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SEBASTIAN OF PORTUGAL, 'O Desjado' [The Desired
One] (1554-1578)
King of Portugal+Algarve
Born: 20 JAN 1554
Died: 4 AUG 1578 Naval battle of Alcacer
Son of Joao, Prince of Portugal and Infanta Juana,
daughter of Charles V.
Sebastian never knew his father, who died before
he was born, or his mother, who went back to Spain almost immediately,
leaving him to be raised by his grandparents. He
scarcely had time to get to know his grandfather, Joao III, who died
when the boy was three.
Sebastian was raised by priestly tutors, reading
chivalric romances, and grew up to be a real-life Don Quixote: a
religious fanatic obsessed with the idea of liberating
Jerusalem from the infidels. In June 1578, he started what was
supposed to be a Crusade, by sailing for Morocco with an army of 16,000,
including most of the adult male
members of the Portuguese nobility. The idea was that they would
fight their way to the Holy Land. On August 4th, in what was not
so much a battle as a massacre, Sebastian
and half his army were killed, and most of the survivors taken prisoner;
only a few hundred troops escaped.
The effect on Portugal was devestating! The
throne was immediately claimed by Sebastian's uncle ( and closest male
relative) Philip II of Spain. The loss of their
independence caused many Portuguese to cherish a belief in 'Sebastianismo'
- the myth that their king was not dead after all, and would return someday
to liberate them from
the Spanish yoke. Ironically, Sebastian was far more popular
after his death than he had been when alive!
Source: Sandra White
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