Jaime, Duke of Braganza


Jaime of Braganza was the 4th Duke of Braganza and the 2nd Duke of Guimarães, among other titles. He is known for reviving the wealth and power of the House of Braganza which had been confiscated by King John II of Portugal.

Life

Born in 1479, Jaime I of Braganza was young when he witnessed the arrest and execution of his father, Fernando II, Duke of Braganza, and of his uncle, Diogo, Duke of Viseu and Duke of Beja. They were both executed for treason when King John II discovered a plot among the nobility against the Crown. After his father's death, Jaime's family, the House of Braganza, were banished to Castile and their properties and vast wealth were seized by the Portuguese Crown.
After King John II's death in 1495, the throne passed to his first cousin, King Manuel I of Portugal. In 1498, King Manuel I, having been a powerful nobleman before his ascension to the throne, forgave the House of Braganza and welcomed them back to Portugal. He returned all their possessions and then some, but demanded devout loyalty from Duke Jaime of Braganza. Seeking to demonstrate the power of the House of Braganza after his wealth was returned, Jaime declined to live at Vila Viçosa Castle and built the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa as his seat. It was a sumptuous Portuguese Renaissance palace in the Alentejo province of Portugal.

Royal favour

Later in 1498, King Manuel I was to go on a diplomatic journey to Castile. This was shortly after Portugal had witnessed a succession crisis, and the King, who had no heirs, saw to it that Parliament named Jaime, son of his sister Isabella of Viseu, as heir presumptive to the throne of Portugal.
Duke Jaime married Leonor Pérez de Guzmán, daughter of Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 3rd Duke of Medina Sidonia. She was murdered in 1512 by order of Jaime who suspected her of adultery. King Manuel I decided that his nephew Jaime, in order to escape imprisonment for this crime, would have to prepare and fully finance a fleet to conquer the city of Azamor, on the Moroccan Atlantic coast. The city was easily conquered by the Duke's forces and he returned to Portugal forgiven and a hero.

Marriages and children

In 1500, Jaime of Braganza had married Leonor Pérez de Guzmán, daughter of Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 3rd Duke of Medina Sidonia. They had two children before she was murdered in 1512.
NameBirthDeathNotes
Isabella of Braganza151016 September 1576Married Duarte I, Duke of Guimarães
Teodósio I of Braganza150322 September 156312th Count of Barcelos, 9th Count of Ourém, 6th Count of Arraiolos and Neiva, 5th Duke of Braganza, 4th Marquis of Vila Viçosa

In 1520, Jaime I married Joana of Mendoça, daughter of Diogo of Mendonça, High-Alcaide of Mourão. They had eight children, most of whom saw successful lives.
NameBirthDeathNotes
Joana of Braganza15211588Married Bernardino de Cardenas, 3rd Marquis of Elche
Jaime of Braganza15231562Clergyman
Eugénia of Braganza15251559Married Francisco de Melo, 2nd Marquis of Ferreira
Maria of Braganza15271586Abbess at the Monastery of the Five Wounds of Vila Viçosa
Constantino of Braganza152815757th Viceroy of India, 9th Captain of Ribeira Grande
Fulgêncio of Braganza15291582Grand-Prior of the Collegiate of Guimarães
Teotónio of Braganza15301602Archbishop of Évora, Bishop of Fez, parliamentary member of the Portuguese Cortes of Tomar and Lisbon
Vicência of Braganza15321603Abbess at the Monastery of the Five Wounds of Vila Viçosa

Ancestry