On the death of Peter his illegitimate son. John L. took measures to secure the government and was recognized by the Cortes after some difficulty in 1385. This branch of the Burgundian house is sometimes known as the House of Aviz, the King having been grand master of the Order of Aviz. John's reign of nearly half a century was one of the most noteworthy in Portuguese history. De success fully defended his kingdom against Castilian at tack and showed himself a statesman and general of uncommon ability. the fame of his reign rests, however. less upon the strong and intelligent ad ministration of the King than upon the work done under the direction of his accomplished son. Prince the Navigator (q.v), in exploring the African coast with the object of discovering an eastward route to the Indies. In 1419 the Portuguese rediscovered lladeira, and at the close of John's reign they reached the Azores. A suc cessful campaign by Portugal in Morocco, result ing in the capture of Ceuta in 1415, was followed by the acquisition of control over about half of Morocco. which was held until I578. John I. was succeeded by his eldest son. Duarte, or Edward (1433-38), and he by his son Alfonso V. (1438 S1 ). The work of Prince Henry's captains and their immediate successors led to the inaugura tion of a regular system of exploration and the acquisition soon after the middle of the fifteenth century of the Cape Verde Islands and the Guinea Coast. Alfonso V. interfered in the Cas tilian succession disputes (1474-76) and was severely defeated at Toro in the latter year. Alfonso was succeeded by his son John 11. ( 1481 95), during whose reign Pope Alexander VI. issued his famous bull of demarcation (May 4, 1493), giving to Portugal all discoveries east of a meridian one hundred leagues west of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands, a decision which was modified by the Treaty of Tordesillas (June 7, 1494) between Portugal and Spain, by which the line of demarcation was moved to a dis tance 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. This arrangement presently gave Portugal the important territory of Brazil in the Western Hemisphere. John's successor was his cousin Emmanuel (1495-1521), the son of a younger brother of Alfonso V. His reign was notable for the voyage of Vasco da Gama around the Cape of Good Hope to India (1407-98), opening the period of Portuguese activity in the East, and for the discovery and first settlement of Brazil, which remained for over three centuries an ap panage of the Portuguese crown. In 1510 Albu querque (q.v.) captured Goa, which became the seat of Portuguese power in the East. Within a few years this great commander extended the Portuguese conquests to :Malacca and the Sunda Islands. The Portuguese also established them selves at various points on the east coast of Africa and penetrated into Abyssinia and the Congo country. The reign of Emmanuel's son, John M. (1521-57), saw Portugal at the height of its prestige. It ranked as one of the most powerful European monarchies, while Lisbon was one of the most important commercial cities of the Continent.
While Portugal's rise had been rapid, its decline was more sudden still. The numerous wealthy and industrious Jews. whose able financial management had done much to establish Portuguese commerce. were expelled from the country, while social tyranny and oppression in the colonies as well as at home depressed the energy and crippled the resources of the nation. The death of King John in 1557 made his grandson Sebastian, then a child of three years, King. Drawn by his ambition for new conquests and by the restlessness of the Moors into an African campaign in 1578, the young King met a total defeat and death at Kasr el-Kebir (Aleazar Quivir). This was the beginning of the
loss of the Moorish dominions of Portugal. Of the few places remaining in Portuguese control after this unfortunate campaign. Ceuta was garrisoned by Spain in 1580 and ceded to that country in 1608; Saffi was ceded to the Moors in 1041; Tan gier to England in 1011?; several other places to the Moors in 1689; and the last, Slazagan, in 1770. The death of Sebastian left but one representative of the old line, Sebastian's aged grand uncle. the Cardinal Henry, whose brief reign I 1578 SO) plunged the country still further into misfor tunes. llis death gave rise to bitter disputes over the succession between several connections of the Portuguese royal house. Of the claimants Philip IL of Spain. whose mother was a daughter of the late King Emmanuel. possessed the power and the opportunity to seize the coveted posses sion, which he promptly did, two battles sufficing for its conquest by the Duke of Alva. The an nexation of Portugal to the Spanish monarchy subjected it to the deadly blight of Philip's state ly and imposing tyranny; its resources were weakened by the heavy expenses incident to the ruinous wars of Spain; and the Dutch seized most of the Portuguese possessions in the East Indies. In the reign of Philip IV. matters were brought to a crisis by the course of his minister (Alvarez. and in 1640 a successful conspiracy of the higher nobility freed Portugal from connec tion with Spain. This was accomplished under the leadership of .John. Duke of Braganza, the descendant of an illegitimate son of John 1. The Duke ascended the throne, and the rule of the present reigning House of Braganza began in the person of John IV. (1040-50). War with Spain was terminated in 1668, when in the Treaty of Lisbon the independence of Portugal was formally recognized. The succeeding history of Portugal offers little that is of interest. From its high rank as a commercial power the country sank into a position of practical dependence upon Eng land. with which Portugal became closely allied by the Methuen Treaty in 1703. John IV. was succeeded by two of his sons, VI. (1656 67) and Pedro II. (1007-1700). To the latter's son. John V. (1706-50), succeeded his son, Joseph (1750-77). In this reign the genius and resolu tion of the Minister Pombal (q.v.) infused tempo rary vigor into the administration and for a time the downward tendency of the national credit. Pombal carried on a relentless war against the nobles and the clergy, and as a result of his efforts the Jesuits were expelled from the country in 1759. The year 1755 was notable for an earthquake which nearly destroyed Lisbon (q.v.). There was a speedy relapse into reaction upon the accession of Joseph's daughter Maria and her husband, Pedro Ill., who was also her uncle. The latter died in 1786 and three years later, owing to the mental condition of the Queen. the government was put in the care of a regency under the Crown Prince .John. Prince John gave evi dence of ability and patriotism. Being unable to maintain himself in Portugal against Napoleon, who by the Treaty of Fontainebleau had agreed with Spain upon the partition of Portugal, he left the country in November, 1807, with his family and transferred his Government to Brazil, while a French army under Junot occupied Lisbon. The campaigns of the English and Portuguese forces under Sir Arthur Wellesley freed Portugal of its French invaders (see PENINSULAR WAR). and in 1816, upon the death of his mother, Prince John succeeded to the crowns of Portugal and Brazil as John Vl. He continued to reside, however, at the Brazilian capital until 1821.