Count of

Linhares Linhares is the name of a municipality in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, north of the state capital, Vitória. It is the largest municipality by area in the state, at 9,501.6 km², and has a population of 176,688 people (2020). The ...

(in Portuguese ''Conde de Linhares'') was a Portuguese

title of nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

created by a royal decree of king

John III of Portugal John III ( pt, João III ; 7 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious (Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1521 until his death in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the thi ...

dated from May 13th, 1532, and granted to ''

Dom Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an et ...

António de Noronha :''not to be confused with António José Severim de Noronha, 1st Duke of Terceira'' D. Antão de Noronha was appointed in 1564 under Sebastian of Portugal as vice-roy of India. Previously, he had been captain at Hormuz in the 1550s and served at ...

, 2nd son of

Pedro de Menezes Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...

, 1st

Marquis of Vila Real Marquis of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Marquês de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 1 March 1489, by King John II of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter II o ...

. This family went to live in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and remained faithful to the Spanish Habsburgs even after the Portuguese revolution of 1 December 1640, so the new Dynasty of Braganza no longer recognized them as Counts of Linhares. Later, in the 19th Century, Queen

Maria I of Portugal , succession = Queen of Portugal , image = Maria I, Queen of Portugal - Giuseppe Troni, atribuído (Turim, 1739-Lisboa, 1810) - Google Cultural Institute.jpg , caption = Portrait attributed to Giuseppe Troni, , reign ...

, granted again the title of count of Linhares (second creation), by a royal decree dated from December 17th, 1808, to

Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, 1st Count of Linhares Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, 1st Count of Linhares (4 August 1755 in Chaves – 26 January 1812 in Rio de Janeiro) was a Portuguese nobleman and politician. Life Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho was born in Chaves on 4 August 1755 to Francisco Inoc ...

Governor of

Portuguese Angola Portuguese Angola refers to Angola during the historic period when it was a territory under Portuguese rule in southwestern Africa. In the same context, it was known until 1951 as Portuguese West Africa (officially the State of West Africa). I ...

, Portuguese

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

and a remarkable statesman.

List of the counts of Linhares

First creation (1532)

#António de Noronha (1464–1551), 1st Count of Linhares; #Francisco de Noronha (1507–1574), 2nd Count of Linhares; #Fernando de Noronha (c. 1540 – 1608), 3rd Count of Linhares; # Miguel de Noronha (c. 1585 – 1647), 4th Count of Linhares; #Fernando de Noronha (c.1600- ? ), 5th Count and 1st Duke of Linhares (not recognized in Portugal); #Miguel de Noronha (1645- ? ), 6th Count and 2nd Duke of Linhares (not recognized in Portugal).

Second creation (1808)

(1755–1812); #

Vitório Maria de Sousa Coutinho, 2nd Count of Linhares D. Vitório Maria Francisco de Sousa Coutinho Teixeira de Andrade Barbosa, second Count of Linhares (25 June 1790 – 29 July 1857) was a Portuguese statesman. Career ''Vitório Maria Francisco de Sousa Coutinho Teixeira de Andrade Barbosa'' t ...

(1790–1857); #Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho (1823–1894), 3rd Count of Linhares; #Fernando de Sousa Coutinho (1850–1897), 4th Count of Linhares; #Nuno de Sousa Coutinho (1854–1929), 5th Count of Linhares; #Carlos de Sousa Coutinho (1880- ? ), 6th Count of Linhares; #Nuno de Sousa Coutinho (1914–2006), 7th Count of Linhares.

The Dukes of Linhares/Liñares (Spanish title)

After 1640, to reward Fernando de Noronha, 5th Count of Linhares, fidelity to the

Spanish Habsburgs Habsburg Spain is a contemporary historiographical term referring to the huge extent of territories (including modern-day Spain, a piece of south-east France, eventually Portugal, and many other lands outside of the Iberian Peninsula) ruled be ...

, King

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

upgraded the title of Count to Duke of Linhares. However, as he was no longer

King of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the n ...

, this title was never recognized in Portugal, but it still exists in Spain as Duke of Liñares once, in 1667, King

Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War o ...

changed it to the Spanish spelling. The title of Duke of Liñares was later inherited by the Spanish Fernando de Lancastre y Noroña,

Marquis of Porto Seguro {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2012 Marquis of Porto Seguro (in Portuguese ''Marquês de Porto Seguro'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree of king Philip III of Portugal (aka Philipe IV of Spain) dated from 8 April 1627, ...

Duke of Abrantes Duke of Abrantes ( es, Duque de Abrantes) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1642 by Philip IV to Alfonso de Láncaster, son of the 3rd Duke of Aveiro and a great-grandchild ...

and Duke of Liñares (all these three titles were granted by King

Philip IV Philip IV may refer to: * Philip IV of Macedon (died 297 BC) * Philip IV of France (1268–1314), Avignon Papacy * Philip IV of Burgundy or Philip I of Castile (1478–1506) * Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1542–1602) * Philip IV of Spain ...

after 1640, to reward the fidelity of some Portuguese aristocrats to the Habsburgs and are not valid in Portugal).

External links

Genealogy of the Counts of Linhares (first creation), in PortugueseGenealogy of the Counts of Linhares (second creation), in PortugueseGenealogy of the Dukes of Linhares, in PortugueseGenealogy of the Spanish Dukes of Linares, in Spanish

Bibliography

"Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. II, pages 688/692. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.