| Carlos I |
| King of Portugal and the Algarves |
| Image:King Carlos I of Portugal.jpg |
| Reign |
October 19, 1889—February 1, 1908 |
| Full name |
Carlos Fernando Luís Maria Victor Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis José Simão de Bragança Sabóia Bourbon e Saxe-Coburgo-Gota |
| Born |
September 28, 1863 |
|
Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died |
February 1, 1908 |
|
Terreiro do Paço, Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Buried |
Dynasty of Braganza Royal Pantheon, Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, Lisbon, District of Lisbon, Portugal |
| Predecessor |
Luis I |
| Successor |
Manuel II |
| Consort |
Amélie of Orléans |
| Issue |
Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal (1887–1908)
Manuel II (1889–1932)
Maria Ana de Bragança (1887) |
| Royal House |
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Father |
Luis I of Portugal |
| Mother |
Maria Pia of Savoy |
Carlos I (pronounced [ˈkaɾɫuʃ]; Eng. Charles), the Diplomat (also known as the Martyr) (Port.O Diplomata and o Martirizado) - (Lisbon, September 28 1863 - Lisbon, February 1 1908) named Carlos Fernando Luís Maria Victor Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis José Simão de Bragança Sabóia Bourbon e Saxe-Coburgo-Gota was the 33rd (or 34th or 35th according to some historians) and penultimate King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the first Portuguese king to die of violent death after Sebastian of Portugal (1578), in 1908, when he was murdered in Lisbon when he travelled in an open carriage with the royal family.
Early life
He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, the son of King Luís and Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, daughter of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy. He had a brother, Infante Afonso, Duke of Porto.
His paternal first cousins included (among others) Frederick Augustus III of Saxony, Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Ferdinand I of Romania.
His maternal first cousins included (among others) Napoléon Victor Bonaparte, Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta, Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Turin, Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, Umberto, Count of Salemi.
He had an intense education and was prepared to rule as a constitucional monarch. In 1883 he traveled to Italy, England, France and Germany where he increased his knowledge of the modern civilization of his time. In 1883, 1886 and 1888 he ruled as regent as his father was travelling in Europe, as it become tradition among the Portuguese constitucional kings. His father Luis I advised him to be modest and to study with focus.
His first wedding candidate was a daughter of Frederick III, German Emperor, but the religion problem and the pressure of British diplomacy prevented the marriage. He then met Amélie of Orléans, who had also seen to fail some wedding candidates. This time the marriage was successful.
King of Portugal
Carlos became King on October 19 1889. An intelligent but vastly extravagant man, Carlos's policies, perceived wastefulness and extramarital affairs effectively sealed the fate of the Portuguese monarchy. Colonial treaties with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (one signed in August 1890 that defined their African borders along the Zambezi and Congo rivers and another signed on October 14 1899, that confirmed colonial treaties of the 17th Century) stabilised the situation in Africa. Domestically, Portugal was twice declared bankrupt - on June 14 1892, and again on May 10 1902 - causing industrial disturbances, socialist and republican antagonism and press criticism of the monarchy. Carlos responded by appointing João Franco as prime minister and subsequently accepting parliament's dissolution.
Young Carlos I of Portugal
On February 1 1908 the royal family returned from the palace of Vila Viçosa to Lisbon. They travelled by train to Almada and, from there, took a steamer to cross the Tagus River and disembarked in Cais do Sodré in central Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the carriage with Carlos I and his family passed through Terreiro do Paço. While crossing the square, shots were fired from the crowd by at least two men: Alfredo Costa and Manuel Buiça. The king died immediately, his heir Luís Filipe was mortally wounded, and Prince Manuel was hit in the arm. The assassins were shot on the spot by members of the bodyguard and later recognized as members of the Republican Party. About twenty minutes later, Prince Luis Filipe died and days later, Manuel was acclaimed king of Portugal, the last of the Braganza dynasty.
Marriage and children
Carlos was married to Princess Amélie of Orléans in 1886. She was daughter of Philippe, Comte de Paris and Marie Isabelle d'Orléans. Their children were
A woman known as Hilda Toledano claimed fraudlently (many years after his death) that she was the illegitimate daughter of Carlos I by Maria Amélia Laredo e Murça. Her claims are regarded as a absurd and a complete hoax.
Influence on Jack London
Jack London's science fiction story "The Enemy of All the World", published less than five years after the assassination of King Carlos I (see [1]), included a fictional account of an assassination of the King and Queen of Portugal, directly after their marriage, set in 1933 - then a future date - and evidently inspired by the recent actual assassination:
(...) It was their wedding day. All possible precautions had been taken against the terrorists, and the way from the cathedral, through Lisbon's streets, was double-banked with troops, while a squad of two hundred mounted troopers surrounded the carriage. Suddenly the amazing thing happened. The automatic rifles of the troopers began to go off, as well as the rifles, in the immediate vicinity, of the double-banked infantry. In the excitement the muzzles of the exploding rifles were turned in all directions. The slaughter was terrible - horses, troops, spectators, and the King and Queen, were riddled with bullets. To complicate the affair, in different parts of the crowd behind the foot-soldiers, two terrorists had bombs explode on their persons. These bombs they had intended to throw if they got the opportunity. But who was to know this? The frightful havoc wrought by the bursting bombs but added to the confusion; it was considered part of the general attack.
Ancestors
References
- Ramos, Rui. D. Carlos, Temas e Debates, 2007.
ca:Carles I de Portugal
de:Karl (Portugal) es:Carlos I de Portugal fr:Charles Ier de Portugal it:Carlo del Portogallo hu:I. Károly portugál király nl:Karel van Portugal ja:カルルシュ1世 (ポルトガル王) pl:Karol I (król Portugalii) pt:Carlos I de Portugal ru:Карлуш I fi:Kaarle I (Portugali) sv:Karl I av Portugal
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