Knightly masculinity, court games and material culture in late-medieval Portugal: the case of Constable Afonso (c.1480-1504)

Abstract

[Excerpt] Introduction: This article explores the ways in which gender was used in order to transform an exiled and uneducated illegitimate child into a prince. Our study revolves around a member of the Portuguese royal family, Afonso (c.1480–1504), who was politically exiled during the reign of King João II (r.1481–1495), and later brought to the court after João‘s passing. His exile took a peculiar form: he was to grow up in hiding with peasants, only to learn his true genealogical identity when he was about fourteen years old. We will argue that there were two key aspects to this process of restoration. On one hand, family politics of different configurations had a major impact on his return. Although an illegitimate child, Afonso was a member of the royal family and political needs of the house Avis-Beja impelled King Manuel I (r.1495–1521) to rehabilitate him, thus acting like a parental figure in the absence of his biological father (Diogo, deceased in 1484). On the other, the introduction to his new status had to conform to a court environment where the ideals of chivalry formed part of an archetype of the expression of manhood. Both factors were linked in his transition to a new identity: leaving the peasantry and assuming a position where knightly masculinity was crucial to his political survival. All of this occurred in an atmosphere where confrontation between different forms of masculinity was frequent and the strict courtly hierarchy forced him to defer to his superiors in several ways; not only to King Manuel I, but also to his brother-in-law Fernando de Meneses (b.1463), the marquis of Vila Real, one of the most powerful courtiers of the time. [...]