| Peter III | |
| Succession: | King of Portugal |
| Moretext: | (jure uxoris) |
| Reign: | 24 February 1777 – |
| Predecessor: | Joseph I |
| Successor: | Maria I |
| Regent: | Maria I |
| Spouse: | Maria I of Portugal (m. 1760) |
| Issue-Link: |
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| House: | Braganza |
| Father: | John V of Portugal |
| Mother: | Maria Anna of Austria |
| Birth Date: | 1717 7, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Death Place: | Queluz, Portugal |
| Burial Place: | Pantheon of the Braganzas |
| Religion: | Roman Catholicism |
| Full Name: | Portuguese: Pedro Clemente Francisco José António |
Dom Peter III (Portuguese: Pedro III,[1] pronounced as /pt/; 5 July 1717 – 25 May 1786), nicknamed the Builder, was King of Portugal from 24 February 1777 to his death in 1786 as the co-ruler of his wife and niece, Queen Dona Maria I.[2]
Peter was born at 12:00 noon on 5 July 1717 in the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He was baptized on 29 August and was given the name Peter Clemente Francisco José António. His parents were King John V of Portugal and his wife Maria Ana of Austria. Peter was a younger brother of Joseph I of Portugal. Their maternal grandparents were Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg, sister of Queen Maria Sofia of Portugal.
Peter married his niece Maria, Princess of Brazil, in 1760, at which time she was the heiress presumptive to the throne then held by his brother Joseph I. According to custom, Peter thus became King of Portugal in right of his wife, after the delivery of his first born child. They had six children, of whom the eldest surviving son succeeded Maria as John VI of Portugal on her death in 1816.
Peter made no attempt to participate in government affairs, spending his time hunting or in religious exercises.
He also defended the high nobility of Portugal, and sponsored the petitions of those accused in Távora affair, whose rehabilitation was subject of new lawsuits, in which the heirs demanded the restitution of their confiscated properties.
Peter III was moderately friendly toward the Jesuits, who had been banished from Portugal and its overseas empire in 1759, largely at the behest of the Marquis of Pombal. Peter III had taken some of his early education from the Jesuits, explaining this. His affection had little effect; Pope Clement XIV ordered the Jesuits suppressed across Europe in 1773.
The couple married on 6 June 1760. At the time of their marriage, Maria was 25 and Peter was 42. Despite the age gap, the couple had a happy marriage. Peter automatically became co-monarch (as Peter III of Portugal) when Maria ascended the throne, as a child had already been born from their marriage. The couple had six children.[3]
| King Pedro III of Portugal | |
| Dipstyle: | His Most Faithful Majesty |
| Offstyle: | Your Most Faithful Majesty |
| Altstyle: | Sire |
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| José, Prince of Brazil | 20 August 1761 | 11 September 1788 | José Francisco Xavier de Paula Domingos António Agostinho Anastácio married Infanta Benedita of Portugal and had no issue. His death lead to his younger brother becoming heir-apparent and later king. | |
| João Francisco de Bragança | 16 September 1763 | 10 October 1763 | João Francisco de Paula Domingos António Carlos Cipriano was born at the Ajuda National Palace. | |
| João VI | 13 May 1767 | 10 March 1826 | João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael married Carlota Joaquina of Spain and had issue. He was King of Portugal and Emperor of Brazil. | |
| Mariana Victoria de Bragança | 15 December 1768 | 2 November 1788 | Maria Ana Vitória Josefa Francisca Xavier de Paula Antonieta Joana Domingas Gabriela married Infante Gabriel of Spain and had issue. | |
| Maria Clementina de Bragança | 9 June 1774 | 27 June 1776 | Maria Clementina Francisca Xavier de Paula Ana Josefa Antónia Domingas Feliciana Joana Michaela Júlia was born at the Queluz National Palace. | |
| Maria Isabel de Bragança | 12 December 1776 | 14 January 1777 | Maria Isabel was born at the Queluz National Palace. |