Between Prophecy and Politics: the Return to Portugal of Dom Antônio, Prior of Crato, and the Early Years of the Iberian Union

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Between Prophecy and Politics: the Return to Portugal of Dom Antônio, Prior of Crato, and the Early Years of the Iberian Union 112 Hermann Chapter 5 Between Prophecy and Politics: The Return to Portugal of Dom Antônio, Prior of Crato, and the Early Years of the Iberian Union Jacqueline Hermann I have arrested a Maria Dias also from of the Prioress of Anunciada’s sect and for I am sure that, even if she was pretending before, she would come to commit much worse acts. As to remedial measures, and as is appropri- ate, her punishment shall serve as an example, so that the good may be edified and the evil fearful. It seems to me that the Holy Office should use these people so that no acts regarding charity and or justice be left undone.1 ⸪ Thus the bishop of Coimbra, Dom Afonso de Castelo Branco, informed the general council of the Holy Office about the case of the so-called “holy woman of Celas”, Maria Dias, on April 29, 1589. It is clear the bishop feared the “sect” of the famous Prioress of Lisbon, Sóror Maria da Visitação, condemned by the Inquisition in Lisbon in December 1588. As Dom Afonso warned, the danger went beyond heretic “contamination” to actions including telling the sick that they would not die and “other things that only God could know”; “it is said, although not clearly proven, that they discussed Dom Antônio” referring to the Prior of Crato, who was a rival for the Portuguese crown between 1578 and 1580 who had been defeated by Philip II. 1 IANTT. TSO-CG. Liv.91. Fol.35. Letter from Afonso de Castelo Branco, Bishop of Coimbra, to the members of the general council, April 29, 1589. “Prendi uma Maria Dias que também era da seita da Prioresa que foi d’Anunciada, e cuido certo que se fora este fingimento por diante se vieram a fazer outras cousas ainda piores, e para se remediarem como convém e castigarem exemplarmente, e de modo que os bons se edifiquem e os maus hajam medo, parece-me que devia o Santo Ofício de lançar mão de toda esta gente por que assim não se deixava coisa al- guma da Caridade e da Justiça por fazer”. The spelling has been updated. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2016 | doi 10.1163/9789004316454_007 Between Prophecy and Politics 113 Dom Afonso de Castelo Branco’s concerned report raised many questions: his willingness to collaborate with the Inquisition, the repercussions of the Prioress of Lisbon’s case, the potential comparison of Maria da Visitação with Maria Dias, and the undisguised interest of a religious person in a strictly polit- ical issue – the fate and possible repercussions of Dom Antônio’s resistance to the legitimacy of Philip II’s claim to the Portuguese throne was of burning importance at the time. The prior had been the Spanish king’s most obstinate and audacious competitor in the succession dispute, which had begun after the disaster of Ksar el-Kebir in 1578. With the disappearance of King Sebastian at the Moroccan battle, Cardinal Dom Henry, last of the Avis dynasty, assumed the kingdom’s crown, and between 1578 and 1580, faced varying pressures: gov- erning amid the confusion of defeat, administering the rescue of a large number of the nobles imprisoned in Morocco, and, most serious of all, mediat- ing the delicate succession crisis initiated as rumors of the disaster spread across Europe. Two of the candidates were, in principle, stronger and made themselves more evident: D. Catherine, Duchess of Bragança (1540–1614), paternal grand- daughter of Venturoso, and Philip II of Spain (1527–1598) maternal grandson of Dom Manuel, both being direct descendants of D. Manuel I. The rules of pre- cedence should have favored the duchess, had she not been a woman and the younger of the two, obstacles great enough to complicate the dispute with her Castilian cousin. As if the clear opposition between Portuguese and Spanish candidates were not enough, a new and unexpected claimant presented his credentials on October 1578: Dom Antônio, Prior of Crato (1531–1595). Similarly, Dom Antônio was a paternal grandson of the famous Portuguese sovereign, being the illegitimate son of the well-known prince, the “Infante” Dom Luís.2 The cardinal disapproved immensely of his nephew’s claim, which only served to increase the already long list of troubles caused by the once well liked Dom Antônio. The cardinal had played an important role in Dom Antônio’s educa- tion, and had decided upon the religious career he wished him to pursue, one to which the future prior had always been averse. Throughout his life Dom Antônio received support from the Iberian kingdoms’ elites, not least from his cousin, the Spanish King Philip II, the cardinal, and Queen Catherine of Haps- burg, who unsuccessfully interceded for his release from a religious life. After 2 The Duke of Sabóia, Manuel Felisberto, son of Infanta D. Beatriz (1504–1538), and the Duke of Sabóia, Charles III, and Rainúncio Farnese, this great grandson of Dom Manuel, son of the Prince of Parma, Alexandre Farnese and the Portuguese Infanta D. Maria (1538–1577) also had credentials for the succession. Besides these, Catherine of Medici claimed her rights, based on a remote connection with King Dom Afonso III, who died in 1279..
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