Henry, King of Portugal

Henry
Cardinal of the Catholic Church
Portrait by Domenico Tintoretto, c. 1579
King of Portugal
Reign4 August 1578 – 31 January 1580
Coronation28 August 1578, Lisbon
PredecessorSebastian
SuccessorAnthony (disputed) or Philip I
Born31 January 1512
Lisbon, Portugal
Died31 January 1580 (aged 68)
Almeirim, Portugal
Burial
DynastyAviz
FatherManuel I of Portugal
MotherMaria of Aragon
ReligionCatholicism

Henry (Portuguese: Henrique [ẽˈʁikɨ]; 31 January 1512 – 31 January 1580), dubbed the Chaste (Portuguese: o Casto) and the Cardinal-King (Portuguese: o Cardeal-Rei), was king of Portugal and an inquisitor and cardinal of the Catholic Church, who ruled Portugal between 1578 and 1580. As a clergyman, he was bound to celibacy, and as such, had no children to succeed him, and thus put an end to the reigning House of Aviz. His death led to the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and ultimately to the 60-year Iberian Union that saw Portugal share a monarch with Habsburg Spain. The next independent monarch of Portugal would be John IV, who restored the throne after 60 years of Spanish rule.