Afonso I of Bragança (1377? – 1461)

Afonso, the natural son of King João I and Inês Pires Esteves, was probably born in 1380, at the Castle of Veiros. In 1401 he married Beatriz Pereira, with whom he had three children. After becoming a widower, he married Constança of Noronha – with whom he had no children – and ordered the construction of the Ducal Palace of the Bragança in Guimarães.

Afonso’s first wife was the daughter of the Constable Nuno Álvares Pereira and, as a dowry for her marriage to the infante, they received: the town and castle of Chaves, the land of Montenegro, the castle of Montalegre, the villages of Barroso and Barcelos, to which were added other estates and honours in Entre-Douro-e-Minho and in Trás-os-Montes. These were added to the donations of King João I, especially the domains of Viana, Faria and Vermoim and also the village of Penafiel. It was this immense patrimonial nucleus that was at the origins of the House of Bragança and the ducal title was granted to Afonso in 1442.

Afonso was an active participant in the African campaigns, was at the conquest of Ceuta in 1415, and in the struggles of the regency in 1438 – opposing his brother Pedro and making his county a bastion of contestation. The appointment of Afonso as governor of Entre-Douro-e-Minho and Trás-os-Montes – in May 1440 – did not prevent him from continuing – directly or indirectly – to fight for the removal of Pedro from the regency of the kingdom, as was verified in the Battle of Alfarrobeira, where he fought alongside the King Afonso V.

Afonso died in 1461. He was buried in Chaves until 1942 and then transferred to Vila Viçosa.