Peter II of Portugal

Peter II (Portuguese: Pedro II (April 26, 1648 – December 9, 1706) was Regent (1668–1683) and King of Portugal and the Algarves (1683–1706). He was sometimes known as o Pacífico, "the Pacific".

Early life
He was the youngest son of John IV and was created Duke of Beja. Following his father's death his mother became regent for the new king Afonso VI, Peter's elder, patially paralysed and mentally unstable brother. In 1662 Afonso put away his mother and assumed control of the state. In January 1668, shortly before Spanish recognition of Portugal's restoration of independence, Peter gained political ascendancy over his brother and was appointed regent. Peter exiled his brother to the Azores, and later Sintra where he died in 1683, whereupon Peter inherited the throne. Around this time, the discovery of gold mines in the Portuguese colony of Brazil enlarged Peter's treasury to the extent that he was able to dismiss the Cortes in 1697 and rule without its revenue grants for the rest of his reign.

He was tall, well proportioned, with dark eyes and dark hair.

King
Peter initially supported France and Spain in the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714), but on May 16, 1703, Portugal and Great Britain signed the famous Methuen Treaty. This trade accord granted mutual commercial privileges for Portuguese wine and English textile traders and would later give Britain huge clout in the Portuguese economy. This was followed in December 1703 by a military alliance between Portugal, Austria and Great Britain for an invasion of Spain. Portuguese and Allied forces, under the command of the Marquês das Minas, captured Madrid in 1706, during the campaign which ended in the Allied defeat at Almansa.

Marriage
Peter not only inherited his brother's throne but also married his wife, Queen Marie-Françoise of Savoy (1646–1683). They had one daughter, Princess Isabella Louise (1669–90), Princess of Beira and heiress-presumptive, a.k.a. "a Sempre-Noiva"  (the ever-engaged), because of the many marriage projects intended for her that were never completed. The Queen, apparently incapable of birthing more offspring, died at the end of 1683, 14 years after Isabella's birth. Because the Princess was a fragile and sick child, the King decided to marry again.

The chosen bride was Maria Sophia (1666–1699), daughter of Phillip William of Neuburg. Among Sophia's sisters were Eleonor Madeleine, third wife of Leopold I of Austria and Maria Anna, second wife of Charles II of Spain.

This marriage was concluded, and the couple had eight children, including the new viable heir to the throne, the younger John, who eventually succeeded his father, after his death in 1706, as King John V of Portugal.

Marriages and descendants
Peter married first to his sister-in-law Marie-Françoise of Savoy in 1666 who gave him a daughter. He married again in 1687, this time to Maria Sophia of Neuburg and she gave him several children. Outside his marriages Peter had 3 illegitimate children.