I dare say Dom Antonio's reputation will have gone for a Burton as well.
I forsee a civil war in Portugal between Sebastiao and Katarina of Braganza
A New Portugal (an alternate Ksar-el-Kebir)
- Thread starter Gonzaga
- Start date
I dare say Dom Antonio's reputation will have gone for a Burton as well.
I forsee a civil war in Portugal between Sebastiao and Katarina of Braganza
Actually, Spain will give him some help. Wait for the next installments.
Thanks, I was so tired yesterday that didn't notice that!
About Sebastião's image, it will be different, indeed. However, the Portuguese will have another "myth" to replace Sebastianism...
Let's say that Dom Antonio will have an interesting life...
And about the civil war, you can bet on it...
Don't ruin future installments!
But yes, Spain will have "something to say" about Ceuta...
Don't ruin future installments!
But yes, Spain will have "something to say" about Ceuta...
Perchance Phil II will use that as an excuse to try and get his hands on Portugal??
Indeed. Personally, I learned far more about grammar in Latin and French class - which means that some of the specialized terms for English (the only language I can claim fluency in) mean little to me.
Gees, Gonzaga, interesting TL so far!
How will this affect Portuguese colonization of the Americas?
Possibly Brazil isn't as big as OTL, especially on the south(there may be no difference in the Amazon region).
OK, I've decided to repost chapters 03 and 04, after having done some rewriting, correcting grammar and adding some information. Then I'll post chapters 05 and 06. Thanks Thande and Dathi THorfinnsson for the helping with the corrections.
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Chapter 3
The Prior of Crato
From “The Power Behind the Throne – The Life of Dom Antonio, Prior of Crato”, by
Juliano Gomes da Silva
...Although many versions of the history of his release have been told through the centuries, the oddest claiming that he had escaped disguised as a woman or as a merchant riding a camel, the truth is that Dom Antonio owed his freedom to his contacts among the Jewish community. The Prior of Crato had his ransom paid by Abraham Gebre, a Jew from Fez, for whom Antonio had done some favours in Tanger, where he had been governor.
Gebre intervened on Antonio’s behalf to the sultan, paying a huge sum in silver for his release. He also informed al-Mansur that the Prior was offering himself to be the mediator between the sultan and the king, in order to get Sebastian to accept some kind of ransom proposal. The sultan accepted Gebre’s offer, not only because of the money but, as well, because he needed a mediator whom the king would listen to and the Portuguese court could accept. Since Dom Antonio had royal blood, he seemed to be the man for the task…
…After being received by al-Mansur, the first thing Dom Antonio did was to visit the king in his cell, and explain the situation to him. Sebastian agreed to make him his mediator, but asserted that his first aim should be keep the Portuguese cities in Morocco. Also, he dictated three letters to him. The first one was to be given to Cardinal Dom Henrique, informing him about the king’s situation, and announcing the government procedures that should be followed during his absence. Among them was an express order not to send “a single coin” to ransom him or his nobles in Morocco. According to the king, “we are all agreed that it is preferable to die as saints and martyrs than to live under the scar of the shame, and even more when this stain could be the reason of the kingdom’s ruin”. On the contrary, the king’s order was that, if funds were to be collected in Portugal, it ought to be used to recruit troops, in order to invade Morocco again. The other two letters should be delivered to his uncle, Philip II, and to the Pope, requiring that both called a crusade to save him from the prison and avenge the Christian warriors' deaths….
…In Lisbon, the news of the disaster in Morocco caused the greatest public mourning since the 1531 earthquake, when 30,000 people died. In every home, families cried for the fate of their men. The churches were full of people praying for the souls of the dead, and for the release of the captives, especially the king.
It wasn’t different inside the Royal Palace, where Dom Antonio gave to the Cardinal Dom Henrique the demands of al-Mansur and the letter of the king. The court became astonished by the situation they needed to deal with: either they would give up the Moroccan cities, for what Portugal had lost so many lifes in the past, or his king would spend the rest of his life in a moor prison, just like the Infante Santo.
The State Council was summoned to a meeting in order to discuss the issue, but could not reach a conclusion. One of the main reasons was that, even if some councilors accepted the sacrifice of the Moroccan cities, their king barred them from doing so in his letter. Sebastian urged them to ask support from Spain and the Pope to call a crusade…
...The Cardinal agreed to let the Prior acting as mediator between the Portuguese court and the sultan, more because it was recommended by the king than by the Cardinal’s will. Dom Henrique ordered him to go to Madrid and Rome, to deliver the king’s letters. Dom Antonio went there in person, not only because he was ordered by the king to do so, but because he had a private reason. If the king died in prison, his successor would be Cardinal Dom Henrique, a priest, and so, without children. As the Cardinal was an old man, even if the Pope conceded him to give up his give his religious duties, and he married, he possibly would never have issue, and Portugal would have a succession crisis. The Prior had rights to the throne but, as he was considered a bastard [1], and he also did not have the Cardinal’s sympathies, he needed all possible support to make his claim legal. To show how important he was considered by the king to Phillip II (another possible claimant) and to have good re
lations with the Pope could help him…
...In Rome, where he arrived in late November, the mood was no different from Spain. The Pope Gregory XIII, just like Phillip II, expressed his condolences by the king’s situation, and said that he would pray for his fate and for his nobles'. He also made some vague promises about mobilizing an army to save the king. Actually, the Pope knew that without Spanish support this expedition would never happen, and the Spanish king wasn’t very eager to do it.
Dom Antonio, with the pretext of assisting the Christmas Mass in the Holy City, remained in Rome till the New Year Day. However, during this time, he not only mobilized contacts that could lead to the payment of more nobles’ ransoms, but he tried to get advice from cardinals about the possibilities of making his parents marriage legitimate, in order to give him a legal pretension to the Portuguese throne. Among the Cardinals with whom Dom Antonio discussed this issue was Ludovico D’Este...[3]
1) Dom Antonio was the son of Luis of Portugal, second son of king Manuel I. However, his mother, Violante Gomes, was a commoner with possible Jewish origin, who had secretly married the prince.
2) Cardinal Dom Henrique didn’t like the Prior both because he was a bastard and also because he abandoned the ecclesiastical career that was intended for him.
3) A hint, keep an eye on this guy...
Chapter 4
The fate of the prisoners
From “History of the conflicts between Morocco and Portugal – 1415 to 1582”, by Maati Ibrahim
...In February 14, 1579, six months after the battle, Ahmad al-Mansur went again to Fez, [1] where he had a meeting with king Sebastian, trying to reach some kind of agreement. With them was the Prior of Crato, who arrived from Lisbon bringing the Cardinal Dom Henrique’s offer. The Portuguese proposal was to surrender al cities occupied by Portugal but Ceuta, and to give an amount of gold for every noble imprisoned. The Prior explained to the sultan the difficulties that Portugal would have to pay the huge amount asked before, and said that would be better for Morocco to receive territories immediately than waiting years till gain a treasure.
Although these terms didn’t content him much, because he wanted Ceuta and, even more, the treasure, the sultan affirmed that would accept the deal, if Sebastian did. But the king’s view was different. He said that the proposal from Lisbon was nothing more than treason against Christ, the king, his ancestors, and his subjects. Sebastian also declared that he never would accept the surrender of “a single pebble” from the Portuguese territories in North Africa. He also threatened the sultan, affirming that he should be released before the crusade that the Pope would already had called to save him had arrived at his kingdom to “hunt you like a rabid wolf, although this same wolf has more nobility than your ancestors, the thieves and murderers”.
The sultan's response to the king’s words was one of his actions that most contributed to denigrate his image among Christian historians for generations. First, he ordered that the king should receive a hundred lashes in public, in front of all his nobles imprisoned in Fez.[2] But what he commanded to be done next would have greater consequences.
In the day after the meeting, al-Mansur ordered that all the prisoners younger than 15 years old should be sold as slaves. Many Portuguese brought their sons or young relatives with them, to learn about the art of war and the duties of a Christian soldier. The exact number of infants captured with the army is unknown, but it is estimated that at least a hundred were sold in the slave market. Among them, the most famous of these infants was Teodosio, the Duke of Braganza’s 10-year-old son [3] He was beloved by the king of Portugal, who asked his father to take him to Morocco. His destiny is uncertain, but some historians had claimed that he was bought by a merchant from Songhai. The king of Spain, as Teodosio’s father requested, sent a letter to the sultan asking the boy’s release, but by the time the message arrived at Fez it was too late…
...When Cardinal Dom Henrique died, in December 1579, the regency of the Portuguese kingdom was occupied by Catarina, Duchess of Braganza, a fact that changed the dynamics of the negotiations. The Duchess blamed the king on her son’s fate, and she no longer had sympathies for him. Also, as she was the king’s cousin, she believed herself to have a better claim for the Portuguese throne, and so, if the king died in prison, she would the Queen of Portugal.
As soon as she took over the regency, Catarina stopped all the negotiations to release the captives, except by some nobles she wanted to have their families’ support. She prohibited the Prior of Crato from keeping contact with the sultan and the king [4], and ordered to the governors of the Portuguese cities in Morocco to arrest Dom Antonio if he arrived at any port of the Portuguese Crown…
... In November 1580, due to the Portuguese withdrawal from the negotiations, and the refusal of the king to accept any agreement had already made al-Mansur sell half of all the Portuguese nobles into slavery. The despair for having this fate made many of the prisoners who, despite being Christians, had some Jewish ancestry, to turn back to their old religion, expecting to be freed by the influential Jewish community of Fez. There were even some captives who converted to Islam hoping that it would save them from their pain.
At first, the sultan didn’t believe in the sincerity of these conversions, but as he knew that it would irritate Sebastian, in February 1581 he proclaimed that all the prisoners who had decided to convert to Islam would be freed, upon the condition that they should never leave Morocco. More than 500 men accepted the deal, and many of them later became founders of important Moroccan families who would have great importance in the history of the country…
…Only a few prisoners, whose families appealed to Phillip II, managed to earn their freedom (and only those whose ransom was very large). Of the others, a few had died due to the conditions of the captivity…
...When the king finally could not stand anymore the punishments and the privations, and after being convinced by Dom Antonio that he needed to protect his throne, there was almost nobody left to save. Few nobles were lucky enough to have their ransom paid, either by Phillip II or by Catarina. Only 42 Portuguese had escaped death in prison or being sold into slavery when their release was agreed at last.
The Treaty of Fez, signed by the king and the sultan on January 23 1582, stated that in exchange for the release of the king and the other nobles, Portugal should surrender all her possessions in Moroccan territory, and also accept a non-aggression pact with Morocco, where Portugal should agree to help the Sultan or his indicated successor in case of civil war or foreign threat. With this act, the king’s captivity was ended, but the peace was still far from being reached with the Christians…
1) His official court was then at Marrakech.
2) Later, the sultan changed it to only 50 lashes, for piety.
3) OTL, Teodosio was released in September 1579, and would grow up to become the father of John II, the firs king of the House of Braganza.
4) An order he didn’t obey.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3
The Prior of Crato
From “The Power Behind the Throne – The Life of Dom Antonio, Prior of Crato”, by
Juliano Gomes da Silva
...Although many versions of the history of his release have been told through the centuries, the oddest claiming that he had escaped disguised as a woman or as a merchant riding a camel, the truth is that Dom Antonio owed his freedom to his contacts among the Jewish community. The Prior of Crato had his ransom paid by Abraham Gebre, a Jew from Fez, for whom Antonio had done some favours in Tanger, where he had been governor.
Gebre intervened on Antonio’s behalf to the sultan, paying a huge sum in silver for his release. He also informed al-Mansur that the Prior was offering himself to be the mediator between the sultan and the king, in order to get Sebastian to accept some kind of ransom proposal. The sultan accepted Gebre’s offer, not only because of the money but, as well, because he needed a mediator whom the king would listen to and the Portuguese court could accept. Since Dom Antonio had royal blood, he seemed to be the man for the task…
…After being received by al-Mansur, the first thing Dom Antonio did was to visit the king in his cell, and explain the situation to him. Sebastian agreed to make him his mediator, but asserted that his first aim should be keep the Portuguese cities in Morocco. Also, he dictated three letters to him. The first one was to be given to Cardinal Dom Henrique, informing him about the king’s situation, and announcing the government procedures that should be followed during his absence. Among them was an express order not to send “a single coin” to ransom him or his nobles in Morocco. According to the king, “we are all agreed that it is preferable to die as saints and martyrs than to live under the scar of the shame, and even more when this stain could be the reason of the kingdom’s ruin”. On the contrary, the king’s order was that, if funds were to be collected in Portugal, it ought to be used to recruit troops, in order to invade Morocco again. The other two letters should be delivered to his uncle, Philip II, and to the Pope, requiring that both called a crusade to save him from the prison and avenge the Christian warriors' deaths….
…In Lisbon, the news of the disaster in Morocco caused the greatest public mourning since the 1531 earthquake, when 30,000 people died. In every home, families cried for the fate of their men. The churches were full of people praying for the souls of the dead, and for the release of the captives, especially the king.
It wasn’t different inside the Royal Palace, where Dom Antonio gave to the Cardinal Dom Henrique the demands of al-Mansur and the letter of the king. The court became astonished by the situation they needed to deal with: either they would give up the Moroccan cities, for what Portugal had lost so many lifes in the past, or his king would spend the rest of his life in a moor prison, just like the Infante Santo.
The State Council was summoned to a meeting in order to discuss the issue, but could not reach a conclusion. One of the main reasons was that, even if some councilors accepted the sacrifice of the Moroccan cities, their king barred them from doing so in his letter. Sebastian urged them to ask support from Spain and the Pope to call a crusade…
...The Cardinal agreed to let the Prior acting as mediator between the Portuguese court and the sultan, more because it was recommended by the king than by the Cardinal’s will. Dom Henrique ordered him to go to Madrid and Rome, to deliver the king’s letters. Dom Antonio went there in person, not only because he was ordered by the king to do so, but because he had a private reason. If the king died in prison, his successor would be Cardinal Dom Henrique, a priest, and so, without children. As the Cardinal was an old man, even if the Pope conceded him to give up his give his religious duties, and he married, he possibly would never have issue, and Portugal would have a succession crisis. The Prior had rights to the throne but, as he was considered a bastard [1], and he also did not have the Cardinal’s sympathies, he needed all possible support to make his claim legal. To show how important he was considered by the king to Phillip II (another possible claimant) and to have good re
lations with the Pope could help him…
...In Rome, where he arrived in late November, the mood was no different from Spain. The Pope Gregory XIII, just like Phillip II, expressed his condolences by the king’s situation, and said that he would pray for his fate and for his nobles'. He also made some vague promises about mobilizing an army to save the king. Actually, the Pope knew that without Spanish support this expedition would never happen, and the Spanish king wasn’t very eager to do it.
Dom Antonio, with the pretext of assisting the Christmas Mass in the Holy City, remained in Rome till the New Year Day. However, during this time, he not only mobilized contacts that could lead to the payment of more nobles’ ransoms, but he tried to get advice from cardinals about the possibilities of making his parents marriage legitimate, in order to give him a legal pretension to the Portuguese throne. Among the Cardinals with whom Dom Antonio discussed this issue was Ludovico D’Este...[3]
1) Dom Antonio was the son of Luis of Portugal, second son of king Manuel I. However, his mother, Violante Gomes, was a commoner with possible Jewish origin, who had secretly married the prince.
2) Cardinal Dom Henrique didn’t like the Prior both because he was a bastard and also because he abandoned the ecclesiastical career that was intended for him.
3) A hint, keep an eye on this guy...
Chapter 4
The fate of the prisoners
From “History of the conflicts between Morocco and Portugal – 1415 to 1582”, by Maati Ibrahim
...In February 14, 1579, six months after the battle, Ahmad al-Mansur went again to Fez, [1] where he had a meeting with king Sebastian, trying to reach some kind of agreement. With them was the Prior of Crato, who arrived from Lisbon bringing the Cardinal Dom Henrique’s offer. The Portuguese proposal was to surrender al cities occupied by Portugal but Ceuta, and to give an amount of gold for every noble imprisoned. The Prior explained to the sultan the difficulties that Portugal would have to pay the huge amount asked before, and said that would be better for Morocco to receive territories immediately than waiting years till gain a treasure.
Although these terms didn’t content him much, because he wanted Ceuta and, even more, the treasure, the sultan affirmed that would accept the deal, if Sebastian did. But the king’s view was different. He said that the proposal from Lisbon was nothing more than treason against Christ, the king, his ancestors, and his subjects. Sebastian also declared that he never would accept the surrender of “a single pebble” from the Portuguese territories in North Africa. He also threatened the sultan, affirming that he should be released before the crusade that the Pope would already had called to save him had arrived at his kingdom to “hunt you like a rabid wolf, although this same wolf has more nobility than your ancestors, the thieves and murderers”.
The sultan's response to the king’s words was one of his actions that most contributed to denigrate his image among Christian historians for generations. First, he ordered that the king should receive a hundred lashes in public, in front of all his nobles imprisoned in Fez.[2] But what he commanded to be done next would have greater consequences.
In the day after the meeting, al-Mansur ordered that all the prisoners younger than 15 years old should be sold as slaves. Many Portuguese brought their sons or young relatives with them, to learn about the art of war and the duties of a Christian soldier. The exact number of infants captured with the army is unknown, but it is estimated that at least a hundred were sold in the slave market. Among them, the most famous of these infants was Teodosio, the Duke of Braganza’s 10-year-old son [3] He was beloved by the king of Portugal, who asked his father to take him to Morocco. His destiny is uncertain, but some historians had claimed that he was bought by a merchant from Songhai. The king of Spain, as Teodosio’s father requested, sent a letter to the sultan asking the boy’s release, but by the time the message arrived at Fez it was too late…
...When Cardinal Dom Henrique died, in December 1579, the regency of the Portuguese kingdom was occupied by Catarina, Duchess of Braganza, a fact that changed the dynamics of the negotiations. The Duchess blamed the king on her son’s fate, and she no longer had sympathies for him. Also, as she was the king’s cousin, she believed herself to have a better claim for the Portuguese throne, and so, if the king died in prison, she would the Queen of Portugal.
As soon as she took over the regency, Catarina stopped all the negotiations to release the captives, except by some nobles she wanted to have their families’ support. She prohibited the Prior of Crato from keeping contact with the sultan and the king [4], and ordered to the governors of the Portuguese cities in Morocco to arrest Dom Antonio if he arrived at any port of the Portuguese Crown…
... In November 1580, due to the Portuguese withdrawal from the negotiations, and the refusal of the king to accept any agreement had already made al-Mansur sell half of all the Portuguese nobles into slavery. The despair for having this fate made many of the prisoners who, despite being Christians, had some Jewish ancestry, to turn back to their old religion, expecting to be freed by the influential Jewish community of Fez. There were even some captives who converted to Islam hoping that it would save them from their pain.
At first, the sultan didn’t believe in the sincerity of these conversions, but as he knew that it would irritate Sebastian, in February 1581 he proclaimed that all the prisoners who had decided to convert to Islam would be freed, upon the condition that they should never leave Morocco. More than 500 men accepted the deal, and many of them later became founders of important Moroccan families who would have great importance in the history of the country…
…Only a few prisoners, whose families appealed to Phillip II, managed to earn their freedom (and only those whose ransom was very large). Of the others, a few had died due to the conditions of the captivity…
...When the king finally could not stand anymore the punishments and the privations, and after being convinced by Dom Antonio that he needed to protect his throne, there was almost nobody left to save. Few nobles were lucky enough to have their ransom paid, either by Phillip II or by Catarina. Only 42 Portuguese had escaped death in prison or being sold into slavery when their release was agreed at last.
The Treaty of Fez, signed by the king and the sultan on January 23 1582, stated that in exchange for the release of the king and the other nobles, Portugal should surrender all her possessions in Moroccan territory, and also accept a non-aggression pact with Morocco, where Portugal should agree to help the Sultan or his indicated successor in case of civil war or foreign threat. With this act, the king’s captivity was ended, but the peace was still far from being reached with the Christians…
1) His official court was then at Marrakech.
2) Later, the sultan changed it to only 50 lashes, for piety.
3) OTL, Teodosio was released in September 1579, and would grow up to become the father of John II, the firs king of the House of Braganza.
4) An order he didn’t obey.
Chapter 5
The Duchess
From “A Kingdom without a King – Portugal during the crisis of 1578-158”, by Luis Fernando Verissimo
…The Courts of Portugal assembled in Lisbon in December 10 1579, this time not to discuss a new offer of ransom, but for another issue that was already being discussed discretely among the Portuguese elite: who would be the Cardinal’s successor as regent of the kingdom. Dom Henrique was an old man, whose health was worsening every day, and he wouldn’t live too much longer. According to the tradition, the Courts should ask the king who he would choose as his regent. However, Sebastian had never suggested a name in any letter he had sent to Lisbon. The only time he ever touched on the problem was in the message that Dom Antonio gave to the Cardinal in October 1579, where the king affirmed “to have faith in the capacity of his uncle to deal with such matter.” [1]
From the beginning, the Procurators were divided in two main groups, that were known as “Catarinos”, for those who supported Catarina de Braganza as regent, and the “Filipinos”, who were for Philip II. There was a third smaller group, which was named “Antoninos’, who suggested the Prior of Crato as the Cardinal’s successor, since he was already acting as mediator, and could have more chances to get a deal with the sultan…
…The Spanish ambassador affirmed that his king, besides being the candidate with the best claim to the throne, was also the one who had the best opportunity to raise funds to pay the ransom, thanks to the gold that was coming from the New World. And, as the Portuguese army had been destroyed, only the Spanish “Tercios” could guarantee the protection of Portugal…
…Dom Antonio described how much he was beloved by the king, and assured that the Sultan had confidence that he could reach a solution for the ransom problem. He didn’t deny his illegitimate status, but stated that he was completely sure that Rome would soon correct this wrong. And, even if it didn’t occur as fast as he thought, the Prior reminded the Procurators that their ancestor had already made a similar choice before when the national independence was threatened. Then, he described how, in 1385, the Courts of Coimbra, in order to avoid a Castillian conquest, had recognized John, the illegitimate son of the king Pedro I as the rightful heir of the Portuguese throne, which was the beginning of the House of Aviz…
…Catarina started her speech saying that she was speakingas a mother who lost her son and heir of her house in Morocco, as happened to many other nobles and commoners who were attending those Courts. She stated she had no interest in taking the throne, but only would use her powers as regent to assure the freedom of the king and the nobles. She also said that, if eventually the king had to die in prison, she would defend her claims, but would also humbly accept whomever the Courts would pick as monarch. Also, she noted that, even if Philip’s intentions were good ones, the Spanish king had many other realms to reign, and surely he wouldn’t pay to Portugal all the attention they needed. And finally, she pointed out that unlike her half-brother, the Prior of Crato, she didn’t need to wait for Rome recognizing her pedigree, since it was recognized by everyone…
…As the plague that was hitting Lisbon started to get worse [1], the meetings of the Courts were cancelled, and transferred to the city of Almeirim, were they should assemble again in January 07. Dom Henrique moved the government to there, to escape from the plague, but it didn’t help him. The Cardinal passed away in December 31 1579….
…During the week that the kingdom didn’t have an official ruler, Catarina acted as the “de facto” regent. She organized the ceremonies of the Cardinal’s funeral, asking to the archbishop of Lisbon, Dom Jorge de Almeida, to declare a seven days mourn period, to be coincident with the date of the opening session of the Courts…
…Febo Moniz, Procurator of Lisbon, valet of the king and his Major Chamberlain, made an enthusiastic speech, declaring that Portugal needed someone who could assist its needs immediately, as did Catarina to the Cardinal’s funeral, and not a distant regent in Madrid that would rule Portugal through representatives. He remembered that she, having lost a son in Morocco, was able to understand better the pain and the hopes of those who sent there their relatives, like him, who lost two sons into the Moroccan cells. Also, he affirmed that Portugal would never be respected among the nations if every time they had a crisis the kingdom needed to call a bastard to rule…
…Among the first acts of Catarina’s regency was the Prior’s removal from the position of mediator. She affirmed that, if he was really so “trusted” by the sultan, Dom Antonio should have already gotten a compromise. The fact was that nothing was reached, and she would never support an incompetent, even if he were her own half-brother…
…The March 1580 decree to raise the kingdom’s taxes in order to collect funds to be used in the king’s ransom was initially supported by the population, given that the majority of the Portuguese agreed on this necessity. However, further raisings didn’t have the same reception among the bourgeoisie, as the one of September 1581, that caused a merchants revolt in the city of Porto, which was crushed with a large use of violence…
…Many contemporary writers affirmed that, besides the obvious advantages Catarina would have if the king had died in Morocco, her lack of interest in paying the ransom was due to the sale of her son as slave. Bento Teixeira, in his “The chronicles of the captivity of the king Sebastian of Portugal in the lands of the moors”, from 1600 AD, says that Catarina “having lost her beloved son and heir as a divine penalty, didn’t care anymore for the other’s pain, since she believed that wouldn’t be the only one to suffer in the kingdom…”
…When his allies inside the Royal Palace informed him about the decree that Catarina would make accusing him of being a traitor, in January 1581 the Prior of Crato ran away from Portugal, crossing the border to seek refuge in Philip’s court, in Madrid. Catarina would also send an order to the governor of the Portuguese possessions in Morocco that, if Dom Antonio arrived at any of these cities, he should be arrested and send to Lisbon…
…Catarina announced to the nobility that no news from the embassy sent to Morocco had arrived because the Sultan ordered to behead Dom Francisco da Costa. He was supposed to have been instigated by the Prior of Crato to do so, because they had done an agreement stating that in the case Dom Antonio will be declared king... [3]
[1] ITTL, many historians will discuss the possibility that Sebastian initially wanted to declare Philip as the new regent, as a way to make the Spanish king to invade Morocco and save him. However, the Prior of Crato would have changed the king’s mind, affirming that a foreign regent (and worse, a Castillian one) could cause unrest in the country. The better solution would be let Dom Henrique and the Courts to decide the issue, for the defeated candidates not to think the king was against them. And, as a bonus, the Prior would have time to mobilize his contacts…
[2] The plague only finished in June 1580, claiming the life of 25,000 Portuguese. Among the dead was the great poet Luis de Camões.
[3] Pedro and João Moniz. The first, as OTL, died in prison in 1578. The second, ITTL, was sold as slave.
[4] The truth is more tragic. Dom Fernando da Costa (who OTL was the ambassador sent by Dom Henrique to Morocco to discuss the ransoms) was killed by murderers paid by Catarina in the middle of the rout from Tanger to Fez.
The Duchess
From “A Kingdom without a King – Portugal during the crisis of 1578-158”, by Luis Fernando Verissimo
…The Courts of Portugal assembled in Lisbon in December 10 1579, this time not to discuss a new offer of ransom, but for another issue that was already being discussed discretely among the Portuguese elite: who would be the Cardinal’s successor as regent of the kingdom. Dom Henrique was an old man, whose health was worsening every day, and he wouldn’t live too much longer. According to the tradition, the Courts should ask the king who he would choose as his regent. However, Sebastian had never suggested a name in any letter he had sent to Lisbon. The only time he ever touched on the problem was in the message that Dom Antonio gave to the Cardinal in October 1579, where the king affirmed “to have faith in the capacity of his uncle to deal with such matter.” [1]
From the beginning, the Procurators were divided in two main groups, that were known as “Catarinos”, for those who supported Catarina de Braganza as regent, and the “Filipinos”, who were for Philip II. There was a third smaller group, which was named “Antoninos’, who suggested the Prior of Crato as the Cardinal’s successor, since he was already acting as mediator, and could have more chances to get a deal with the sultan…
…The Spanish ambassador affirmed that his king, besides being the candidate with the best claim to the throne, was also the one who had the best opportunity to raise funds to pay the ransom, thanks to the gold that was coming from the New World. And, as the Portuguese army had been destroyed, only the Spanish “Tercios” could guarantee the protection of Portugal…
…Dom Antonio described how much he was beloved by the king, and assured that the Sultan had confidence that he could reach a solution for the ransom problem. He didn’t deny his illegitimate status, but stated that he was completely sure that Rome would soon correct this wrong. And, even if it didn’t occur as fast as he thought, the Prior reminded the Procurators that their ancestor had already made a similar choice before when the national independence was threatened. Then, he described how, in 1385, the Courts of Coimbra, in order to avoid a Castillian conquest, had recognized John, the illegitimate son of the king Pedro I as the rightful heir of the Portuguese throne, which was the beginning of the House of Aviz…
…Catarina started her speech saying that she was speakingas a mother who lost her son and heir of her house in Morocco, as happened to many other nobles and commoners who were attending those Courts. She stated she had no interest in taking the throne, but only would use her powers as regent to assure the freedom of the king and the nobles. She also said that, if eventually the king had to die in prison, she would defend her claims, but would also humbly accept whomever the Courts would pick as monarch. Also, she noted that, even if Philip’s intentions were good ones, the Spanish king had many other realms to reign, and surely he wouldn’t pay to Portugal all the attention they needed. And finally, she pointed out that unlike her half-brother, the Prior of Crato, she didn’t need to wait for Rome recognizing her pedigree, since it was recognized by everyone…
…As the plague that was hitting Lisbon started to get worse [1], the meetings of the Courts were cancelled, and transferred to the city of Almeirim, were they should assemble again in January 07. Dom Henrique moved the government to there, to escape from the plague, but it didn’t help him. The Cardinal passed away in December 31 1579….
…During the week that the kingdom didn’t have an official ruler, Catarina acted as the “de facto” regent. She organized the ceremonies of the Cardinal’s funeral, asking to the archbishop of Lisbon, Dom Jorge de Almeida, to declare a seven days mourn period, to be coincident with the date of the opening session of the Courts…
…Febo Moniz, Procurator of Lisbon, valet of the king and his Major Chamberlain, made an enthusiastic speech, declaring that Portugal needed someone who could assist its needs immediately, as did Catarina to the Cardinal’s funeral, and not a distant regent in Madrid that would rule Portugal through representatives. He remembered that she, having lost a son in Morocco, was able to understand better the pain and the hopes of those who sent there their relatives, like him, who lost two sons into the Moroccan cells. Also, he affirmed that Portugal would never be respected among the nations if every time they had a crisis the kingdom needed to call a bastard to rule…
…Among the first acts of Catarina’s regency was the Prior’s removal from the position of mediator. She affirmed that, if he was really so “trusted” by the sultan, Dom Antonio should have already gotten a compromise. The fact was that nothing was reached, and she would never support an incompetent, even if he were her own half-brother…
…The March 1580 decree to raise the kingdom’s taxes in order to collect funds to be used in the king’s ransom was initially supported by the population, given that the majority of the Portuguese agreed on this necessity. However, further raisings didn’t have the same reception among the bourgeoisie, as the one of September 1581, that caused a merchants revolt in the city of Porto, which was crushed with a large use of violence…
…Many contemporary writers affirmed that, besides the obvious advantages Catarina would have if the king had died in Morocco, her lack of interest in paying the ransom was due to the sale of her son as slave. Bento Teixeira, in his “The chronicles of the captivity of the king Sebastian of Portugal in the lands of the moors”, from 1600 AD, says that Catarina “having lost her beloved son and heir as a divine penalty, didn’t care anymore for the other’s pain, since she believed that wouldn’t be the only one to suffer in the kingdom…”
…When his allies inside the Royal Palace informed him about the decree that Catarina would make accusing him of being a traitor, in January 1581 the Prior of Crato ran away from Portugal, crossing the border to seek refuge in Philip’s court, in Madrid. Catarina would also send an order to the governor of the Portuguese possessions in Morocco that, if Dom Antonio arrived at any of these cities, he should be arrested and send to Lisbon…
…Catarina announced to the nobility that no news from the embassy sent to Morocco had arrived because the Sultan ordered to behead Dom Francisco da Costa. He was supposed to have been instigated by the Prior of Crato to do so, because they had done an agreement stating that in the case Dom Antonio will be declared king... [3]
[1] ITTL, many historians will discuss the possibility that Sebastian initially wanted to declare Philip as the new regent, as a way to make the Spanish king to invade Morocco and save him. However, the Prior of Crato would have changed the king’s mind, affirming that a foreign regent (and worse, a Castillian one) could cause unrest in the country. The better solution would be let Dom Henrique and the Courts to decide the issue, for the defeated candidates not to think the king was against them. And, as a bonus, the Prior would have time to mobilize his contacts…
[2] The plague only finished in June 1580, claiming the life of 25,000 Portuguese. Among the dead was the great poet Luis de Camões.
[3] Pedro and João Moniz. The first, as OTL, died in prison in 1578. The second, ITTL, was sold as slave.
[4] The truth is more tragic. Dom Fernando da Costa (who OTL was the ambassador sent by Dom Henrique to Morocco to discuss the ransoms) was killed by murderers paid by Catarina in the middle of the rout from Tanger to Fez.
Chapter 06
The enemy of my enemy
From “The Power Behind the Throne – The Life of Dom Antonio, Prior of Crato”, by Juliano Gomes da Silva
…Madrid didn’t seem to be the best place for Dom Antonio escape for. But his aim at the Spanish capital was very simple: to ask Philip’s support. The Spanish king didn’t have sympathies for him. The Prior was considered by Philip as a bastard who wanted to have a power that didn’t belong to him (just like his brother Juan de Austria). But there was someone who Philip disliked even more those days: Catarina de Braganza.
When the Duchess was elected as regent of Portugal, Philip wanted to invade the neighbor country to impose himself as the Cardinal’s successor. He gave up the plan for two reasons. First, Catarina sent him a message declaring that she was only elected as “regent in the absence of the king”, and not as “the king’s successor”. So, she stated she recognized that Philip had rights to claim the throne, but only after the death of the official king.
Also, Philip knew he had the advantages no matter what would happen to the king. Is Sebastian died in Morocco, the Courts would be assembled again, and then he would use his money and his troops to pressure for the crown. But, if Sebastian one day would return to Portugal, then he only would need to wait till his death, since the Portuguese king’s health was famous for not being good, and the captivity surely wouldn’t have helped him to get better.
However, Philip II was starting to be worried about the growing powers of Catarina, and was already making plans for an invasion when Dom Antonio arrived at the court…
…The king’s councilors weren’t unanimous about the best solution for the issue. Some of them affirmed that wouldn’t be necessary to release the Portuguese king, because Philip could easily invade Portugal, defeat the Duchess and take the regency. But others had the opinion that invade the neighbor country could cause unrest among the population, even more considering that Catarina was the legal and recognized regent, and Portugal officially still had a king. The Prior’s plan, suggesting to freed Sebastian first, and then taking him to Portugal to displace Catarina from the Royal Palace seemed to be wiser, after all his nephew would certainly be grateful to Philip, declaring him his official successor. For the Prior’s claim, surely no king in Europe would declare a bastard as his heir…
…The agreement made with Philip stated that the troops recruited by Dom Antonio in the Portuguese cities of Morocco would be sent to Algarve in Portuguese ships, to not to harm the populations feelings. However, Spanish ships and troops would be sent to these cities to protect the further evacuation of their population. The prior also made a secret Treaty to be signed by Sebastian where Portugal should concede the possession of Ceuta and Tanger to Spain, in order to prevent the Strait of Gibraltar falling to Moorish hands… [1]
…In July the Prior went to Melilla, a Spanish city in Morocco, from where he left for Fez. Once there, besides trying again to convince the king to accept an agreement with the sultan [2], Dom Antonio also started to use his Moroccan contacts to discover how high was Catarina’s support in the African cities, and who could help him in a rebellion against the regent…
[1] Note that it was already said the pact made with the Sultan stated the surrender of all Portuguese cities to Morocco, even Ceuta an Tanger…
[2] Years later, the Prior would confess in a letter that “from all the tasks the Good Lord wanted me to solve during my life it [convince the king] was the harder one”.
The enemy of my enemy
From “The Power Behind the Throne – The Life of Dom Antonio, Prior of Crato”, by Juliano Gomes da Silva
…Madrid didn’t seem to be the best place for Dom Antonio escape for. But his aim at the Spanish capital was very simple: to ask Philip’s support. The Spanish king didn’t have sympathies for him. The Prior was considered by Philip as a bastard who wanted to have a power that didn’t belong to him (just like his brother Juan de Austria). But there was someone who Philip disliked even more those days: Catarina de Braganza.
When the Duchess was elected as regent of Portugal, Philip wanted to invade the neighbor country to impose himself as the Cardinal’s successor. He gave up the plan for two reasons. First, Catarina sent him a message declaring that she was only elected as “regent in the absence of the king”, and not as “the king’s successor”. So, she stated she recognized that Philip had rights to claim the throne, but only after the death of the official king.
Also, Philip knew he had the advantages no matter what would happen to the king. Is Sebastian died in Morocco, the Courts would be assembled again, and then he would use his money and his troops to pressure for the crown. But, if Sebastian one day would return to Portugal, then he only would need to wait till his death, since the Portuguese king’s health was famous for not being good, and the captivity surely wouldn’t have helped him to get better.
However, Philip II was starting to be worried about the growing powers of Catarina, and was already making plans for an invasion when Dom Antonio arrived at the court…
…The king’s councilors weren’t unanimous about the best solution for the issue. Some of them affirmed that wouldn’t be necessary to release the Portuguese king, because Philip could easily invade Portugal, defeat the Duchess and take the regency. But others had the opinion that invade the neighbor country could cause unrest among the population, even more considering that Catarina was the legal and recognized regent, and Portugal officially still had a king. The Prior’s plan, suggesting to freed Sebastian first, and then taking him to Portugal to displace Catarina from the Royal Palace seemed to be wiser, after all his nephew would certainly be grateful to Philip, declaring him his official successor. For the Prior’s claim, surely no king in Europe would declare a bastard as his heir…
…The agreement made with Philip stated that the troops recruited by Dom Antonio in the Portuguese cities of Morocco would be sent to Algarve in Portuguese ships, to not to harm the populations feelings. However, Spanish ships and troops would be sent to these cities to protect the further evacuation of their population. The prior also made a secret Treaty to be signed by Sebastian where Portugal should concede the possession of Ceuta and Tanger to Spain, in order to prevent the Strait of Gibraltar falling to Moorish hands… [1]
…In July the Prior went to Melilla, a Spanish city in Morocco, from where he left for Fez. Once there, besides trying again to convince the king to accept an agreement with the sultan [2], Dom Antonio also started to use his Moroccan contacts to discover how high was Catarina’s support in the African cities, and who could help him in a rebellion against the regent…
[1] Note that it was already said the pact made with the Sultan stated the surrender of all Portuguese cities to Morocco, even Ceuta an Tanger…
[2] Years later, the Prior would confess in a letter that “from all the tasks the Good Lord wanted me to solve during my life it [convince the king] was the harder one”.
Phil II will be busy for a while, dealing with "Moroccan problems"...
Gees, Gonzaga, interesting TL so far!
How will this affect Portuguese colonization of the Americas?
I didn't plan the consequences in the Americas yet, cause I want to end the changes in Europe till 1600 at least. But one thing is sure: Tordesillas will be respected by the Portuguese for much more time, and then the ATL Brazil or whatever will be called will be much smaller.
I thought Brazil was neglected by Portugal during the Iberian Union period, leading to the north becoming Dutch for a period?
Hadn't considered the Torsedillas issue though.
Basically at the same time that Brazil was neglected, being invaded by the Dutch in Northeast, in the Amazon region, in the West and in the Plata basin the incursions of Luso-Brazilians were tolerated by the Spanish, since they were all subjects of the same king. But, doing this, the Brazilians started to explore the regions beyond Tordesillas, and when the Iberian Union ended, they didn't want to give up of exploring those regions, starting to colonize them.
If there is no Iberian Union, it's probable that the Portuguese policy of avoiding conflicts with Spain would last longer, and Tordesillas would be respected more.
Gaaa! missed it the first time. In English "infant" means babe-in-arms. I know Spanish uses "Infante/a" for even adults (the Cardinale-Infante, the Infanta of Castille). I'm guessing from your usage that Portuguese behaves like French ("enfant" is child).
Chapter 07
The Restoration War
From “A Kingdom without a King – Portugal during the crisis of 1578-1582”, by Luis Fernando Verissimo
…The troops from Mazagan, Casablanca and Asilah were allowed to leave only with the arms and ammunition they could carry toCeuta, from where they would be sent to Portugal. The rest of their arsenal was left for the Moroccans, and the same was supposed to occur in Ceuta after their departure.
The king and the prior of Crato stayed inCeuta, where Dom Antonio had the support of the governor Dionisio Pereira. The men who protected Tangier were also sent there, after they were replaced by Spanish soldiers. All would embark in Portuguese ships toLagos, from where the king would start his journey to Lisbon. The few civilians living at Mazagan, Casablanca and Asilah were sent to Tangier and Ceuta. There they would be would be defended by Spanish troops, until the situation would have been solved in Portugal, when they would be sent to the kingdom…
…Dom Antonio once more had to rely on his Jewish contacts. Abraham Gebre and a group of wealthy Jewish merchants agreedto finance the royal expedition, acquiring arms and ammunition. However, they asked favours to be repaid in Portugal when the king had retaken his throne……In Lisbon, Catarina declared to the State Council that, while she was happy that the king was free, she couldn't she couldn’t accept the means by which it had occurred. She claimed that she had proof that the king had become mad in prison and was incapable of rational thought. Moreover, Sebastian had beenmanipulated by Dom Antonio since then. Catarina declared the surrender of the Portuguese cities could only have been made due to the malicious influence of the Prior upon His Majesty. Also, she announced the Prior was assembling an army, not to restore the king, but to take the throne forhimself… [1]
…Although many in Morocco being happy to see the king finally freed, others had reasons to be disappointed. The surrender of the cities was not accepted by all, principally by those whose families had been living there for several generations. Besides, among the nobles who were released with the king, there were many who blamed Sebastian and the Prior for their suffering, and were eager for revenge…
…The first battle of the Restoration War occurred before any soldier had been sent to Algarve. On the morning of March 05 1582, Dom Francisco de Mascarenhas, one of the 42 nobles released, was arrested again by king’s orders, [2] being accused of being the head of a plot against Sebastian’s life. Under torture, he confessed the names of several nobles who were united in a conspiracy to kill the king, as revenge for their sufferingduring the captivity.
Sebastian was inside the church of Our Lady of Africa when he was informed about Mascarenhas’ confession. The fact he was in a sacred place did not stop him from shouting, demanding that all conspirators should be imprisoned. According to Dom Estevão de Serpa, “the king blamed the traitors for his defeat, and said that would see all them pay for making him lose Morocco”…
…When the king’s guards invaded the house where Dom João de Vasconcelos was, they were greeted by bullets from the soldiers of the Ceuta garrison who were protecting him. Soon, through all the city there would be fights between the loyal troops and those who refused to leave Ceuta…
…Trying to crush the rebellion, Dom Antonio asked the help of the Spanish troops sent to Ceuta. However, the Duke of Alba, who was their commander, refused his demand, saying that “his mission was to protect the Christian population from the moors, and not to help the Portuguese to kill themselves…”
…Of the 31 nobles who were accused of conspiracy, 17 died during the fight, while the others were put on trial and condemned to death. The sentence was also applied to 64 soldiers who supported them and survived the struggle…
…The king Sebastian disembarked at Lagos in April 02, being greeted by a cheering crowd. He stayed at the governor’s palace, in front of which Dom Antonio made a speech asking the population to help the king on his journey to Lisbon, where he would retake his usurped throne…
…Through Algarve and Alentejo, many people joined the king’s army, sometimes with no weapon but a pitchfork. Sebastian was extremely popular among the lower classes, who used to praying for their king imprisoned in the moor lands…
…The majority of the clergy were supporting Sebastian, not only because they considered him the legitimate king, but also he was seen as martyr of a holy crusade. On the other hand the members of the nobility initially leaned towards Catarina. However, their opinion started to shift to the king’s side as Sebastian’s army neared Lisbon. Some nobles declared their support for the king, but the majority of them preferred to stay in their estates, where they could await the results of the confrontation...
…The only battle that took place on Portuguese soil was fought in the outskirts of Setubal, where the troops commanded by the Duke of Braganza challenged the loyalist army. Despite the fact that Braganza’s army was outnumbered two to one, he was counting onSebastian’s disadvantages, since the king’s troops were basically composed of soldiers without experience, the majority of them peasants and commoners who joined during the king’s journey…
…When the Duke of Braganza was killed during the charge he led, his troops were left without an efficient commander, and were attacked by Dom Antonio’s infantry. [3] At the end of the day, Catarina’s army suffered 2,000 casualties, and those who remained flew from the battle or even joined Sebastian’s forces…
…Catarina had no option but to flee with her last supporters to the only territory that still recognized her: the Azores, more specifically São Miguel Island, which was ruled by her ally Rui Gonçalves da Câmara. However, during her escape to the port, she was attacked by the population, who threw at her stones, vegetables and everything that could be taken by hand. Her son Alexandre and her daughter Serafina were severely hit by stones, and died from internal hemorrhage inside the ship. So, Catarina was left with only one heir: Duarte, her 13 years old son…
…In November 27 1582 the royal fleet, carrying more than 2,000 soldiers, arrived at São Miguel Island to fight the third and last battle of the Restoration War. Catarina’s defenders were not more than 800 men, with little ammunition and even less morale…
…Catarina, convinced by Rui Gonçalves da Câmara about the futilityof her resistance, surrendered after just one hour of fight. As her health was fragile now, because of the loss of her children and husband, and the suffering of the exile,she died before her arrival inLisbon. [4] Thus, she never knew that the ship on which her son Duarte had embarked to Brazil never arrived at the destination, ending the possibility of her issue taking over the throne but, at the same time, giving birth to one of the biggest myths the Portuguese culture ever created…
[1] She wasn’t far from the truth…
[2] Actually, by order of Dom Antonio. The king only nodded.
[3] The Duke of Braganza was killed by a pike launched by Jorge Fernandes Gramaxo, a merchant from Portimão, Algarve, who will have an important role in the future.
[4] ITTL there will be many theories stating that Dom Antonio would have ordered her assassination.
The Restoration War
From “A Kingdom without a King – Portugal during the crisis of 1578-1582”, by Luis Fernando Verissimo
…The troops from Mazagan, Casablanca and Asilah were allowed to leave only with the arms and ammunition they could carry toCeuta, from where they would be sent to Portugal. The rest of their arsenal was left for the Moroccans, and the same was supposed to occur in Ceuta after their departure.
The king and the prior of Crato stayed inCeuta, where Dom Antonio had the support of the governor Dionisio Pereira. The men who protected Tangier were also sent there, after they were replaced by Spanish soldiers. All would embark in Portuguese ships toLagos, from where the king would start his journey to Lisbon. The few civilians living at Mazagan, Casablanca and Asilah were sent to Tangier and Ceuta. There they would be would be defended by Spanish troops, until the situation would have been solved in Portugal, when they would be sent to the kingdom…
…Dom Antonio once more had to rely on his Jewish contacts. Abraham Gebre and a group of wealthy Jewish merchants agreedto finance the royal expedition, acquiring arms and ammunition. However, they asked favours to be repaid in Portugal when the king had retaken his throne……In Lisbon, Catarina declared to the State Council that, while she was happy that the king was free, she couldn't she couldn’t accept the means by which it had occurred. She claimed that she had proof that the king had become mad in prison and was incapable of rational thought. Moreover, Sebastian had beenmanipulated by Dom Antonio since then. Catarina declared the surrender of the Portuguese cities could only have been made due to the malicious influence of the Prior upon His Majesty. Also, she announced the Prior was assembling an army, not to restore the king, but to take the throne forhimself… [1]
…Although many in Morocco being happy to see the king finally freed, others had reasons to be disappointed. The surrender of the cities was not accepted by all, principally by those whose families had been living there for several generations. Besides, among the nobles who were released with the king, there were many who blamed Sebastian and the Prior for their suffering, and were eager for revenge…
…The first battle of the Restoration War occurred before any soldier had been sent to Algarve. On the morning of March 05 1582, Dom Francisco de Mascarenhas, one of the 42 nobles released, was arrested again by king’s orders, [2] being accused of being the head of a plot against Sebastian’s life. Under torture, he confessed the names of several nobles who were united in a conspiracy to kill the king, as revenge for their sufferingduring the captivity.
Sebastian was inside the church of Our Lady of Africa when he was informed about Mascarenhas’ confession. The fact he was in a sacred place did not stop him from shouting, demanding that all conspirators should be imprisoned. According to Dom Estevão de Serpa, “the king blamed the traitors for his defeat, and said that would see all them pay for making him lose Morocco”…
…When the king’s guards invaded the house where Dom João de Vasconcelos was, they were greeted by bullets from the soldiers of the Ceuta garrison who were protecting him. Soon, through all the city there would be fights between the loyal troops and those who refused to leave Ceuta…
…Trying to crush the rebellion, Dom Antonio asked the help of the Spanish troops sent to Ceuta. However, the Duke of Alba, who was their commander, refused his demand, saying that “his mission was to protect the Christian population from the moors, and not to help the Portuguese to kill themselves…”
…Of the 31 nobles who were accused of conspiracy, 17 died during the fight, while the others were put on trial and condemned to death. The sentence was also applied to 64 soldiers who supported them and survived the struggle…
…The king Sebastian disembarked at Lagos in April 02, being greeted by a cheering crowd. He stayed at the governor’s palace, in front of which Dom Antonio made a speech asking the population to help the king on his journey to Lisbon, where he would retake his usurped throne…
…Through Algarve and Alentejo, many people joined the king’s army, sometimes with no weapon but a pitchfork. Sebastian was extremely popular among the lower classes, who used to praying for their king imprisoned in the moor lands…
…The majority of the clergy were supporting Sebastian, not only because they considered him the legitimate king, but also he was seen as martyr of a holy crusade. On the other hand the members of the nobility initially leaned towards Catarina. However, their opinion started to shift to the king’s side as Sebastian’s army neared Lisbon. Some nobles declared their support for the king, but the majority of them preferred to stay in their estates, where they could await the results of the confrontation...
…The only battle that took place on Portuguese soil was fought in the outskirts of Setubal, where the troops commanded by the Duke of Braganza challenged the loyalist army. Despite the fact that Braganza’s army was outnumbered two to one, he was counting onSebastian’s disadvantages, since the king’s troops were basically composed of soldiers without experience, the majority of them peasants and commoners who joined during the king’s journey…
…When the Duke of Braganza was killed during the charge he led, his troops were left without an efficient commander, and were attacked by Dom Antonio’s infantry. [3] At the end of the day, Catarina’s army suffered 2,000 casualties, and those who remained flew from the battle or even joined Sebastian’s forces…
…Catarina had no option but to flee with her last supporters to the only territory that still recognized her: the Azores, more specifically São Miguel Island, which was ruled by her ally Rui Gonçalves da Câmara. However, during her escape to the port, she was attacked by the population, who threw at her stones, vegetables and everything that could be taken by hand. Her son Alexandre and her daughter Serafina were severely hit by stones, and died from internal hemorrhage inside the ship. So, Catarina was left with only one heir: Duarte, her 13 years old son…
…In November 27 1582 the royal fleet, carrying more than 2,000 soldiers, arrived at São Miguel Island to fight the third and last battle of the Restoration War. Catarina’s defenders were not more than 800 men, with little ammunition and even less morale…
…Catarina, convinced by Rui Gonçalves da Câmara about the futilityof her resistance, surrendered after just one hour of fight. As her health was fragile now, because of the loss of her children and husband, and the suffering of the exile,she died before her arrival inLisbon. [4] Thus, she never knew that the ship on which her son Duarte had embarked to Brazil never arrived at the destination, ending the possibility of her issue taking over the throne but, at the same time, giving birth to one of the biggest myths the Portuguese culture ever created…
[1] She wasn’t far from the truth…
[2] Actually, by order of Dom Antonio. The king only nodded.
[3] The Duke of Braganza was killed by a pike launched by Jorge Fernandes Gramaxo, a merchant from Portimão, Algarve, who will have an important role in the future.
[4] ITTL there will be many theories stating that Dom Antonio would have ordered her assassination.
Thanks!
I believe you'll like the next installment too.
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Interlude 01
The Duartism
From “The Great Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends from the Modern Nations”, by David Houston
Among the myths created in the Iberian Peninsula the Duartism (or Edwardianism) is the one which has had the greatestsocial and even political consequences. It is one of the most well studied cultural phenomena of Portugal. Francisco Buarque, on his main work “Dom Duarte and his Myths”, considers the Duartism, by his literary influence “the greatest cultural heritage Portugal gave to the world, perhaps even more important than the Great Navigations”.
The roots of the phenomena originated in1582, while the Duchess Catarina of Braganza was exiled in the São Miguel Islands in the Azores, after having escaped from Portugal when the king Sebastian regained the throne during the Restoration War. Knowing the Prior of Crato, the king’s Chief Minister, had sent a fleet to arrest her, the duchess tried to save her only living son and heir, the 13-year old Duarte, making him embark on a ship that should take him to Salvador, the Brazilian capital. There, the boy would be under the protection of the governor-general Cosme Rangel de Macedo. [1]
However, the ship never arrived at Salvador or any other place. Probably she suffered a shipwreck at some point near Fernando de Noronha’s Archipelago. But some months after the ship disappeared, stories started to be told in both the Azores and Portugal, stating that Dom Duarte would have been hidden in a distant part of the Brazilian jungle, to be safe from the royal armies. They also affirmed that, in the future, after coming of age, Duarte would retake the throne claimed by his mother…
…During the early 17th century the first fantastic stories about Dom Duarte’s fate had already appeared, as well their classical division between the Portuguese and the Colonial branches. If in Portugal Dom Duarte was being seeing as a mythical conqueror that one day would come from beyond to sea to destroy the kingdom, in the Portuguese colonies (especially in South America) the focus of the histories shifted to be about a king who had founded a distant lost city…
…In 1657 Portuguese explorers brought to the Forte da Vigia [2] an Indian discovered near to Tocantins River. According to them, the Indian claimed to be the son of a foreign king who was the lord of many lands and a great warrior. The commander of the fort, fearing the Indian was a descendent of Dom Duarte, sent him to Lisbon, where he died three years later in prison. Nowadays it’s believed the poor Indian only had said he was the son of a chief from a distant village, but he would have been misunderstood by the explorers…
…After having collected diverse stories about Dom Duarte during his travels in Asia, Africa and the Americas, the English naturalist and writer Thomas Anderson launched in 1742 his own version of the facts. “The Amazing Adventures of the Braganza Brothers through the Kingdoms beyond the Sea”, a book that would be later the model for the adventure literature [3] from the 18th century, produced an innovation in the myth’s conception with the adding of a forgotten character in nearly all the previous stories. In his book, Anderson introduced Teodosio, the elder brother of Duarte who was sold as slave in Morocco……The book made Dom Duarte’s story become an international legend. In a few years, several writers and explorers, influenced by “The Braganza Brothers”, started to travel to the most distant and savage places, as the American prairies, the Amazon jungle, the Pacific Islands, Siberia,……Its fame was helped also by the mysterious disappearance of Anderson in the Naval Battle of Puerto Rico, in 1753. Although it’s likely he had died during the fight, some sailors claimed to have seen him swimming to the coast with something similar to a map tied at his neck. At the time, many believed Anderson didn’t tell all “the truth” in his book, and he probably should know the true location of the Braganza’s treasure. Some months later, his house at Doncaster was seized by a furious crowd, that wanted to discover where he had hidden the fortune…
…Among the Duartianist reasons given for the catastrophe that hit Lisbon, perhaps the most symbolical of how the story had became a legend was registered by João Ramalho, who commented in his “Chronicle of the 1755 Earthquake” having heard “one of those kind of common people who are victims of insane beliefs affirming that Dom Duarte was to be blamed for the tragedy, for he having convinced the Atlanteans, who offered him refuge in their submerse city, to use their aquatic cannons against Portugal”…
…In Setubal, one day after the earthquake, a nude man was seen lying on the beach, and some inhabitants from the place, believing he was Dom Duarte emerging from the water to conquer Portugal, beat him till death…
…Among the ruins which were classified by explorers as the lost city of Dom Duarte’s Portugal-in-exile can be included Machu Pichu, Angkor Wat, Great Zimbabwe, the Mayan city of Tikal...
[1] OTL, Cosme Rangel de Macedo was the provisional governor-general of Brazil, exercising his authority due to the death of his antecessor, Lourenço da Veiga. He was known for the practice of abuse of power. ITTL, he was nominated as the official governor-general by Catarina in exchange for his support.
[2] Built in the same place of OTL Belém do Pará.
[3] A kind of ATL Romantic literature, but more focused on exotic places and great foreign adventures than in national myths.
From “The Classical English Books”, by Luke Baron
…In Anderson’s book, the ship of Duarte went to the Caribbean, where the young heir was saved from a shipwreck by William Hawkins, the brother of Admiral Sir John Hawkins, and is integrated into the crew. Some years later, Duarte is helped by William’s nephew, Captain Richard Hawkins, to go to Africa, where he would try to save his elder brother Teodosio from slavery…
…After having released Teodosio from the Palace of the King of Songhai, the Braganza brothers, disguised as merchants, crossed the Sahara Desert in direction to Abyssinia, to help the lost son of the former Emperor to take the throne that belonged to his father, receiving in exchange the Abyssinian support for an invasion of the Portuguese possessions in Mozambique…
…And then the Shogun of Japan ordered that both brother should be tied inside a boat and abandoned in the middle of the sea, as a punishment for having offended his sister…
…The adventures ended in Plymouth, where after having buried the treasure stolen from the last Mayan king, Duarte and Teodosio live till their deaths, claiming to be Portuguese merchants. Despite “The Adventures” being a fiction work, nowadays the city nonetheless has a “Braganza House”, where the brothers are supposed to have lived in, and treasure hunters still discuss about the best places to look for the hidden fortune. Of course, in Yorkshire there are different opinions about the location…