D. Álvaro da Costa (c. 1470–1540) was a Portuguese '' fidalgo'', diplomat and close advisor to

King Manuel I Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as ...

. He is particularly well-remembered today for having filled the important court position of Chief Armourer of Portugal: the 1509 '' Livro do Armeiro-Mor'' (''Book of the Chief Armourer''), the most important Portuguese

roll of arms A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms. The oldest extant armorials date to the mid-13th centur ...

in existence, is thus known for having been kept by Álvaro da Costa and his descendants. Also associated with him is the Da Costa Book of Hours, 1515, now in the Morgan Library and Museum in New York.

Biography

The earliest known documental evidence of Álvaro da Costa's existence has him as a chamberlain to Manuel, Duke of Beja, in 1494. When the Duke inherited the throne in 1495, Álvaro da Costa remained in the King's retinue; in 1498 he is identified as a knight of the King's household, and accompanied the King and his pregnant wife Queen Isabella when they were sworn heirs presumptive of the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...

. At an unknown date, probably around the turn of the 16th century, Álvaro da Costa married Beatriz de Paiva. The marriage produced six children: Gil Eanes (1502), Duarte (1504), Manuel, Isabel, Ana, and Maria (1518). Initially, Beatriz de Paiva acted as wet nurse to John, Prince of Portugal, whose birth coincided with that of their eldest son Gil Eanes, however, she stopped

lactating Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...

after having fallen ill. Álvaro da Costa also carried out important diplomatic activities on the King's behalf. It was Álvaro da Costa who, in 1506, brought King Manuel the first Golden Rose offered to him by

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

. In 1517, he was responsible for the secret negotiations for the King's third marriage, to

Eleanor of Austria Eleanor of Austria (15 November 1498 – 25 February 1558), also called Eleanor of Castile, was born an Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg, and subsequently became Queen consort of Portugal (1518–152 ...

, in political circumstances of particular complexity; it was Álvaro da Costa who stood in for the King during the proxy wedding ceremony held in

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

in 1518. He was entrusted with a final diplomatic mission in 1520: the negotiations for the marriage of the King's daughter, Infanta Beatrice, to Charles III, Duke of Savoy. In 1539, Álvaro da Costa was elected Chairman (''Provedor'') of the Lisbon

Holy House of Mercy The Holy House of Mercy of Macau ( pt, Santa Casa da Misericórdia; ), is a historic building in Senado Square, Macau, China. Established as a branch of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, it was first built in 1569 on the orders of the Roman Cath ...

. Álvaro da Costa died probably around August 1540. He was buried in the Convent of Our Lady of Paradise, in

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

, in an elaborate Mannerist arcosolium sculpted still in Costa's lifetime by Nicolas Chantereine. When the convent was abandoned and later demolished in the 19th century, the funerary monument was moved to what would become Évora Museum, where it still stands today.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Alvaro da 1540 deaths 15th-century Portuguese people 16th-century Portuguese people Knights of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Portuguese diplomats