Blessed Ferdinand of Portugal

Memorial

• 5 June

Profile

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.”

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

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• New Catholic Dictionary
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints

MLA Citation

• “Blessed Ferdinand of Portugal“. Saints.SQPN.com. 30 January 2013. Web. 25 May 2013. <>