1902 Encyclopedia > Henry I, King of Portugal

Henry I, King of Portugal
(1512-1580)




HENRY I. (1512-1580), king of Portugal, born at Ot Poi Lisbon, January 31, 1512, was the third son of Emanuel tugal. the Fortunate, was destined for the church, and in 1532 was raised to the archiépiscopal see of Braga. In 1542 he received the cardinal's hat, and in 1578 when he was called to succeed his grandnephew Sebastian on the throne, he held the archbishoprics of Lisbon and Coimbra as well as that of Braga, in addition to the wealthy abbacy of Alcobazar. As an ecclesiastic he was pious, pure, simple in his mode of life, charitable, and a learned and liberal patron of letters ; but as a sovereign he proved weak, timid, and incapable. On his death in 1580 after a brief reign of seventeen months the male line of the royal family which traced its descent from Henry, first count of Portugal (c. 1100), came to an end; and all attempts to fix the succession during his lifetime having ignomini-ously failed, Portugal became an easy prey to Philip II. of Spain.








About this EncyclopediaTop ContributorsAll ContributorsToday in History
Sitemaps
Terms of UsePrivacyContact Us



© 2005-23 1902 Encyclopedia. All Rights Reserved.

This website is the free online Encyclopedia Britannica (9th Edition and 10th Edition) with added expert translations and commentaries