Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception Saint George, which by decision of the Holy See in 1701 was recognized as pertaining to the Italian Farnese dynasty. The tradition of loyalty to the patron saint of chivalry, Saint George, was long established in Germany, and various Bavarian Princes who in the fifteenth century had made pilgrimages to the Holy Sepulcher and were there invested as knights had each made a promise to Saint George. Maximilian's son, the Elector Karl-Albrecht, gave the new Order its title of Order of the Holy Knight and Martyr Saint George and the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary and established its
Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu D. Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu (18 June 1521 – 10 October 1577 in Lisbon; ) was an Infanta of Portugal, the only daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria. A noted patron of the arts, Maria's personal wealth rivaled that of the king, her brother (John III of Portugal), making her the richest woman in Portugal and one of the richest in Europe. Maria was born on 18 June 1521 in Lisbon. In December the same year, her father died and her half-brother John III became king. Shortly