Sebastian of Portugal

Sebastian I "the Desired" (in Portuguese, Sebastião I o Desejado; born in Lisbon, January 20, 1554; died at Alcazarquivir, August 4, 1578) was the sixteenth king of Portugal. He was the son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife, Joan of Habsburg, and was the grandson of John III.

Related Topics:
Portuguese - Lisbon - January 20 - 1554 - Alcazarquivir - August 4 - 1578 - King of Portugal - John of Portugal - Joan of Habsburg - John III

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Sebastian became heir to the throne on the death of his father in 1554 (two weeks before his birth), and succeeded to the throne three years later. As Sebastian was still an infant, the regency was handled first by his Spanish grandmother, Catherine of Habsburg, and then by his great uncle, Cardinal Henry of Evora. This period saw continued Portuguese colonial expansion in Angola, Mozambique, and Malacca, as well as the annexation of Macau (in 1557).

Related Topics:
1554 - Regency - Catherine of Habsburg - Henry of Evora - Portuguese colonial expansion - Angola - Mozambique - Malacca - Macau - 1557

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Sebastian was a fragile boy, a result of marriages within the same family for many generations. For example, he only had four great-grandparents (instead of the normal eight), three of whom were descendants of King John I, one of them through both parents. There were cases of madness in the family, perhaps the most famous example of which was that of his great-grandmother, Queen Joanna of Castile, "the Mad".

Related Topics:
John I - Joanna of Castile

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The young king grew up under the guidance and heavy influence of the Jesuits. He was a mystic who spent long periods either hunting or fasting. He also convinced himself that he was to be a great captain for Jesus in a glorious crusade against the Muslims of North Africa.

Related Topics:
Jesuits - Mystic - Jesus - Crusade

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Almost immediately upon attaining his majority, and despite having no son and heir, Sebastian began plans for a great crusade against the Moroccans of Fez. Philip II of Spain refused to be party to the plan, and postponed Sebastian's imminent marriage to a Spanish princess. The Portuguese crusaders crossed into Morocco in 1578, and, against the advice of his commanders, Sebastian marched deep inland. At Alcazarquivir (Field of the Three Kings) the Portuguese were routed by Ahmed Mohammed of Fez, and Sebastian was almost certainly either killed in battle, or subsequently executed. But for the Portuguese people, he just disappeared.

Related Topics:
Fez - Philip II of Spain - 1578 - Alcazarquivir - Ahmed Mohammed of Fez

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He then passed into legend as a great Portuguese patriot, the "sleeping king" who would return to help Portugal in its darkest hour; similar to the British King Arthur or the German Frederick Barbarossa. During the time of Spain's occupation of Portugal, between 1580 and 1640, four different pretenders claimed to be the returned King Sebastian; the last of these pretenders, who was in fact an Italian, was hanged in 1619. Even as late as the 19th century, Sebastianist peasants in the Brazilian sertão believed that the king would return to help them in their rebellion against the "godless" Brazilian republic.

Related Topics:
Sleeping king - King Arthur - Frederick Barbarossa - Spain - 1580 - 1640 - Italian - 1619 - 19th century - Sertão - Rebellion - Brazilian

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Sebastian was succeeded as king by his uncle Henry.

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