John II (João II) of Portugal | Timeline

John II of Portugal (Dom*João II) (Lisbon, May 3, 1455 – Alvor, October 25, 1495) was the 13th king of Portugal, named "the perfect Prince" by the way in which he used his power. Son of King Afonso V of Portugal, he accompanied his father in the African Campaigns and was knighted after the taking of Asilah (Morocco). While Afonso V faced the castillians, the Prince takes on the direction of the Portuguese Maritime Expansion, initiated by his uncle-grandfather Henry, the Navigator.

May 3, 1455 - St.George Castle, Lisbon, Portugal - Prince John, future King John II, is born
May 11, 1455 - Lisbon - Prince John is baptized
September 10, 1468 - Lisbon(?) - Pope Paul II grants the government of the Military Order of Avis to Prince John
January 22, 1471 - Lisbon - Promise of Marriage of Prince John with D.Leonor, his cousin
August 15, 1471 - Lisbon - King Afonso V departs to Asilah, taking with him 16-year old Prince John
August 24, 1471 - Asilah, Morocco - Conquest of Asilah and occupation of Tangiers, which is abandoned by the Moors. On that day, Prince John is knighted at the Asilah Mosque
September 16, 1473 - Lisbon(?) - The contract of the marriage of Prince John with D.Leonor is signed
August 31, 1474 - Lisbon(?) - King Afonso V donates of the monopoly on the Seas of Guinea to Prince John
April 25, 1475 - Sintra(?) - Prince John takes on the Regency of the Kingdom while King Afonso V is in Castille
May 12, 1475 - Arronches - King Afonso V guarantees to Prince John the succession of the throne
May 18, 1475 - (While in Portalegre) - D.Afonso, son of Prince John and D.Leonor, is born in Lisbon
May 19, 1475 - Portalegre - Prince John, in Portalegre, writes inquiring the authorities of the City of Porto, how many men are capable of taking arms and participating in the war. It should be noted that this letter was only read in the town hall of Porto on July 15, 1475
May 25, 1475 - (While in Lisbon) - The Catholic Kings order war against Portugal, on Sea and land
January 1, 1476 - Lisbon(?) - Prince John departs to Castille to help his father, King Afonso V
January 24, 1476 - Guarda, Portugal | Castelo Rodrigo, Spain - Prince John departs from Guarda and enters Castille through Castelo Rodrigo
February 16, 1476 - Toro, North of Castille | Zamora - Prince John arrives at Toro. Continues to Zamora to join King Afonso V
February 28, 1476 - Zamora - King Afonso V and Prince John depart from Zamora
March 2, 1476 - Toro, North of Castille - Battle of Toro - Inconclusive
July(?) 1(?), 1476 - Porto - Afonso V arrives in Porto and stays for a month with Prince John and D.Beatriz
November 10, 1476 - Lisbon - The Royal Council decides about the abdication of the absent King and acclaims Prince John as king
November 15, 1476 - Lisbon - King Afonso V returns to Portugal
February 1(?), 1477 - Alegrete | Arronches - Prince John liberates Alegrete and Arronches, taken in the beginning of 1476
November 10, 1477 - Lisbon(?) - Prince John is acclaimed King

Treaty of Alcáçovas, 1479

September 4, 1479 - Alcáçovas - A peace treaty is signed with Castille at Alcáçovas
August 21, 1481 - Abrantes - Prince Jorge de Lencastre (Lancaster) is born
August 28, 1481 - Sintra - King Afonso V dies. Prince John ascends to the throne
August 31, 1481 - Sintra - John II is crowned
November 12, 1481 - Évora - Courts of Évora
December 12, 1481 - Lisbon - Diogo de Azambuja departs for Guinea with 500 soldiers and 100 skilled workmen. Christopher Columbus is one of the crewmen
December 25, 1481 - Almeirim - John II spends Christmas in Almeirim
January(?) 1(?), 1482 - Lisbon - Diogo Cão sets sail from Lisbon to explore the Southwestern coast of Africa
July 8, 1482 - Évora - Letter: Special chapters of Lisbon, presented to the "Cortes" of Évora
November 5, 1482 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
December 17, 1482 - Santarém - Pedro Jaqués, member of the Royal Council since the battle of Toro (1476) is called in a letter by King John II as "a Knight of his House"
April 8, 1483 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 23, 1483 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
May 29, 1483 - Évora - The conspirator Duke of Braganza is arrested in Évora
June 20, 1483 - Évora - The conspirator Duke of Braganza, the King's brother-in-law, is tried and beheaded in Évora
January 5, 1484 - Montemor - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering steps to clean Lisbon, though to be the reason for outbreaks of plague
March 4, 1484 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
March 22, 1484 - Muge - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 21, 1484 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, asking to be sent the peace treaty signed with the Duchy of Brittany
July 12, 1484 - Alconchel - King John II summons the Council of Lisbon to his presence
July 27, 1484 - Setúbal - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 15, 1484 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 18, 1484 - Fronteira - Letter: King John II authorizes the exit of silver from the Kingdom if used to buy cereals to supply Lisbon
September 27, 1484 - Castelo Branco - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
October 15, 1484 - Almeirim - John II gets sick and departs to heal himself in Almeirim
November 12, 1484 - Santa Maria das Virtudes Monastery - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering no reprisals agains the 4 genoese ships anchored at Lisbon
November 20, 1484 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering them to protect the jewish neighbourhood in Lisbon
November 30, 1484 - Almeirim - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
January 13, 1485 - Sintra - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
January 20, 1485 - Montemor-o-Novo - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 18, 1485 - Viana do Alentejo - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
March 22, 1485 - Beja - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
May 19, 1485 - Odemira - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
June 4, 1485 - Santiago do Cacém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
July 1, 1485 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon with a reprimand for allowing the capture of three foreign ships near Cascais (a flemish, an english and another from brittany)
July 14, 1485 - Santiago do Cacém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, asking them to send a cargo of wheat flour to Almada
August 17, 1485 - Alcobaça - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 7, 1485 - Sintra - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
January 21, 1486 - São Bento - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, authorizing the aquisition of cereals in North Africa
January 22, 1486 - Samora Correia - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, about the cleaning of Lisbon
March 16, 1486 - Beja - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, demanding that a french privateer in Lisbon harbour follow his orders
March 28, 1486 - Santarém - Letter ordering that the Royal castle is well supplied for a visit of an english delegation
April 3, 1486 - Almeirim - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 10, 1486 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
August 4, 1486 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
August 30, 1486 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 15, 1486 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
October 9, 1486 - Lisbon - John II authorizes the aquisition of cereals in North Africa to the Lisbon markets
November 19, 1486 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 4, 1487 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
May 7, 1487 - Lisbon - Pêro da Covilhã and Afonso de Paiva depart from Lisbon to the East by land, to collect preparatory information for a maritime expedition
August 1(?), 1487 - Lisbon - Bartolomeu Dias departs to the "Cape of Torments" (Cape of Good Hope)
September 16, 1487 - Alenquer - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 28, 1487 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
November 28, 1487 - Almeirim - Letter: King John II forbids people who had the plague in less than 30 days to enter Lisbon
December 3, 1487 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 1, 1488 - Avis, Portugal - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, about the shortage of meat in Lisbon

March 20, 1488 - Avis - Letter to Christopher Columbus
June 22, 1488 - Santiago do Cacém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, cancelling the privileges of the flemish merchants in Lisbon, as a retaliation by the way portuguese merchants were being treated in Flanders
December 1(?), 1488 - Lisbon - Bartolomeu Dias returns to Lisbon after passing the "Cape of Torments", now rebaptized as "Cape of Good Hope"
August 27, 1489 - (While in Lisbon)(?) - The portuguese withdraw from Larache after an agreement with the King of Fez
September 14, 1489 - Tavira - Letter from Tavira about imports of bread being no longer taxed
October 15, 1489 - Sintra - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
December 25, 1489 - Montemor-o-Novo - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 7, 1490 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 16, 1490 - Évora - John II attributes a pension of 9,600 "reais" to Rui de Pina to "write and settle the famous feats of our own as of our Kingdoms"
August 20, 1490 - Fernão da Silveira's farm - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
August 30, 1490 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 12, 1490 - Alvito - Letter: Geral chapters of the "Cortes" of Évora
October 13, 1490 - Viana do Alentejo - Letter authorizing the aquisition of cereals from North Africa, because of the shortage in Lisbon
November 3, 1490 - Estremoz - Prince Dom Afonso marries Dona Isabel, daughter of the Catholic Kings of Spain
November 19, 1490 - Lavradio - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
November 22, 1490 - Elvas - Infanta Isabella and Prince Afonso reunite in Elvas
November 23, 1490 - Évora - Infanta Isabella arrives in Évora, where the Court had gathered, to meet Queen Leonor and so that the marriage could be ratified
January 3, 1491 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
January 14, 1491 - Viana do Alentejo - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 14, 1491 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 8, 1491 - Viana do Alentejo - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
May 6, 1491 - Almeirim - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
June 11, 1491 - Almeirim - The King and Prince Afonso ride to Almeirim, returning to Santarém at the end of the day
June 14, 1491 - Santarém - The Princes attend a Mass in the Royal Chapel and dine at Lopo da Palha's rural property
June 24, 1491 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
July 13, 1491 - Almeirim - Prince Dom(*)Afonso falls from his horse and dies
July 28, 1491 - Santarém - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, thanking them for the confort and console they gave the king after the Prince's death
September 5, 1491 - Colares - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, about the use of black clothes to mourn the Prince's death
October 23, 1491 - ? - John II writes a letter to the italian scholar Poliziano, agreeing with the writing of an epic account of the king's accomplishments, although the commission is delayed
November 3, 1491 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
March 16, 1492 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
March 25, 1492 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
May 1(?), 1492 - Lisbon - Being the king in Lisbon, several "accidents and faints" happened to him, after which he no longer ceased to suffer
July 22, 1492 - Sintra - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 25, 1492 - Alcochete - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, warning them to take precautions about jews coming from Castille (some cases of plague were detected)
October 6, 1492 - Lavradio - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
October 16, 1492 - Alcochete - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
October 24, 1492 - Lavradio - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
December 14, 1492 - Almeirim - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 7, 1493 - Benavente - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, cumplimenting them for the steps taken to fight the plague in Lisbon
March 4, 1493 - Rio Maior - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
March 6(?), 1493 - Almeirim - Columbus meets King John II at Almeirim and tells him about the discovery of the new lands
May 10, 1493 - Torres Vedras - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
June 4, 1493 - Varatojo Monastery - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
July 12, 1493 - Torres Vedras - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, forbidding people with the plague to enter in Lisbon
July 15, 1493 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
July 19, 1493 - Torres Vedras - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
August 24, 1493 - Torres Vedras - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering preventive measures against the plague
September 28, 1493 - Sintra - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
October 12, 1493 - Alcochete - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering new measures to fight the plague
October 15, 1493 - Sintra - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
December 30, 1493 - Almeirim - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, about the jews who were sent there and that were about to leave the Realm
January 9, 1494 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
January 20, 1494 - Viseu - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
February 4, 1494 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, imposing limits to the activities of prostitutes
March 20, 1494 - São João - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 4, 1494 - São Bento - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 15, 1494 - Salvaterra - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 18, 1494 - Benavente - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
April 25, 1494 - Almeirim - Letter to the Chamber of Porto
May 2, 1494 - Almeirim - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
May 20, 1494 - Setúbal - After coming to visit the Queen, who was seriously ill in Setúbal, he feels an increase in his condition which ends "in a rare and mortal dropsy, that his swelling and other passions bore true witness". Letter to the Council of Lisbon, asking for information about an outbreak of plague in Lisbon
May 28, 1494 - Lisbon - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
May 29, 1494 - Setúbal - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering them to take measures to avoid that ships coming from Andalusia and in particular from Seville, anchor at Lisbon

Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494

June 7, 1494 - (While in Setúbal) - Signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas that divided the world into two hemispheres, one to be explored by the kings of Portugal and another by the Catholic Kings of Spain.
July 24, 1494 - Setúbal - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
July 30, 1494 - Palmela - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
August 11, 1494 - Setúbal - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 5, 1494 - (While in Setúbal) - The Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified by the portuguese
September 22, 1494 - Setúbal - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 28, 1494 - Setúbal - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering that the petition of the blacks of the city about a dispute concerning the offices they practiced and the brotherhood to which they belonged.
November 30, 1494 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
January 31, 1495 - Montemor-o-Novo - King John II legitimizes the Jaqués brothers, Henrique and Cristóvão (the latter would be a highly successful privateer on the coast of Brazil)
April 29, 1495 - Évora - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, ordering the expulsion of some french ships a board which some cases of plague were registered
July 1(?), 1495 - Alcáçovas - Takes refuge from the plague with the Queen at Alcáçovas
July 22, 1495 - Alcáçovas - Letter to the Council of Lisbon
September 15, 1495 - Alcáçovas - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, asking for information about an outbreak of plague in Lisbon
September 29, 1495 - Alcáçovas - King John II writes his will and testament and names Dom Manuel as his successor
September 30, 1495 - Alcáçovas - Departs to Algarve, for the baths of Monchique
October 23, 1495 - Alvor - Letter to the Council of Lisbon, informing them of his improving health and thanking them for their prayers
October 25, 1495 - Alvor - John II of Portugal dies, aged 40 (suspicions of poisoning) =(END)

*Dom - A portuguese noble title given to Royalty, nobles and bishops, similar in effect to the British "Sir"

Bibliography 

FONSECA, Luís Adão da, "D. João II", Lisbon, Círculo de Leitores, 2005 (ISBN: 972-42-3442- 8)
PERES, Damião - História de Portugal, vol.IIII, 1921