Bernardino Freire de Andrade (Lisbon, 18 February 1759 – Braga, 17 March 1809), was a
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...
general officer
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
who was assigned to command the forces of the
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
Junta in 1808 during the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
.
In March 1809, Freire commanded an army composed mostly of unruly militia which was opposed to Marshal
Nicolas Soult
Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Frenc ...
's army of professional French soldiers. Freire understood that his poorly trained men stood little chance against the French but he was afraid to order a retreat because he feared for his life. When he tried to leave the army, he was arrested and put in the
Braga
Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...
jail. Soon afterward, a group of militiamen broke into the jail and murdered him.
The commander of the British invasion force,
Sir Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister o ...
complained that it was difficult to cooperate with Freire.
Promotions and Units
Portuguese military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Portuguese generals
People of the Peninsular War
1759 births
1809 deaths
People from Lisbon
18th-century Portuguese people
Portuguese murder victims
19th-century Portuguese people
1809 murders in Europe
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