ALFONSO V, RE DI PORTOGALLO, DETTO L'AFRICA

ALFONSO V, king of PORTUGAL, known as the African. — Born at Cintra in 1432, died there in 1481. The nickname derived from the great victories he won in Africa, where he conquered Tangier, Alcácer and Arzila, fortifying them as bulwarks against the Moors. Through his marriage to Joanna of Castile he vainly sought to unite the two crowns of Portugal and Castile; instead, this led to a terrible war with the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, to whom he was forced to surrender, signing the Peace of Alcáçovas (1479) and abandoning all claims forever. He fostered the arts and sciences; during his reign the first library in Portugal was founded, the “Alfonsine Code” of 1211 was reissued, and Portuguese navigators sailed along the coasts of Guinea, discovering the Cape Verde islands.