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The state of Portugal in 1444. Though smaller and less powerful than its immediate neighbors, the diligence and adventurousness of Henry the Navigator in decades past would prove to be powerful assets in transforming Portugal from a small backwater on the Iberian Peninsula to a global empire...
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Following the death of the father of Afonso V, King Duarte (ruled 1433-1438), a regency council led by the late king's brother, Dom Pedro of Coimbra, took control of Portugal until the young prince could be declared of age and fit to rule. The unfortunate circumstances surrounding the removal of Afonso's mother from the regency led to a period of political uncertainty that would limit Portuguese diplomacy somewhat until its legitimate king could take control.
The first three years would be spent in accruing favors, saving resources, training soldiers, launching limited expeditions around Cape Bojador, and finding alliances for the inevitable campaigns against Morocco and Castille.
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Dom Pedro first assigned several tax collectors and accountants to the island of Madeira to administer the profitable sugar plantations that dominated its economy. The increase in revenue from Madeira caught the attention of many Portuguese merchants, who lobbied the Regent for permission to establish guilds and have trading rights on the island. This the Duke of Coimbra graciously granted, giving the Portuguese burghers greater control over the government, but also allowing the Regent more leverage against them when he inevitably came to extract concessions, tariffs, and especially diplomatic authority from the burgeoning middle class.
Portugal's destiny lay somewhere beyond the sea, that much was agreed upon by the peasantry and nobility alike. To fulfill the country's dreams of expansionism, however, a stronger navy was needed. Two barques were constructed in Lisboa and Coimbra, to bring the Portuguese navy to full strength and potentially grant the Crown the authority it needed to assert claims over the Moroccan coast.
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Though the Prince Afonso had no power in the court of Portugal, he did have many ideas for the governance of the state. First among them was a complete restructuring of the provinces and especially their names! The brazen suggestion was met with some shock and discontent among the nobles, who were loath to surrender their titles for "uncivilized Orientalist sobriquets". Afonso was obstinate on the matter, and eventually a compromise was struck: the nobility would continue to use their Portuguese titles, while for administrative purposes only, the names of the provinces would be changed. Legend has it that the Duke of Coimbra himself intervened personally upon hearing that his nephew wanted him to change his title to the "Noion of Quentil".
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The fast barques of the Portuguese navy were assigned to hunt the accursed Barbary pirates, while the heavier but trustworthy Caravels were entrusted to Captain Diogo Gomes in preparation for his exploration of the western coast of Africa. Dom Pedro hoped that this show of force would deter the Tunisian and Moroccan pirates until he was able to subdue them and bring their coasts under Portuguese control...
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"Dire news, milord," Dom Pedro's herald grimly proclaimed. "The Castilians and Aragonese have set their differences aside and signed a compact for formal alliance."
The regent ground his teeth, knowing that this alliance would put a complete moratorium on any expansion into Castille for the time being.
"Fine. Then we shall turn our attention to the south and the world of Mohammed."
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The explorer Diogo Gomes returned from his voyages along the western coast of Africa. Among his proofs of travel included a flag from the Kingdom of Jolof by the coast of Gambia. The Regent looked at it with some confusion, before turning to his still beaming Captain.
"
Capitão, is this a joke? This flag looks as though it were drawn by one of your children, or heavens forbid, designed by the artists at the Microsuave Pintura guild."
"No, milord. I assure you, this flag is legitimate and presented to me by an emissary of their king upon my arrival to their shores."
"... well, I suppose it is done in no worse taste than the Milanese banner. Why the Dukes of Milan think a snake devouring a screaming baby is appropriate for national heraldry is absolutely beyond me."
"
Concordo, milord."
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News that the Kingdom of Poland had rejected the Lithuanian offer to enthrone their Grand Duke Casimir III as King of Poland to replace Wladyslaw of Varna spread quickly across the continent.
"Those idiot Poles," Dom Pedro roared. "Though, I feel even sorrier for the Lithuanians. Sooner or later they'll end up as dinner for the Turks and the Muscovites."
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Almost immediately afterwards, hostilities resurfaced between the English and the French. Lasting tensions from the ongoing Hundred Years' War had finally come to a head with the English refusal to surrender Maine to France, and now the English were fighting a very one-sided war against France as international opinion denounced them for their dishonor in breaking treaties.
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With the might of a stronger navy and also vague English guarantees of Portuguese claims in Castille, Dom Pedro could properly claim Tangiers, as well as the entirety of Galicia and Asturias for his kingdom.
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... that said, Dom Pedro, a pragmatic politician, also saw little reason to continue being dragged into English wars for little gain to the Portuguese. No sooner than had the ink dried on an English guarantee of Portuguese sovereignty in northern Castille did he dismiss the English ambassador and have the royal guards unceremoniously dismiss him from the palace with an announcement that the "bootlicking Anglos have outlived their usefulness".
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The same herald who had delivered the awful news of the Castilian-Aragonese axis now rushed into Dom Pedro's palace with a desperate haste that revealed his intent to for once deliver good news and redeem himself to the Regent.
"Sire! The foolish nobles of Aragon have elected to press their claim on the Castilian throne! Such an insult will not go unpunished by either party!"
Dom Pedro now paused and stroked his chin pensively.
"That is indeed does ameliorate our diplomatic situation. Nevertheless, I would wait before making any rash claims about the end of this alliance. Surely both parties realize that it only benefits them to stay united against us, the Mohammedans, and the French."
The herald paled and merely bowed as he scurried out of the palace.
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"While I am not entirely sure why executing two of my most hardworking advisors would result in an immediate increase in the kingdom's ability to levy taxes and extend its trading privileges, alas, such are the dictates of fate, and I really cannot spare two minuscule lives when the returns are so inordinate."
Dom Pedro nodded and the executioner swung his ax down upon the resigned Carlos Teixeira and Paulo Martins de Mascarenhas. Legend has it that a stack of paper spilled from the sleeves of the executed treasurer and a pile of toy pigeons burst from the merchant's pockets upon their deaths.
No sooner than did the merchant expire than did the ceaselessly diligent scientists of Portugal announce that they had discovered how to build open-air markets and send their trading caravans slightly further than Warsaw before turning back.
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And indeed, Dom Pedro announced the opening of Caracouro's first marketplace in history within 100 days of this incredible discovery.
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Then disaster struck! The Moroccans, seeing Portugal alone on the diplomatic state, took advantage of the kingdom's weakness and declared a war of reconquest for the province of Ceubataar (formerly Ceuta). Morocco and its three vassals fielded an army double the size of Portugal's. The future of the kingdom seemed in grave danger.
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As the Portuguese and Moroccan armies tensely stared off across the Strait of Gibraltar, the Portuguese cortes announced that the regency of Afonso V had ended, and he was now a legal adult with the full capacity to rule Portugal. His uncle and regent stepped down, and his younger sister, Maria de Avis, was designated as his successor. Maria was considerably more talented than Afonso himself, and there were hushed whispers among the nobles who perhaps believed even a Queen may be preferable to an ineffective King.
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"We shall triumph over the infidel with the grace of our own God," Afonso declared. Determined to win this war by any means possible, he signed a loan with the eager Venetian bankers gathered in Caracouro and levied a harsh war tax to fund the defense of the Kingdom.
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Matters were still further complicated by a feud between Dom Pedro and various other Portuguese nobles, who angrily claimed that the Regent had been using his influence to seize control of the Portuguese throne for himself. Seeing no other way to placate the enraged nobility, Afonso V sadly ordered the execution of his regent and uncle, much to the joy of the other counts and dukes of Portugal.
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The siege of Ceubataar was costly in men for Morocco. To Portugal's north, capitalizing on the weakness caused by the Hundred Years' War and the incompetent Henry VI, Charles the Bold of Burgundy declared war on England for control of the ever-important port of Calais. The Portuguese marched on the Moroccans sieging Ceubataar, realizing that if the fortress fell, they would be helpless to further Moroccan invasions.
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Relying on the harsh terrain and his knowledge of the Portuguese fortifications, the Earl of Avranches successfully repelled the Moroccan attackers. However, it came at the cost of nearly half of his army. Though the Moroccans were in retreat for now, he would have to quickly capture the capital of Fez or risk the entire war being swung back in favor of the Moroccans.
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The clergy and nobility picked perhaps the most inopportune time to begin squabbling over their territorial rights. The irascible Afonso V, when called to arbitrate, merely dismissed the entire congregation and furiously told both parties to set their differences aside while the kingdom was in the middle of an existential war. Neither the nobles of the cloth nor sword took this affront very well.
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The fortresses of Fez and Tangiers fell with over a year of sieging apiece. The Moroccan vassals now refused to help their battered overlord, and the final Battle of Anfa was the last victory Portugal needed to secure in order to bring the Marinid king to the bargaining table.
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The Moroccans offered outrageously good terms. The entirety of northern Morocco was brought under Portuguese control, and a total of 52 ducats were rendered unto Afonso V to pay his troops.
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Now with official control over Tangiers, Afonso V wasted no time in declaring his right to the remainder of Morocco, to provide some continuity between his far-flung insular possessions, Portugal proper, and his burgeoning empire in Northern Morocco.
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Portugal was a country struggling under the weight of its first loans, administering its new lands in Morocco, and still isolated diplomatically. However, even with these burdens to account for, Afonso V still had his dreams of worldwide empire and the reconquest of the lands of Kublai Khan. This was the first, critical step in that direction. The Kingdom of Portugal had made its first motions away from recovery and towards building something much, much grander.
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Though Captain Gomes had served Portugal faithfully for decades, Afonso recognized that he would not live forever. It would be necessary to train others like him to carry out the task of charting new lands and successfully guiding Portuguese ships through unknown waters.
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Curiously, Moroccan rebels, furious at Portuguese rule, did not concentrate their efforts on retaking the lost capital of Fez. They instead split their forces into two, and were shortly overwhelmed by the now hardened Portuguese soldiers piecemeal.
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Maria proved herself to be a very capable tactician and an inspiring force on the battlefield. Some likened her to a Joan of Arc, and the nickname "Joana do Caracouro" stuck quickly. The nobility's plots to dethrone her elder brother intensified in seriousness.
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The Hungarians united with the Archduchy of Austria, after the accession of Laudislaus the Posthumous to the Hungarian throne. The power balance of Eastern and Central Europe shifted dramatically once more.
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Afonso V decided to try his own hand at the Austrian game of thrones. A marriage proposal was sent to the Viscontis of Milan, who were in danger of inheritance by Savoy. The Portuguese king hoped for the Milanese to favor him in any potential succession dispute, due to the kingdom's rising prestige and power.
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Afonso wisely decided against intervention in the ongoing Castilian Civil War, reasoning that the Castilians would more likely than not be an enemy than an ally or a subject, and that assisting them in any fashion would be detrimental to Portuguese interests.
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The 61-year-old Duke of Milan, though otherwise known for his tenacity and stubbornness, was not able to refuse the call of the reaper in 1456, and his last testament revealed that he had passed over the d'Estes of Ferrara in favor of uniting his realm with the Portuguese. Though the dynastic laws of the time more often than not resulted in personal unions splitting and going their own ways within the lifetimes of individual kings, Afonso V was determined at the very least to quash any protestations against his rightful ownership of Milan.
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"The foolish Ferrarese did not even bring enough men to siege Milan," King Afonso noted. Those around him in the royal court noted how the king's diplomacy was steadily evolving to better adapt to the changeable world of international relations. He would not issue rash statements, press unnecessary claims, or risk the anger of his neighbors in concluding negotiations. Though some criticized Afonso for cowardice and inactivity, it was clear that as a result of his diplomatic acumen, Portugal was less affected by negative opinion and could take larger risks with expansion when necessary.
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This period of Portuguese history ends with the beginnings of a historical alliance that would shape the history of Iberia, Europe, and the world. Afonso V successfully concluded the negotiations of a political marriage between the Avis family and the French Valois. Such a maneuver would only be the prelude to a military alliance.