John was proclaimed king, but his father returned and resumed his reign, concluding the disadvantageous Treaty of Alcáçovas before his death in August 1481. John II, (born March 6, 1405, Toro, Castile—died July 21, 1454, Valladolid), king of Castile from 1406 to 1454; his political weakness led him to rely on his favourite, Álvaro de Luna, whom he made constable. He had already sent Diogo Cão to search for the seaway to India, and Cão had discovered the mouth of the Congo River. Before Columbus even reached Isabella I of Castile, John II had already sent a letter to them threatening to send a fleet to claim it for Portugal. Afonso’s lack of success caused him to announce his abdication. 30 Jul. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. When a second conspiracy sought to remove him and bestow the crown on his wife’s brother the Duke of Viseu, John killed his rival with his own hand (August 1484). Omissions? The Italian scholar Poliziano wrote a letter to John II that paid him a profound homage: Indeed, Poliziano considered his achievements to be more meritorious than those of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar. When Afonso V claimed the Castilian throne in opposition to Isabella I, plunging Portugal into war, he appointed John his regent (April 1475).
Afonso V departed for France in a fruitless search for an alliance, while John defended the frontier and parried a Spanish counterattack. Although evidence was produced that the Braganças had intrigued with Castile, it seems clear that John sought vengeance for their having caused the death of his maternal grandfather, the regent Dom Pedro. [2] Immediately, the nobles started to conspire.
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In 1490 a mission was sent to consolidate relations with the Kongo kingdom. King John II's only response to this was that under the Treaty of Alcáçovas previously signed with Spain, Columbus's discoveries lay within Portugal's sphere of influence.
In Africa Afonso V had preferred crusading in Morocco to trade and discovery of the west coast. King John took the precaution of renegotiating the "Tercerias de Moura" agreement to insure that his son Afonso was living safely back at court before he would move against Braganza, the most powerful noble in the realm (the original agreement called for Afonso to live in Moura, Portugal, with his intended Spanish bride, Isabella, Princess of Asturias, as children before their marriage). Nevertheless, he was admired as one of the greatest European monarchs of his time. During his reign, the following achievements were realized: The true extent of Portuguese explorations has been the subject of academic debate. 12. He participated in his father’s conquest of Arzila in Morocco, where he was knighted, and was given a separate household at Beja in southern Portugal. In 1474 his father entrusted him with the “trade of Guinea” and the African explorations. Afonso had been limited in authority by the ambitious House of Bragança, the wealthiest family in Portugal. In 1485 he sent Cão on a second voyage that reached southwestern Africa but failed to find the Cape. Christopher Columbus tried to interest him in his plan to reach India by a western route. Spain quickly hastened to the negotiating table, which took place in a small Spanish town named Tordesillas. [2] Following the crackdown, no one in the country dared to defy the king and John saw no further conspiracies during his reign.
[10], Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque, "Prestage, Edgar. The Duke's widow, Isabella of Viseu, John's cousin and sister-in-law, fled with her children to Castile.[4]. When in 1486 merchants in Benin heard news of a native potentate far to the east who was thought to be the legendary Christian ruler Prester John, the King sent Pero da Covilhã and Afonso Paiva to visit India and Ethiopia by an overland route. The result of this meeting would be the famous Treaty of Tordesillas, which sought to divide all newly discovered lands in the New World between Spain and Portugal.
Despite his attempts to have his son Jorge, Duke of Coimbra, succeed him, he was succeeded by his first cousin Manuel I. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-II-king-of-Castile, Fact Monster - People - Biography of John II, King of Castile. [4] The king conducted a search of the population and selected members for the Council on the basis of their abilities, talents and credentials ( Meritocracy ).
He then accused the Duke of Bragança of treason and had him tried and beheaded at Évora (June 1483). According to one theory, some navigations were kept secret for fear of competition by neighbouring Castile. John II is considered to have lived his life exactly according to the writer's idea of a perfect prince. John II sequestered his son, the future Henry IV, at Segovia, giving rise to fresh rivalries. The House of Braganza was outlawed, their lands confiscated and the duke executed in Évora. In December 1481 he sent Diogo de Azambuja to build the fortress of St. George at Mina (the “gold mine”), near Benin, a powerful native kingdom in the territory of modern Nigeria. After his official accession to the throne in 1481, John II took a series of measures to curtail the power of the Portuguese aristocracy and concentrate power in himself. Updates? He and Luna vanquished the dissidents at the Battle of Olmedo in 1445. The king replied in a positive manner in a letter of 23 October 1491, but delayed the commission. He is known for re-establishing the power of the Portuguese monarchy, reinvigorating the Portuguese economy, and renewing his country's exploration of Africa and the Orient. He was nevertheless considered a man of cultivated taste and a patron of poets. As one of example of the measure he took, he deprived the nobles of their right to administer justice on their estates. John II, byname The Perfect Prince, Portuguese O Principe Perfeito, (born 1455, Lisbon, Port.—died October 1495, Alvor), king of Portugal from 1481 to 1495, regarded as one of the greatest Portuguese rulers, chiefly because of his ruthless assertion of royal authority over the great nobles and his resumption of the exploration of Africa and the quest for India. He suffered a long illness and died in 1495 at the small castle of Alvor in the province of Algarve.
He sent a minor expedition against Anafé and obtained tribute from Safi and Azemmour in Morocco, but in 1489 his attempt to build a fortress at the mouth of the Loukkos was prevented by the ruler of Fez. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-II-king-of-Portugal, Fact Monster - People - Biography of John II, King of Portugal.
Gold currency had been restored by his father, and the new trade now doubled the royal revenues, and in 1485 John assumed the title of lord of Guinea. He proved unable to govern alone. After Luna had connived at a murder, the tide turned; and in 1453 John II was persuaded to arrest and execute his favourite. A papal representative was present to act as mediator.
He also reasserted the beneplacet, requiring papal letters to be submitted to him before publication. Omissions?
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