Background
1430, was the second son of Fernando I, Duke of Braganza and of his wife, the duchess Joan of Castro.
1430, was the second son of Fernando I, Duke of Braganza and of his wife, the duchess Joan of Castro.
Through a letter issued on 30 October 1471, king Afonso V of Portugal granted him the Lordship of Montemor-o-Novo and on 25 April 1473, he was appointed the 7th Constable of Portugal, as was his great-grandfather, Nuno Álvares Pereira. Later, in 1478, the same king granted him the title of Marquis of Montemor-o-Novo – he was the first and sole marquis of this title. When king John II of Portugal succeeded to the Portuguese throne and started actively his policy against the high nobility power (namely the Braganza and the Viseu families) João was soon one the king’s targets.
He escape to Castile but in Portugal he was condemned for treason, and his statue was symbolically executed in Abrantes, on 12 September 1483.