Infante Dinis, Lord of Villar-Dompardo

Infante Dinis of Portugal (pronounced|diˈniʃ; Archaic Portuguese: Diniz; English: Denis) (1354-1397) was the son of Portuguese King Peter I and a Castilian noblewoman named Inês de Castro who had arrived in Portugal as a maid of princess Constance of Castile, recently married to Pedro I (Heir Prince at the time).

Considering Denis an "Infante of Portugal" is a debatable subject. Some historians consider him a natural son of Peter I, so the title Infante of Portugal could never be attributed to him. Other opinions refer that after the death of Inês de Castro, ordered by Pedro's father King Afonso IV of Portugal, the Prince after inheriting the throne admitted that he had married Inês secretly, and because of that she was a lawful Queen of Portugal.

Of Inês de Castro Peter I had two sons and a daughter:

* (Infanta) Beatrice of Portugal (1347-1381)
* (Infante) John of Portugal (1349-1387)
* (Infante) Denis of Portugal (1354-1397)

After the death of his mother Denis left Portugal to Castile with his brother but during the 1383-1385 Crisis he was one of the claimants to the throne along with Beatrice of Portugal (his niece), John, Master of Aviz (his half-brother) and John (his brother).

Although he managed to be acclaimed King in the city of Santarém his connections with Castile eventually lost him the throne and at the time of the Battle of Aljubarrota he was already in out of the country like his brother John.

He married Joan of Castile, Lady of Cifuentes from whom he had two sons and a daughter:

* Infante Fernando, Lord of Cifuentes and "Comendador" of Oreja
* Infante Pedro, Lord of Colmenarejo
* Infante Beatriz of Cifuentes

He died in 1397.