Profile: Manuel III
I've been talking with Mac Gregor about the Portuguese monarchs, and as a result I had to make some retcons and edits to my biographies on Ferdinand III and Manuel II. I only made a minor edit to the former bio, while I made some major rectons and edits to the latter bio. I am also currently working on bios of King John VII, King Ferdinand IV and King Ferdinand V of Portugal.
This bio has been approved by Mac Gregor. So without further ado...
Manuel III (1908-1989)
Infante Manuel Nuno, Duke of Porto in 1955
King Manuel III in 1980
King Manuel III was born as Manuel Nuno of Braganza on September 13, 1908 in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. He was the second-born son of Joseph Ferdinand of Braganza, the future King Ferdinand IV of Portugal (1883-1959) and Princess Isabella Maria of Bourbon-Parma, the future Queen Isabella Maria of Portugal (1886-1971). Growing up in Spain and Portugal, much like his older brother and other siblings, he was educated and taught to have conservative and devoutly religious views. In November, 1916, when he was eight years old, his family returned to Portugal. In 1919, shortly after his eleventh birthday and his uncle’s coronation, he became Infante Manuel Nuno. Throughout his formative years, he was also an avid reader, an amateur musician and a lover of association football. He attended the Complutense University of Madrid from 1926 to 1930. He studied history, philosophy, among other subjects. After his graduation, he returned home to Lisbon, Portugal.
On August 1, 1940, Infante Manuel Nuno married Princess Joséphine Caroline of Belgium (1909-1992), the youngest daughter of Prince Baudouin of Belgium (1870-1949), the granddaughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders (1837-1906), and the future Queen Josephina Carolina of Portugal. The couple were happily and faithfully married to each other for the rest of their lives. On December 30, 1953, shortly after the death of his cousin King John VII (1907-1953) and the ascension to the throne of his father as King Ferdinand IV of Portugal, he was made by his father King Ferdinand IV the Duke of Porto and he became Infante Manuel Nuno, Duke of Porto.
Throughout his adult life, including as the Duke of Porto, Manuel Nuno was an avid socialite and attended numerous galas and public functions throughout Portugal. He was also friends with Portuguese footballers, artists, musicians, actors and film directors. In an effort to promote the image of Portugal in foreign nations, Infante Manuel Nuno/the Duke of Porto undertook numerous different state visits on behalf of the Kingdom of Portugal. Throughout the 1940s, the 1950s and the 1960s, Infante Manuel Nuno/the Duke of Porto traveled to France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Russia, Hungary, Greece, Sweden, America, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Japan, Australia, among other nations.
On November 29, 1972, his older brother King Manuel II died of bladder cancer. As a result, the 64 year-old Infante Manuel Nuno, Duke of Porto became King Manuel III of Portugal. The coronation of King Manuel III took place in Lisbon on August 20, 1973. During his first years on the throne, King Manuel III became good friends with the new Portuguese Prime Minister Miguel “Miguelito” Luíz Fernandes (1916-1985). His first years on the throne also saw the a new series of anti-colonial insurgencies in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea, the signing of a non-aggression pact with the Technate of China in 1974, among other things.
The most important events of the reign of King Manuel III were, without a doubt, the Asia-Pacific War (1976-1980) and the Portuguese Civil War (1982-1985). In August, 1976, the United Republic of India under Harshad Nanda (1912-1979) launched a surprise invasion of Goa and the other Portuguese possessions in India. As a result, Portugal was brought into the Asia-Pacific War and the side of Great Britain, Portugal's ally since 1386, and the rest of the British Commonwealth. During the war, Portugal sent several divisions to fight in India and maintained a sizable garrison on Timor to defend against the Imperial Japanese Army. Unfortunately, insurgencies in Portugal’s three mainland African colonies of Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea sapped the army’s strength. On the home-front, the Portuguese people became increasingly disenchanted with the repressive government of Prime Minister Miguel Luíz Fernandes, and radical groups such as the Front for Democracy (Frente para a Democracia) and the Communist League (Liga Comunista) swelled in number. As a result, King Manuel III and Prime Minister Fernandes authorized a crackdown on all groups that the government deemed to be “subversive” in a move that did little to fix Portugal’s simmering problems. On April 24, 1980, the Asia-Pacific War ended after almost four long years, and the Kingdom of Portugal was victorious along with the rest of the Allied Powers. It was a proud moment for the Portuguese nation and King Manuel III personally attended numerous victory rallies throughout the nation.
Two years later, in June, 1982, a series of protests and clashes began between the Portuguese government and a host of dissident groups. After months of these protests and clashes, on November 22, 1982, the repressive government of Prime Minister Miguelito Luiz Fernandes, supporting by King Manuel III, was ousted from power, as Fernandes refused to relinquish his wartime powers. Fernandes, Manuel III and the rest of the Portuguese Royal Family fled to the Azores after the Portuguese Army, already heavily engaged in suppressing anticolonial rebellions in Africa, could no longer guarantee their safety. On November 23, 1982, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Portugal (República Socialista Democrática de Portugal) was declared in Lisbon. After fleeing to the Azores, the royalist Portuguese government of King Manuel III and Prime Minster Fernades sought to retake the Portuguese mainland. Throughout 1983, the Portuguese withdrew from and recognized the independence of their former colonies of Angola, Mozambique, Guinea and Goa. This allowed the royalists to make more and more advances into metropolitan Portugal. The Portuguese Royalists then retook the cities of Porto and Braga in 1984. Finally, on May 9, 1985, at a meeting in Dublin mediated by the British Commonwealth, representatives from the Front for Democracy met secretly with Royalist representatives. The Royalists offered amnesty to the rebels if the Republicans would lay down their arms and swear allegiance to King Manuel III. After two weeks of negotiations, on May 23, 1985, a tentative agreement was reached; Manuel III was to be reinstated as monarch, Prime Minister Miguelito Luiz Fernandes would be dismissed from office and forbidden to return to metropolitan Portugal, all rebels who swore allegiance to the Portuguese Crown would receive a pardon, those who refused would be allowed to emigrate to any other nation unmolested and free and fair elections for a new parliament and a constitutional convention were to be held by the end of 1987. Great Britain guaranteed these terms and agreed to act as a peacekeeper until a new government could be established. After inter-rebel infighting in Lisbon during the noite das granadas and the subsequent British intervention, the fighting had ceased on June 3, 1985. After almost three years of brutal fighting that tragically divided the Kingdom of Portugal and her people, the Portuguese Civil War finally came to an end.
After months of debate, the Kingdom of Portugal adopted a new constitution on November 22, 1987, five years to the day after the beginning of the Portuguese Civil War. King Manuel III retained his throne, but a significant amount of power was delegated to a new bicameral parliament. All political parties were legalized, with the notable exception of communist political parties. The new constitution also redefined Portugal’s relationships with its remaining oversea territories; the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe remained autonomous regions within the kingdom, while East Timor became an independent nation but kept Manuel III as the head of state and decided to maintain a close relationship with Portugal. To mark this important moment in the history of Portugal, a new flag of the Kingdom of Portugal, allegedly designed by Ferdinand, Prince Royal, was adopted on November 25, 1987. The rest of the reign of King Manuel III was marked by an ever increasing liberalization of Portuguese politics, society, culture and media.
After an almost seventeen year-long reign, King Manuel III died on October 29, 1989 at the age of 81. His funeral was held in Lisbon and was held on November 6, 1989. He was succeeded as King of Portugal by his eldest son, the loyalist civil war commander Ferdinand, Prince Royal as King Ferdinand V (1942- ). All in all, King Manuel III left a mixed legacy. While Manuel III oversaw a new Portuguese Constitution and the increasing liberalization and modernization of the Kingdom of Portugal, he also supported the repressive government of Miguel Luiz Fernandes and his conservative and authoritarian policies, which partly led to the civil war in the first place. Historical evidence shows that during and after the Portuguese Civil War, Manuel III gradually began to view the role of the Portuguese monarchy, the role of the Catholic Church, liberal democracy, the role of citizens in government and culture in a more liberal way, albeit reluctantly and somewhat tepidly.
This bio has been approved by Mac Gregor. So without further ado...
Manuel III (1908-1989)
Infante Manuel Nuno, Duke of Porto in 1955
King Manuel III in 1980
King Manuel III was born as Manuel Nuno of Braganza on September 13, 1908 in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. He was the second-born son of Joseph Ferdinand of Braganza, the future King Ferdinand IV of Portugal (1883-1959) and Princess Isabella Maria of Bourbon-Parma, the future Queen Isabella Maria of Portugal (1886-1971). Growing up in Spain and Portugal, much like his older brother and other siblings, he was educated and taught to have conservative and devoutly religious views. In November, 1916, when he was eight years old, his family returned to Portugal. In 1919, shortly after his eleventh birthday and his uncle’s coronation, he became Infante Manuel Nuno. Throughout his formative years, he was also an avid reader, an amateur musician and a lover of association football. He attended the Complutense University of Madrid from 1926 to 1930. He studied history, philosophy, among other subjects. After his graduation, he returned home to Lisbon, Portugal.
On August 1, 1940, Infante Manuel Nuno married Princess Joséphine Caroline of Belgium (1909-1992), the youngest daughter of Prince Baudouin of Belgium (1870-1949), the granddaughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders (1837-1906), and the future Queen Josephina Carolina of Portugal. The couple were happily and faithfully married to each other for the rest of their lives. On December 30, 1953, shortly after the death of his cousin King John VII (1907-1953) and the ascension to the throne of his father as King Ferdinand IV of Portugal, he was made by his father King Ferdinand IV the Duke of Porto and he became Infante Manuel Nuno, Duke of Porto.
Throughout his adult life, including as the Duke of Porto, Manuel Nuno was an avid socialite and attended numerous galas and public functions throughout Portugal. He was also friends with Portuguese footballers, artists, musicians, actors and film directors. In an effort to promote the image of Portugal in foreign nations, Infante Manuel Nuno/the Duke of Porto undertook numerous different state visits on behalf of the Kingdom of Portugal. Throughout the 1940s, the 1950s and the 1960s, Infante Manuel Nuno/the Duke of Porto traveled to France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Russia, Hungary, Greece, Sweden, America, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Japan, Australia, among other nations.
On November 29, 1972, his older brother King Manuel II died of bladder cancer. As a result, the 64 year-old Infante Manuel Nuno, Duke of Porto became King Manuel III of Portugal. The coronation of King Manuel III took place in Lisbon on August 20, 1973. During his first years on the throne, King Manuel III became good friends with the new Portuguese Prime Minister Miguel “Miguelito” Luíz Fernandes (1916-1985). His first years on the throne also saw the a new series of anti-colonial insurgencies in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea, the signing of a non-aggression pact with the Technate of China in 1974, among other things.
The most important events of the reign of King Manuel III were, without a doubt, the Asia-Pacific War (1976-1980) and the Portuguese Civil War (1982-1985). In August, 1976, the United Republic of India under Harshad Nanda (1912-1979) launched a surprise invasion of Goa and the other Portuguese possessions in India. As a result, Portugal was brought into the Asia-Pacific War and the side of Great Britain, Portugal's ally since 1386, and the rest of the British Commonwealth. During the war, Portugal sent several divisions to fight in India and maintained a sizable garrison on Timor to defend against the Imperial Japanese Army. Unfortunately, insurgencies in Portugal’s three mainland African colonies of Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea sapped the army’s strength. On the home-front, the Portuguese people became increasingly disenchanted with the repressive government of Prime Minister Miguel Luíz Fernandes, and radical groups such as the Front for Democracy (Frente para a Democracia) and the Communist League (Liga Comunista) swelled in number. As a result, King Manuel III and Prime Minister Fernandes authorized a crackdown on all groups that the government deemed to be “subversive” in a move that did little to fix Portugal’s simmering problems. On April 24, 1980, the Asia-Pacific War ended after almost four long years, and the Kingdom of Portugal was victorious along with the rest of the Allied Powers. It was a proud moment for the Portuguese nation and King Manuel III personally attended numerous victory rallies throughout the nation.
Two years later, in June, 1982, a series of protests and clashes began between the Portuguese government and a host of dissident groups. After months of these protests and clashes, on November 22, 1982, the repressive government of Prime Minister Miguelito Luiz Fernandes, supporting by King Manuel III, was ousted from power, as Fernandes refused to relinquish his wartime powers. Fernandes, Manuel III and the rest of the Portuguese Royal Family fled to the Azores after the Portuguese Army, already heavily engaged in suppressing anticolonial rebellions in Africa, could no longer guarantee their safety. On November 23, 1982, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Portugal (República Socialista Democrática de Portugal) was declared in Lisbon. After fleeing to the Azores, the royalist Portuguese government of King Manuel III and Prime Minster Fernades sought to retake the Portuguese mainland. Throughout 1983, the Portuguese withdrew from and recognized the independence of their former colonies of Angola, Mozambique, Guinea and Goa. This allowed the royalists to make more and more advances into metropolitan Portugal. The Portuguese Royalists then retook the cities of Porto and Braga in 1984. Finally, on May 9, 1985, at a meeting in Dublin mediated by the British Commonwealth, representatives from the Front for Democracy met secretly with Royalist representatives. The Royalists offered amnesty to the rebels if the Republicans would lay down their arms and swear allegiance to King Manuel III. After two weeks of negotiations, on May 23, 1985, a tentative agreement was reached; Manuel III was to be reinstated as monarch, Prime Minister Miguelito Luiz Fernandes would be dismissed from office and forbidden to return to metropolitan Portugal, all rebels who swore allegiance to the Portuguese Crown would receive a pardon, those who refused would be allowed to emigrate to any other nation unmolested and free and fair elections for a new parliament and a constitutional convention were to be held by the end of 1987. Great Britain guaranteed these terms and agreed to act as a peacekeeper until a new government could be established. After inter-rebel infighting in Lisbon during the noite das granadas and the subsequent British intervention, the fighting had ceased on June 3, 1985. After almost three years of brutal fighting that tragically divided the Kingdom of Portugal and her people, the Portuguese Civil War finally came to an end.
After months of debate, the Kingdom of Portugal adopted a new constitution on November 22, 1987, five years to the day after the beginning of the Portuguese Civil War. King Manuel III retained his throne, but a significant amount of power was delegated to a new bicameral parliament. All political parties were legalized, with the notable exception of communist political parties. The new constitution also redefined Portugal’s relationships with its remaining oversea territories; the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe remained autonomous regions within the kingdom, while East Timor became an independent nation but kept Manuel III as the head of state and decided to maintain a close relationship with Portugal. To mark this important moment in the history of Portugal, a new flag of the Kingdom of Portugal, allegedly designed by Ferdinand, Prince Royal, was adopted on November 25, 1987. The rest of the reign of King Manuel III was marked by an ever increasing liberalization of Portuguese politics, society, culture and media.
After an almost seventeen year-long reign, King Manuel III died on October 29, 1989 at the age of 81. His funeral was held in Lisbon and was held on November 6, 1989. He was succeeded as King of Portugal by his eldest son, the loyalist civil war commander Ferdinand, Prince Royal as King Ferdinand V (1942- ). All in all, King Manuel III left a mixed legacy. While Manuel III oversaw a new Portuguese Constitution and the increasing liberalization and modernization of the Kingdom of Portugal, he also supported the repressive government of Miguel Luiz Fernandes and his conservative and authoritarian policies, which partly led to the civil war in the first place. Historical evidence shows that during and after the Portuguese Civil War, Manuel III gradually began to view the role of the Portuguese monarchy, the role of the Catholic Church, liberal democracy, the role of citizens in government and culture in a more liberal way, albeit reluctantly and somewhat tepidly.
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