Portugal Monarch. He reigned as King of Portugal from 1640 to 1656. He was born at Vila Viçosa and succeeded his father, Teodosio II, Duke of Braganza, in 1630. Dom João married Luísa de Gusmão, eldest daughter of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, in 1633. By the unanimous voice of the people he was raised to the throne of Portugal (of which he was held to be the legitimate heir) during the revolution effected on December 1, 1640, against the Spanish king, Felipe IV. His accession led to a protracted war with Spain, which only ended with the recognition of Portuguese independence in a subsequent reign (1668). Portugal signed alliances with France and Sweden in 1641, but by neccessity its only contribution in the 30-years-war were in the field against Spain and against Dutch encroachments on the Portuguese colonial empire. In Iberia, a Spanish invasion was defeated at Montijo (1650). Abroad, the Dutch took Malacca (1641) and the Sultan of Oman captured Muscat (1648). However by 1654 most of Brazil was back in Portuguese hands and had effectively ceaced to be a viable Dutch colony. This was countered by the loss of Ceylon, present day Sri Lanka, to the Dutch who took Colombo in 1656. King João IV died in 1656 and was succeeded by his son Afonso VI. João IV was the patron of music and the Arts, and a considerably sophisticated composer of music. During his reign he collected one of the largest libraries in the world, but it was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Among his writings is a "Defence of Palestrina," and a "Defence of Modern Music."
Portugal Monarch. He reigned as King of Portugal from 1640 to 1656. He was born at Vila Viçosa and succeeded his father, Teodosio II, Duke of Braganza, in 1630. Dom João married Luísa de Gusmão, eldest daughter of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, in 1633. By the unanimous voice of the people he was raised to the throne of Portugal (of which he was held to be the legitimate heir) during the revolution effected on December 1, 1640, against the Spanish king, Felipe IV. His accession led to a protracted war with Spain, which only ended with the recognition of Portuguese independence in a subsequent reign (1668). Portugal signed alliances with France and Sweden in 1641, but by neccessity its only contribution in the 30-years-war were in the field against Spain and against Dutch encroachments on the Portuguese colonial empire. In Iberia, a Spanish invasion was defeated at Montijo (1650). Abroad, the Dutch took Malacca (1641) and the Sultan of Oman captured Muscat (1648). However by 1654 most of Brazil was back in Portuguese hands and had effectively ceaced to be a viable Dutch colony. This was countered by the loss of Ceylon, present day Sri Lanka, to the Dutch who took Colombo in 1656. King João IV died in 1656 and was succeeded by his son Afonso VI. João IV was the patron of music and the Arts, and a considerably sophisticated composer of music. During his reign he collected one of the largest libraries in the world, but it was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Among his writings is a "Defence of Palestrina," and a "Defence of Modern Music."
Bio by: Benny Chordt Hansen
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