Denis, Lord of Cifuentes

Infante Denis
Lord of Villar-Dompardo Lord of Cifuentes, Escalona y Alvar de Tormes
Born	c. 1354 Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	c. 1397 Crown of Castile
Burial	Santa María de Guadalupe Monastery
Spouse	Joan of Castile, Lady of Cifuentes
Issue	Infante Fernando, Lord of Cifuentes Infante Pedro, Lord of Colmenarejo Infanta Beatrix
House	House of Burgundy
Father	Peter I
Mother	Inês de Castro
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Denis of Portugal (Portuguese: Dinis or Diniz, IPA: [diˈniʃ]) (1354 – 1397) was an infante of Portugal. He was the son of Portuguese King Peter I and a Galician noblewoman named Inês de Castro who had arrived in Portugal as a maid of princess Constance of Castile, recently married to Pedro I (Heir Prince at the time).

History

Considering Denis an Infante of Portugal is a debatable subject. Some historians consider him a natural son of Peter I, so the title Infante of Portugal could never be attributed to him. Other opinions refer that after the death of Inês de Castro, ordered by Pedro's father King Afonso IV of Portugal, the Prince after inheriting the throne admitted that he had married Inês secretly, and because of that she was a lawful Queen of Portugal.

After the death of his mother Denis left Portugal to Castile with his brother but during the 1383–85 Crisis he was one of the claimants to the throne along with Beatrice of Portugal (his niece), John, Master of Aviz (his half-brother) and John (his brother). Although he managed to be acclaimed King in the city of Santarém his connections with Castile eventually lost him the throne and at the time of the Battle of Aljubarrota he was already out of the country like his brother John.

Family

He married in 1372 Joan of Castile, 2nd? Lady of Cifuentes, born c. 1360, illegitimate daughter of Henry II of Castile by Juana, 1st? Lady of Cifuentes, born c. 1340, from whom he had two sons and a daughter:

• Fernando de Portugal, 3rd? Lord of Cifuentes and Comendador of Oreja (born c. 1380), married firstly to María de Torres, 5th Lady of Villardompardo (1400 – Jaén), and had issue now extinct in male line, and married secondly to Aldara Osorio (born c. 1390), and had issue now extinct in male line
• Pedro de Portugal, 1st Lord of Colmenarejo (born c. 1385), married to Isabel Enríquez (born c. 1390), and had issue now extinct in male line
• Beatriz de Portugal (died aft. 1467), unmarried and without issue

He died in 1397.

Ancestry

Family of Denis, Lord of Cifuentes

16. Afonso III of Portugal               8. Denis of Portugal                       17. Beatrice of Castile               4. Afonso IV of Portugal                             18. Peter III of Aragon               9. Elizabeth of Aragon                       19. Constance of Sicily               2. Peter I of Portugal                                   20. Alfonso X of Castile               10. Sancho IV of Castile                       21. Violant of Aragon               5. Beatrice of Castile                             22. Alfonso of Molina               11. María de Molina                       23. Mayor Alonso de Meneses               1. Denis, Infante of Portugal                                         24. Esteban Fernandez de Castro               12. Fernando Rodríguez de Castro                       25. Aldonça Rodrigues de Leão               6. Pedro Fernández de Castro                             26. Sancho IV of Castile               13. Violante Sanchez, Lady of Uzero                       27. María Alfonso Téllez de Menezes               3. Inês de Castro                                   28. Soeiro Pais de Valadares               14. Lourenço Soares de Valadares                       29. Estevainha Ponce de Baião               7. Aldonça Suárez de Valadares                             30. Nuno Martins de Chacim               15. Sancha Nunes de Chacim                       31. Teresa Nunes Queixada