John IV of Portugal

Reign: 1640 – 1656
Life: 1604–1656

He restored the independence of Portugal from Habsburg Spanish rule by terminating the 60-year-old Iberian Union in which Portugal and Spain shared the same monarch, and by establishing the House of Braganza on the Portuguese throne. He was the grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, a claimant to the crown during the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580. On the eve of his death in 1656, the Portuguese Empire was at its territorial zenith, spanning the globe.

During John IV of Portugal's reign, Shah Jahan ruled Mughal Empire, Louis XIV of France ruled France, and Mehmed IV ruled Ottoman Empire.

Want to learn more? Further reading

A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire by A. R. Disney

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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Go deeper on John IV of Portugal

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A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire

A. R. Disney

John IV, the Braganza restoration and the long war for independence from Spain.

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