ALFONSO V, king of PORTUGAL, called the AFRICAN. — Born at Cintra in 1432, died there in 1481. He derived his nickname from the great victories he won in Africa, where he conquered Tangeri, Alcazar, and Arzyla, fortifying them as a bulwark against the Moors. Through his marriage to Giovanna of Castile, he unsuccessfully attempted to unite the two crowns of Portugal and Castile;
instead, a terrible war ensued with the Catholic kings Ferdinand and Isabella, to whom he was forced to surrender, signing the peace of Alcacevas (1479) and forever abandoning every claim. He protected the arts and sciences; during his reign Portugal’s first library was founded, the “Alfonsine Code” of 1211 was revised, and Portuguese navigators sailed along the coasts of Guinea, discovering the Cape Verde Islands.