Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu (18 June 1521 – 10 October 1577; ) was an Infanta of Portugal, the only daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria. A noted patron of the arts and buildings, Maria's personal wealth rivaled that of her half-brother, King John III of Portugal, making her the richest woman in Portugal and one of the wealthiest princesses in Europe. Youth Maria de Avíz was born on 18 June 1521, in Lisbon, Portugal. She was the only daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and Archduchess Eleanor of Austria. Six months after her birth, her father died of the plague and was succeeded by her half-brother, John III of Portugal. Shortly afterwards, her mother returned to Vienna with Maria until 1530, when Eleanor married King Francis I of France and moved to France. Maria would not see her mother for nearly 28 years and was sent to live in Portugal at her half-brother's court. In 1525 her maternal aunt, Catherine of Austria, married John III of Portugal. The Queen took care of the upbringing and education of Maria, who was loved like one of her own daughters. Maria's education was astounding for a woman of her time since her teachers included female scholars, such as humanists Joana Vaz and Públia Hortênsia de Castro. Lessons included finances, architecture, literature, and several languages. One of the most educated of the Portuguese infantas, Maria became a famed humanist and protector of the arts. Her household was made into a sort of female university, where the greatest minds would converge. It was rumored that she fell in love with Portugal's greatest poet, Luís de Camões. Although she did not lack suitors and had several marriage proposals, Maria never married. Her engagement with Dauphin Francis was negotiated with the support of her mother Eleanor, but the prince died in 1536. In 1537, Maria and her cousin Christina, Dowager Duchess of Milan, were briefly considered as possible brides for Henry VIII of England. However, England soon dropped any pursuit. Maria was considered as a second wife for her cousin and half-nephew, the future Philip II of Spain, son of her uncle, Emperor Charles V, and her half-sister Isabella. The matter was taken under serious consideration from 1549 onward, when her mother settled in Brussels, but these plans were discontinued when Mary Tudor succeeded to the English throne in