António, Prior of Crato

Antonio of Crato (* 1531 in Lisbon; † August 26, 1595 in Paris) was a member of the Portuguese royal family Avis, however, from an extramarital liaison. Antonio called after the death of King Henry I., the last legitimate member of the house of Avis, 1580 himself king of Portugal from. But his claim to the throne he could against the reigning Spanish Habsburgs, who through the female line had multiple kinship ties to the House of Avis, not enforce.

Origin

Antonio of Crato was a bastard son of Prince Ludwig ( Luis ) of Portugal (* 1506 - † 1555), Duke of Beja, a younger son of King Manuel I of Portugal and a " Violanta " Gomez, known as "La Pelicana " said to have been the Jew and died as a nun, was born. He also studied at the University of Coimbra.

Political ambitions

Due to its extra-marital parentage he could have done no throne claims in the normal case. So he chose initially a religious career and eventually became Grand Prior of Crato Order of Malta. In 1571 he was governor of Tangier. Before 1578 about him is little known. This year he accompanied King Sebastian of Portugal on the expedition to Morocco, where he was taken in the disaster of the Battle of Alcácer - Quibir in captivity, but against a ransom was released.

Died in 1580 Henry I of Portugal, the last member of the legitimate marriage of since 1385 the ruling house in Portugal Avis. In his will, Henry had the Spanish King Philip II used of the Habsburg family, who also owned family ties to the family of Avis - albeit mediated through the female line - as the mother of a daughter of King Philip II Emanuel I., thus a half-sister the father of Antonio was. There were other pretenders to the throne.

The personal union with Spain in Portugal was anything but popular. Antonio took advantage of this political discontent and agreed on July 24, 1580 to the Portuguese king. In particular, the lower clergy, artisans and workers supported him. Antonio could rely to rely on an illustrious example in Portuguese history: 1383 was the first Portuguese dynasty, the House of Burgundy, died. Then, too, made ​​Castile, Spain predecessor State, hereditary claims to the Portuguese throne law. John of Avis, a non-marital offspring of the Burgundian kings, Castile could hit in 1385 at the Battle of Aljubarrota, was proclaimed king and founded the dynasty of Avis.

However, Antonio failed in contrast to his model. Philip II sent an army under the command of Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, the third Duke of Alba, who defeated the troops Antónios in Alcántara already on August 25, 1580. Antonio was forced to flee into exile in France, where he took the Portuguese Crown Jewels. France, the traditional enemy of the Habsburgs, Antonio took while on friendly, supported his political ambitions but ultimately not, although he offered Brazil. Only the Azores to 1583 remain outside the sphere of influence of Philip II and were continuing to Antonio. On the run from assassins who Philip II had recognized him, he moved several times and finally reached his retreat to England. England, too, belonged to the enemies of the Habsburgs.

1589 Antonio tried again, this time among other things, with the help of the English privateer Sir Francis Drake, to gain the Portuguese crown. Their fleet came to the Portuguese coast, but the expected uprising by Antonio in his favor and against King Philip II (in Portugal: Philip I ) did not materialize. The adventure ended a costly failure. The Pretender spent the rest of his life in exile in France without his claim depending aufzugegeben.

António of Crato died impoverished in 1595 in Paris where his heart urn was formerly in the monastery church of the Couvent de l' Ave Maria. The latter was abolished during the French Revolution in 1790.

Family

Antonio was romantically involved with Anna Barbosa - because of its religious status he was not allowed to marry. From this connection came from 10 children:

• Filipa de Portugal ( 1560 -? ), A nun in the convent of Lorvão
• Luísa de Portugal (1562 -? ), Nun in Tordesillas
• Afonso de Portugal ( 1566 -? )
• Manuel of Portugal (* 1568, † June 22, 1638 ), the 1597 Emilia of Orange- Nassau ( * April 1569, † March 6, 1629 ) married. She was a daughter of Prince William I of Orange -Nassau (* 1533, † 1584) and Princess Anna of Saxony ( * 1544, † 1577).
• Cristóvão de Portugal ( April 1573 *, † June 3, 1638 )
• Pedro de Portugal ( 1575 -? )
• Dinis of Portugal ( 1576 -? ), Cistercian
• Violante de Portugal (1577 - d.1602 )
• Antónia de Portugal ( 1578 - d.1602 )
• João de Portugal (1579 -? ), Died as a child

Injury

It was only in 1640 ended the rule of the Spanish Habsburgs in Portugal, as a rebellion King Philip III. of Portugal ( = Philip IV of Spain) crashed and John IV took the throne of the house of Braganza. Once again, the descendants of Antonio got no chance.