List of Portuguese monarchs
This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 [October 1910 revolution].
Through the nearly 800 years in which Portugal was a monarchy, the kings held various other titles and pretensions. Two kings of Portugal, Ferdinand I and Afonso V, claimed the crown of Castile and waged wars in order to enforce their respective claims. Ferdinand I managed to be recognized as King of Galiza in 1369, although his dominance of the region was short-lived. When the House of Habsburg came into power, the kings of Spain, Naples, and Sicily also became kings of Portugal. The House of Braganza brought numerous titles to the Portuguese Crown – some honorary, such as the attribution of the title of Rex Fidelissimus, and royal titles, such as United [Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves|King of Brazil] and then de jure Emperor of Brazil.
Throughout Portugal's history as an independent kingdom, it was ruled by a total of 4 royal houses:
- Portuguese [House of Burgundy|House of Burgundy]
- House of Aviz
- House of Habsburg
- House of Braganza
House of Burgundy (Afonsine Dynasty, 1139–1383)
The Portuguese House of Burgundy was established in 1093 under Henry, Count of Portugal ruled the feudal County of Portugal, of the Kingdom of Galicia. When Afonso Henriques was proclaimed King of Portugal by his troops in 1139, he turned the family from a comital house to a royal house which would rule Portugal for over two centuries, establishing the Afonsine Dynasty. During the Reconquista, the Afonsine Dynasty expanded the country southwards until the definitive conquest of Algarve with Sancho II and the establishment of the Kingdom of Algarve, in 1249, under Afonso III. When Ferdinand I died, an interregnum occurred between 1383 and 1385. Ferdinand's daughter Beatrice of Portugal was proclaimed queen and her husband John I of Castile proclaimed king by the right of his wife. Her legitimacy as a monarch is disputed.House of Aviz (Johanine Dynasty, 1385–1580)
The House of Aviz, succeeded the House of Burgundy as the reigning house of the Kingdom of Portugal. The house was founded by John, Master of Aviz, thus establishing the Johanine Dynasty. When King John II of Portugal died without an heir, the throne of Portugal passed to his cousin, Manuel, Duke of Beja. When King Sebastian of Portugal died, the throne passed to his Grand-uncle, Henry of Portugal. When Henry died, a succession crisis occurred and António, Prior of Crato, was proclaimed António of Portugal.House of Habsburg (Philippine Dynasty, 1581–1640)
The House of Habsburg ruled Portugal from 1581 to 1640. The dynasty began with the acclamation of Philip II of Spain as Philip I of Portugal in 1580, officially recognized in 1581 by the Portuguese Cortes of Tomar. Philip I swore to rule Portugal as a kingdom separate from his Spanish domains, under a personal union known historiographically as the Iberian Union. Following the convention of Portuguese dynasties being named after their first king, this dynasty is named the Philippine Dynasty, an especially apt name given all Habsburg monarchs of Portugal would bear the name "Philip".House of Braganza (Brigantine Dynasty, 1640–1910)
The House of Braganza came to power in 1640, when John II, Duke of Braganza, claimed to be the rightful heir of the defunct House of Aviz, as he was the great-great-grandson of King Manuel I. John was proclaimed King John IV, and he deposed the House of Habsburg in 1640 during the Portuguese Restoration War. The Habsburgs continued to claim the throne of Portugal until the end of the war in the Treaty of Lisbon . Unlike other dynasties, it is not dubbed after its founder, instead being named called the Brigantine Dynasty.The descendants of Queen Maria II and her consort, King Ferdinand II, came to rule in 1853. Portuguese law and custom treated them as members of the House of Braganza, though they were still Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasts. This has led some to classify these last four monarchs of Portugal as members of a new royal family, called the House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, though this view is not widely held.
After the demise of the Portuguese monarchy, in 1910, monarchists launched a counter-revolution known as the Monarchy of the North, in 1919, the attempted restoration only lasted a month. With Manuel II's death, the Miguelist branch of the house of Braganza became the pretenders to the throne of Portugal.