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19th to 20th of January. Ribeira Palace in Lisbon

The pains of childbirth were starting in the late afternoon hours of the 19th day of the first month in the year of the Lord 1554. The young and newly widowed Dona Joana de Austria, wife of the late Infante Joao Manuel, was hopeful for a good and quick labour but she was soon disappointed in her Hope.
She delivered her prayed for Child, the heir of her father-in-law, after fifteen long and painful hours but it was not a joyful ending after all her pain because the boy was born dead, strangeld by his own umbilical cord.
Dona Joana barely survived the birthing bed but was understandably disappointed.
Her boy would have been the next King, she would have been secure in her position as highest standing Lady of the Kingdom and now she was just the childless widow of a dead heir.

King Joao the Third was tired, so deeply tired for it was just two weeks ago that his son had died and now this child, this so prayed for and hoped for boy was born dead.
He sent for his confessor and then spent the whole day in deep prayer, begging forgiveness of the High Father in heaven for his sins that cost him all the heirs of his body.
Now he had only his younger brother, the Duke of Beja and after him his nephew the Duke of Guimaraes left as heirs.
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