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| Portugal 5000 Escudos banknote 1942 Queen Leonor of Viseu |
Portugal 5000 Escudos banknote 1942 Banco de Portugal,
Eleanor of Viseu, Queen of Portugal
Obverse: Portrait of Queen Leonor of Beja and Viseu (Statue of Queen Leonor (Rainha Dona Leonor) in the middle of a roundabout in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal) at right and allegorical children grape harvesting at left, value at each corner.
Reverse: Back design with archway at center with allegorical vignettes within and surrounding.
Printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Company Ltd, England.
Old Portuguese banknotes
1941-1959 "Chapa 6 & 6A" Issue - 1942 "Chapa 1 & 7" Issue
Eleanor of Viseu, Queen of Portugal
Eleanor of Viseu (2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525; Portuguese: Leonor de Viseu) was a Portuguese infanta (princess) and later queen consort of Portugal.
To distinguish her from other infantas of the same name, she is commonly known as Eleanor of Viseu (after her father's title) or Eleanor of Lancaster (Lancaster, a name used by some Portuguese royals after her great-grandmother Queen Philippa of Lancaster). In Portugal, she is known universally as Rainha Dona Leonor. She is considered one of the most notable Portuguese queen consorts. She was the second and one of only two queen consorts in Portugal who were not foreigners.
Eleanor of Viseu was a Portuguese noble woman and consort of King Joao II. In 1471, at the age of thirteen, Eleanor was married to Joao, the 16 year old Prince of Portugal and heir to the throne. On August 28, 1481 Eleanor’s husband ascended to the throne after the reigning monarch’s death. Joao ended up being very unpopular among the nobles. He planned to centralize power and wipe out corruption in the Portuguese nobility. Eleanor’s influence on her husband for these goals was obvious. Her family was torn, however. Eleanor’s brother and brother in law were both executed for being part of a treasonous plot against her husband. In the bloody campaign, almost the entire House of Braganza was exterminated.
On her own, Eleanor founded the city of Caldas da Rainha, named in her honor. She was concerned about the state of the throne after her husbands suspicious death. She saw to it that her brother, King Manuel I, was elevated to the throne. She then went on to dedicate her life to helping the poor and established Holy Houses of Mercy.