André de Albuquerque Ribafria was a 17th-century Portuguese nobleman and military leader. Orphaned at a young age, Ribafria won fame as a commander during the

Portuguese Restoration War The Portuguese Restoration War ( pt, Guerra da Restauração) was the war between History of Portugal (1640–1777), Portugal and Habsburg Spain, Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon (1668), ...

, fighting in several notable battles before being killed in action.

Biography

Ribafria was born in Sintra, Portugal on 30 May 1621. He and his family were part of the Portuguese noble class, and when his remaining parent died in 1636, Ribafria and his three siblings were placed under the care of Antão de Almada, Count of Avranches.Os de Ribafria Alcaides-mores da Vila de Sintra, António de Vasconcelos de Saldanha, Associação de Defesa de Património de Sintra, 1982 URL:http://mwmservices.net/adps/ADPS%20Os%20de%20Ribafria%20-%20Alcaides-Mores%20da%20Vila%20de%20Sintra.pdf In 1638, Ribafria was deployed to the Portuguese colony of Brazil to fight against forces of the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

; at the time, Portugal was indirectly ruled (via the Iberian Union) by King Phillip V of Spain, who was engaged in a decades-long war with the Dutch. Ribafria returned to Portugal the following year, and was immersed in the increasingly-prominent calls for the restoration of the Portuguese monarchy. On 1 December 1640, a cadre of Portuguese noblemen (later known as the Forty Conspirators) revolted against Spanish rule and crowned John IV of Portugal as king of an independent Portugal. His guardian was one of the conspirators, and so Ribafria quickly joined the pro-independence faction inside Portugal, eventually being granted a command in the reformed Portuguese army. During the Restoration War, Ribafria fought in numerous engagements on the Spanish-Portuguese border. Ribafria was praised for his bravery and leadership abilities, and was commended as a highly effective cavalry commander. During an engagement near the Spanish city of

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The population ...

in 1668, Ribafria became ill, and was forced to withdraw to the Portuguese town of

Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortress ...

. While convalescing there, the town was besieged by a large Spanish army. Though still stricken with illness, Ribafria helped to coordinate the defense of the town. After several weeks of siege, a Portuguese relief force (commanded by

António Luís de Meneses Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

) arrived and assaulted the Spanish siege works, beginning the

Battle of the Lines of Elvas The Battle of the Lines of Elvas (), was fought on 14 January 1659, in Elvas, between Portugal and Spain during the Portuguese Restoration War. It ended in a decisive Portuguese victory. Background By 1659, the Portuguese Restoration War which ...

. Limping into battle and wielding a cane, Ribafria encouraged the garrison of Elvas to sally from the town and attack the Spanish besiegers. During this action, he was shot below the arm and mortally wounded. Following his death Ribafria's body was buried in the Chapel of St. Antony in the Church of St. Francis of Capuchos.João de Medeiros Correia, Panegírico de André de Albuquerque Ríbafria, Alcaide-Mor de Sintra, Lisboa, 1661.

References

{{reflist Portuguese soldiers 1621 births 1669 deaths Portuguese nobility People from Sintra