Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra
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Pedro, Infante of Portugal, Duke of Coimbra KG (pron. IPA ['pedɾu]; English: Peter) - (1392-May 20, 1449) was a Portuguese prince of the House of Aviz, son of King John I of Portugal and his wife Philippa of Lancaster. He was regent between 1439 and 1448.
Since he was born, Pedro was one of John I's favourite sons. His father made possible for him and his brothers an exceptional education rarely seen in those times. Close to his brother Edward and John, Pedro grew in a calm environment free of intrigues. In 1415 he goes to Ceuta with his father and brothers to take part in the conquest of the stronghold. He is made a knight the following day. It is by now that the Duchy of Coimbra is given to him, alongside his brother Henry's Duchy of Viseu, one of the first of Portugal.
In 1429 Pedro married Princess Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell, at some point heir to the throne of Aragon.
When his brother Edward I, King of Portugal died in 1438, his son Afonso V (Pedro's nephew) was an infant and the choice for the regency was the Queen-Mother Leonor of Aragon (Pedro's sister-in-law). This choice for the regency was not popular because Leonor was Aragonese, so in a reunion of the Cortes, summoned by Pedro's brother John, Duke of Aveiro, Pedro was appointed as Regent of the Kingdom during the minority of his nephew Afonso V, a choice that pleases both the people and the fast-growing Bourgeoisie.
However, inside the Portuguese aristocracy, especially the ones around Afonso, Count of Barcelos (Pedro's half-brother), Leonor of Aragon was preferred and there were doubts about Pedro political hability. A war of influences started and few years later Afonso of Barcelos manages to become young King Afonso V's favourite uncle.
In 1443, in a gesture of reconciliation, Pedro made his own half-brother Afonso first Duke of Braganza and the relations between both seemed to return to normality. But, in 1445, Afonso took offence because Isabel of Coimbra, Pedro's daughter was the choice for Afonso V's wife, and not one of her daughters.[citation needed] Indifferent to the intrigues, Pedro continued his regency and the country prospered under his influence. It is during this period that the first subsidies for the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean were implemented, and the organization was given to Henry the Navigator (Pedro's brother).
On June 9, 1448 Afonso V came of age and Pedro gave him the control of the country to the king. Influenced by Afonso, Count of Barcelos, and recently Duke of Braganza, Afonso V nullified all Pedro's edicts, starting, against himself, by the ones that concentrated the powers in the figure of the King.
The following year, under accusations that years later would prove false, Afonso V declared his uncle Pedro, Duke of Coimbra a rebel. The situation became unsustainable and a civil war begun. It was short because on May 20, 1449, during the Battle of Alfarrobeira, near Alverca, Pedro, Duke of Coimbra died. The exact conditions of his death are debatable: some say it was in combat, other say he was assassinated by one of his own men.
With the death of Pedro, Portugal fell in the hands of Afonso, Duke of Braganza, with a growing influence over the destiny of the country. However, his regency would never be forgotten, and Pedro was cited many times by his grandson King John II of Portugal as his main influence. The cruel persecution of the Braganzas by John II was perhaps the answer to the conspirations that caused the fall of one of the major princes of the Ínclita Geração.
Of his marriage to Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell, Pedro had the following children:
- Pedro of Portugal (1429-1466), during a brief period he was acclaimed King of Aragon with the name Pedro V.
- John of Portugal (1431-1457), married Charlotte of Lusignan, heir princess of Cyprus.
- Isabella of Portugal (1432-1455), Queen of Portugal by marriage to Afonso V.
- James of Portugal (1434-1459), Cardinal and Archbishop of Lisbon.
- Beatrice of Portugal (1435-1462), married Adolf of Clèves, Lord of Ravenstein.
- Philippa of Lancaster, Princess of Portugal (1437-1493), a nun.
