Bl. Ferdinand of Portugal

  Posted on June 13, 2022  by admin  No comments

Born: 1402 at Santarem, Portugal

Died: 1443 in prison in Fez, Morocco of maltreatment, interred in the royal crypt at Batalha

Beatified: 1470 by Pope Paul II

A prince, the son of King John I of Portugal. He grew up in the royal court, but spent his free time in prayer and helping the poor. Though a layman, he was offered a cardinalate by Pope Eugene IV; he declined. In 1437, with his brother Henry, he commanded an expedition to Morocco against the Moors.

The Portuguese were defeated at Tangiers; Ferdinand offered himself as a hostage to secure the cession of Ceuta to the Moors. Ferdinand was thrown into a dungeon at Fez, Morroco where he survived five years of abuse and torture. The writer Calderon made him the hero of the drama, El Principe Constante.