Count of Abrantes
Count of Abrantes (in Portuguese Conde de Abrantes) was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from June 13, 1476, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to his 4th cousin, Lopo de Almeida.
Dom Lopo was closely related to the Portuguese royal House, once his great-grandfather was Infante João, Duke of Valencia de Campos (son of King Peter I of Portugal and of Inês de Castro).
This title became extinct when the 4th Count, Miguel de Almeida, a hero of the Portuguese uprising of December 1, 1640, died without issue in 1650.
Genealogical summary[]
Pedro I (1320–1367) King of Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Fernando I (1345–1383) King of Portugal | Infante João (1349–1397) Duke of Valencia de Campos (Spanish title) | João I (1357–1433) King of Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
Beatrice (1372–1408) Queen de jure | Pedro da Guerra (c.1380- ? ) | Duarte I (1391–1438) King of Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
Brites Anes (c.1380-1431) m.Diogo Fernandes de Almeida Mayor of Abrantes | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Lopo de Almeida (1416–1486) 1st Count of Abrantes | Portuguese Royal House | ||||||||||||||||||||||
List of the Counts of Abrantes (1476)[]
- Lopo de Almeida (1416–1486), 1st Count of Abrantes
- João de Almeida (1445–1512), 2nd Count of Abrantes (son of the previous)
- Lopo de Almeida (1470- ? ), 3rd Count of Abrantes (son of the previous)
- Miguel de Almeida (1575–1650), 4th Count of Abrantes (2nd cousin of the previous)
Family Name[]
The family name associated with the Counts of Abrantes was Almeida.
The Almeida clan was closely associated with King John II of Portugal played a pivotal role in the 1490s succession crisis, strongly backing John II's preferred candidate, Jorge de Lencastre against the eventual winner, Manuel, Duke of Beja.
According to Subrahmanyam (1997: 49), Lopo de Almeida, the first Count of Abrantes, had at least six notable sons:
- D. João de Almeida - 2nd Count of Abrantes married D. Inês de Noronha (a niece of Christopher Columbus)
- D. Diogo Fernandes de Almeida - tutor of Jorge de Lencastre and, from 1492, Prior of Crato (Portuguese branch of St. John Hospitaller).
- D. Jorge de Almeida, Bishop of Coimbra from mid-1490s.
- D. Pedro da Silva - used his mother's surname, sent on king's 1494 mission to Pope Alexander VI.
- D. Fernando de Almeida - sent with Pedro on the papal mission.
- D. Francisco de Almeida - commander of 1505 expedition to India, first Vice-roy of Portuguese India.
The Almeida clan remained the principal political opponents of Manuel I of Portugal throughout his reign.
See also[]
- List of Countships in Portugal
Bibliography[]
- "Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. II, pages 203/205. Zairol Lda., Lisboa 1989.
- Subrahmanyam, S. (1997) The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
External links[]
- Countships of Portugal
- 1476 establishments in Portugal