Duarte

Duarte (dwär'tu) [key], 1391–1438, king of Portugal (1433–38), eldest of the five sons of John I. He was a “philosopher-king,” notable for his legal reforms and as the author of O leal conselheiro [the loyal counselor]. Much concerned with exploration, he spurred on his brother Prince Henry the Navigator with encouragement and financial aid. The disastrous defeat (1437) of Henry's expedition against Tangier was the major event of Duarte's reign.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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