Manuel I of Portugal

Manuel I
Portrait of Manuel I at the Navy Museum
King of Portugal
Reign	25 October 1495 – 13 December 1521
Coronation	27 October 1495
Predecessor	John II
Successor	John III
Born	31 May 1469 Alcochete, Portugal
Died	13 December 1521(1521-12-13) (aged 52) Lisbon, Portugal
Burial	Jerónimos Monastery
Spouses	Isabella of Aragon ​ ​ (m. 1497; died 1498)​ Maria of Aragon ​ ​ (m. 1500; died 1517)​ Eleanor of Austria ​ (m. 1518)​
Issue Detail	Miguel da Paz, Hereditary Prince of Portugal John III, King of Portugal Isabella, Holy Roman Empress Beatrice, Duchess of Savoy Louis, Duke of Beja Ferdinand, Duke of Guarda Afonso, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Henry, King of Portugal Duarte, Duke of Guimarães Maria, Duchess of Viseu
House	Aviz
Father	Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu
Mother	Beatrice of Portugal
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

Manuel I^[a] (European Portuguese: [mɐnuˈɛl]; 31 May 1469 – 13 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (Portuguese: O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manuel ruled over a period of intensive expansion of the Portuguese Empire owing to the numerous Portuguese discoveries made during his reign. His sponsorship of Vasco da Gama led to the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India in 1498, resulting in the creation of the Portuguese India Armadas, which guaranteed Portugal's monopoly on the spice trade. Manuel began the Portuguese colonization of the Americas and Portuguese India, and oversaw the establishment of a vast trade empire across Africa and Asia.

Manuel established the Casa da Índia, a royal institution that managed Portugal's monopolies and its imperial expansion. He financed numerous famed Portuguese navigators, including Pedro Álvares Cabral (who discovered Brazil), Afonso de Albuquerque (who established Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean), among numerous others. The income from Portuguese trade monopolies and colonized lands made Manuel the wealthiest monarch in Europe,^[1][2] allowing him to be one of the great patrons of the Portuguese Renaissance, which produced many significant artistic and literary achievements. Manuel patronized numerous Portuguese intellectuals, including playwright Gil Vicente (called the father of Portuguese and Spanish theatre).^[3] The Manueline style, considered Portugal's national architecture, is named for the king.^[4]

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