Descendants of Manuel I of Portugal

Manuel, born on 31 May 1469 at the Royal Palace at Alcochete, was the second son of Duke Ferdinand I of Viseu and Beja and Infanta Beatriz of Reguengos.

During Manuel's youth, his cousin John II of Portugal was King. John II went through a large process trying to eliminate the powers and wealth of the Portuguese nobility, of which Manuel was a prominent part. John II had both Duke Diogo I of Viseu and Beja and Duke Fernando II of Braganza put on trial and executed. After Diogo's death, the Dukedoms of Viseu and Beja passed to Manuel, causing Manuel to fear for his own life.

In 1491, Afonso, Prince of Portugal was killed in a horse riding accident. John II only had one other child, Jorge, Duke of Coimbra, but he was illegitimate. After countless failed efforts to legitimize Jorge, John II finally sent a royal order to Manuel in 1493.

Once Manuel heard a royal order was on its way to him, he worried that it might be a summons for a trial, and likely execution. However, when the order reached him, he was greatly relieved, since the order made Manuel heir to John II's throne.

John II died on 25 October 1495 and Manuel became monarch of Portugal. During his reign, Manuel expanded the Portuguese Empire, making it the most formidable power in all of Europe at the time.

From his countless riches from India, after Vasco da Gama discovered the maritime passage to there, Manuel created the most luxurious court in Europe and founded countless architectural wonders throughout Portugal in the Manueline style, named for the king. It is this wealth, power, and prestige that made Manuel's children prime candidates for royal marriages throughout Europe.

After King Manuel's death, his descendants went on to hold a great importance to Portuguese sovereignty and European history. Almost all of Manuel's descendants would become crucial beings in the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580, the Iberian Union, and later the Portuguese Restoration War, as all the claims to the Portuguese throne during these events originated from descendancy from Manuel I.

Manuel I's wives:Isabel of Aragon and Castile, Maria of Castile and Aragon, Eleanor of Austria

On 13 September 1497, Manuel I married Isabel of Aragon and Castile, Princess of Asturias. The couple had 1 child:

Descendant	Image	Birth	Marriages	Death
Miguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias and Portugal 1498–1500		23 August 1498 Zaragoza son of Manuel I and Isabella of Aragon and Castile	never married	19 July 1500 Granada aged 1