João I of Portugal (1357 – 1433)

João I was the natural son of King Pedro I and of the Galician aristocrat Teresa Lourenço. He was the tenth king of Portugal, the first king of the second dynasty, thus the founder of the House of Avis.

He married Philippa of Lancaster and was the father of the “Ínclita Geração” (Illustrious Generation): Duarte, Pedro, Henrique (the Navigator), Isabel, João and Fernando. He was proclaimed king at the Cortes of Coimbra, with the support of João das Regras, the first Chancellor of the king.

According to the wishes of his father, João’s education was, from an early age, oriented towards an ecclesiastical and military career. He was knighted at the age of seven and was granted the title of Master of the Order of Avis. A vast inheritance and the mastership of one of the richest military orders, made him one of the richest lords of his time. After the death of King Fernando in 1383, he became an active opponent of the regency of Leonor Teles – supported by the Count Andeiro – and of the delivery of the Portuguese throne to the king of Castile. Named Defender of the Realm, João led a revolt against the regent and, with the precious help of Nuno Álvares Pereira, directed a prolonged campaign against the Castilian invader, until the victory at the Battle of Aljubarrota on August 14, 1385.

The decisive support of England at the Battle of Aljubarrota was certainly in the origin of his marriage to Philippa of Lancaster, with whom he had eight children, the so-called “Inclíta Geração” (Illustrious Generation). The Master of Avis had two natural children with Inês Pires Esteves: Afonso – 8th Count of Barcelos and 1st Duke of Bragança – and Beatriz – who came to be the Countess of Arundel.

Some historical events that occurred during João I’s reign are noteworthy: the conquest of Ceuta in 1415, which marked the beginning of the Portuguese Expansion in Africa; the first Atlantic voyages and the discovery of the islands of Porto Santo, Madeira, and the Azores; the establishment of peace treaties with Castile in 1411; as well as the signing of the Treaty of Windsor with England in 1386.

The double tomb of João I and Philippa of Lancaster is located in the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória in Batalha – an impressive monument of Portuguese late Gothic – built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese at Aljubarrota and to serve as a pantheon for the House of Avis.