The Situation of the Portuguese Court and Royal Household under the first Monarch of the House of Austria (1581–1598). (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Arroyo, Felix Labrador
• Is Part Of: Court historian. Volume 21:Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 21
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: Courts and courtiers -- History -- Periodicals; Kings and rulers -- History -- Periodicals; Kings and rulers -- Social life and customs -- Periodicals; 390.22
• DOI: 10.1080/14629712.2016.1170536
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-9712

Abstract

Abstract : With the death of King Sebastian in the battle of Alcácer Quibir (4 August 1578), an unsteady period began for the Portuguese crown, as his successor, his uncle, the Cardinal-King Henry, was already of advanced years. The period, known as the 'Portuguese succession crisis', began with Philip II claiming the Portuguese crown, aiming to fulfil a dream longed for since the times of Alfonso V of Portugal and John II of Castile in the mid-fifteenth century. Within this context, for a significant part of the Portuguese elites the integration of their crown into the Spanish Monarchy was the best option, so as to maintain and strengthen the political organization and integration of the kingdom by means of the royal household. This article analyses the debates in Madrid on the maintenance, or not, of the Portuguese Royal Household after 1580, as well as the process of its maintenance and consolidation by Philip II, who aimed to follow the principles included in the Statutes of Tomar (1581) which regulated the succession.