Sebastian was born shortly after eight in the morning of 20 January 1554 (the feast of
Saint Sebastian), and he was given the saint's name in commemoration. The name Sebastian was highly unusual for members of any European royal family at the time.
Accession as a minor Sebastian was born
heir apparent to the throne of Portugal, since his birth occurred two weeks after the death of his father. Soon after his birth, his mother Joanna of Spain left her infant son to serve as
regent of Spain for her father,
Emperor Charles V. After his abdication in 1556, she served in the same capacity for her brother
Philip II of Spain. Joanna remained in Spain until her death in 1573, never to see her son again. Sebastian succeeded to the throne at the age of three, on the death of his paternal grandfather King John III. Since he was still a child, a
regency was necessary. It was handled first by his paternal grandmother,
Catherine of Austria, and then by his great-uncle, Cardinal
Henry of Évora. This period saw the continued
Portuguese colonial expansion in
Brazil,
Angola,
Mozambique, and
Malacca, as well as the annexation of
Macau in 1557. Sebastian was a bright and lively boy. Contemporaries described him as fearless due to his great physical strength. Tall, slim, and blond, he was brought up by his grandmother Catherine. She was a domineering woman who exercised firm control over her grandson. Obedient as a child, he became obstinate and impulsive in later life.
Education , 1562. The young king grew up under the guidance and heavy influence of the
Jesuits. Aleixo de Meneses, a military man of solid reputation and former tutor and guardian of Prince John, was appointed tutor to Sebastian. Other teachers included the priest Luís Gonçalves da Câmara and his assistant, the priest Amador Rebelo. His upbringing made Sebastian extremely devout. He carried a copy of
Thomas Aquinas on a belt at his waist and was constantly accompanied by two clerics of the
Theatine Order who were intent on preserving the king's innocence. As a child, Sebastian reportedly would react to visitors by running off into hiding with the monks until the visitors had gone.
Marriage plans Sebastian died young and did not marry. However, he was involved in some proposed marriage alliances. In particular, the Queen dowager of France,
Catherine de' Medici, nurtured a plan for a long time to marry her youngest daughter,
Margaret of Valois, to Sebastian, a plan which never came to fruition, likely due to Castilian interference, which had become pervasive at the Portuguese Court since the time of
King Manuel I. Sebastian himself, however, put an end to that plan, declaring that he was unimpressed by the mild suppression of the
Huguenot Protestants in France, and that he would not bind himself to the
House of Valois until he had seen how the situation would develop. Later, he agreed — being persuaded by emissaries of the Pope — to marry Margaret in order to prevent her from marrying the Huguenot
Henry of Navarre; by that time, however, the French king and his mother were already intent on Margaret marrying Henry. Sebastian's proposal was rejected, and Margaret married Henry in 1572. Sebastian was also offered his cousin
Elisabeth of Austria, the daughter of
Emperor Maximilian II (Maximilian was Charles V's nephew.). Sebastian himself made a proposal in 1577 to his first cousin
Isabella Clara Eugenia, daughter of his maternal uncle Philip II of Spain. ==Later reign==