 In Europe, he improved relations with the Baltic region and the Rhineland, hoping that this would bolster Portuguese trade.John, the eldest son of King Manuel I to his second wife Maria of Aragon, was born in Lisbon on 7 June 1502.The event was marked by the presentation of Gil Vicente's "Visitation Play or the Monologue of the Cowherd" ("Auto da Visitação ou Monólogo do Vaqueiro") in the queen's chamber.