António, Prior of Crato | Father: Infante Luís, Duke of Beja |
Father's father: Manuel I of Portugal |
Father's father's father: Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu |
| Father's father's mother: Beatrice of Portugal |
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| Father's mother: Maria of Aragon |
Father's mother's father: Ferdinand II of Aragon |
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| Father's mother's mother: Isabella of Castile |
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| Mother: Violante Gomes |
Mother's father: Pedro Gomes |
Mother's father's father: Unknown |
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| Mother's father's mother: Unknown |
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| Mother's mother: Unknown |
Mother's mother's father: Unknown |
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| Mother's mother's mother: Unknown |
[edit] Descendants
António, being a religious man, was never permitted to marry but had several children with several women.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Ana Barbosa (?-?) | |||
| Manuel de Portugal | 1568 | June 22, 1638 | Accompanied his father in the exile in France, England and Flanders. |
| Other offspring | |||
| Cristóvão de Portugal | April 1573 | June 3, 1638 | After his father's death continued to fight for the his cause. |
| Dinis de Portugal | ? | ? | Cistercian monk. |
| João de Portugal | ? | ? | Died young. |
| Filipa de Portugal | ? | ? | Nun at the Monastery of Lorvão. |
| Luísa de Portugal | ? | ? | Nun in Tordesillas. |
[edit] References
Antonio is frequently mentioned in French, English, and Spanish state papers of the time. A life of him, attributed to Gomes Vasconcellos de Figueredo, was published in a French translation by Mme de Sainctonge in Amsterdam (1696). A modern account of him, Un prétendant portugais au XVI siècle, by E. Fournier (Paris, 1852), is based on authentic sources. See also Dom Antonio Prior de Crato-notas de bibliographia, by J. de Aranjo (Lisbon, 1897).
| House of Aviz Cadet Branch of the Houses of Capet and Burgundy Born: ? 1531; Died: 26 August 1595 |
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| Preceded by: Henry |
Kings of Portugal (disputed) 1580 (in Portugal) 1580–1583 (only in the Azores Islands) |
Succeeded by: Philip I |
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
