Antão de Almada (Palácio da Independência) (cropped)

The Forty Conspirators (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''Os Conjurados'') were a Portuguese nationalist group during the

Iberian Union pt, União Ibérica , conventional_long_name =Iberian Union , common_name = , year_start = 1580 , date_start = 25 August , life_span = 1580–1640 , event_start = War of the Portuguese Succession , event_end = Portuguese Restoration War , ...

. The Conspirators were composed of forty men of the

Portuguese nobility Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, and many clergy and soldiers. Their goal was to depose the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

king, Philip III (and IV of Spain). The plot was planned by Antão Vaz de Almada, Miguel de Almeida and João Pinto Ribeiro. On 1 December 1640, they, together with several associates, known as the Forty Conspirators, took advantage of the fact that the Castilian troops were occupied on the other side of the peninsula and killed Secretary of State

Miguel de Vasconcelos Miguel de Vasconcelos (or Vasconcellos) e Brito (; – 1 December 1640) was the last Secretary of State (Prime Minister) of the Kingdom of Portugal, during the Philippine Dynasty, in which both kingdoms of Portugal and Spain remained separated ...

, imprisoning the king's cousin, the

Duchess of Mantua Lady of Mantua House of Gonzaga, 1328–1433 Marchioness of Mantua House of Gonzaga, 1433–1530 Duchess of Mantua House of Gonzaga, 1530–1627 House of Gonzaga ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates ...

, who had governed Portugal in his name. The moment was well chosen, as Philip's troops were at the time fighting the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

in addition to the revolt in Catalonia. The support of the people became apparent almost immediately and soon John, 8th Duke of Braganza, was acclaimed King of Portugal throughout the country as John IV. By December 2, 1640, John had already sent a letter to the Municipal Chamber of

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 ...

as sovereign of the country.

List of the Forty Conspirators

#D. Afonso de Menezes, Chamber Master of King

João IV of Portugal John IV ( pt, João, ; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), nicknamed John the Restorer ( pt, João, o Restaurador), was the King of Portugal whose reign, lasting from 1640 until his death, began the Portuguese restoration of independence from ...

#D. Álvaro de Abranches da Câmara, General of Minho, member of the Council of War #D. Antão de Almada, 7th

Count of Avranches This is a list of the counts of Avranches, a French fief in the Middle Ages. House of Almada *1445–1449 Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches, KG (created by Henry VI of England); Avranches was lost to France soon after *1476&n ...

, 10th Lord of Lagares d´El-Rei, 5th Lord and Governor of

Pombalinho Pombalinho () is a village and a civil parish in the municipality of Golegã, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 448, in an area of 7.70 km2. History Located on the right bank of the Tagus River, 22 kilometers northeast of the city of San ...

#D. António de Alcáçova Carneiro, Lord of the Majorat of Alcáçovas, High

Alcaide Alcaide is a Spanish name, meaning 'castle commander'. It is borrowed from the Arabic term , which literally means 'commander'. Etymology The Spanish form is alcayde whereas Portuguese form is alcaide. Notable people * Anselmo Pardo Alcaide ...

of Campo Maior, Governor of Castelo de Ouguela #D. António Álvares da Cunha, Lord of Tábua;. #D. António da Costa, Lord of the Majorat of Mustela, Commander Order of Christ #D. António Luís de Menezes, 1st

Marquis of Marialva {{for, the Condal title, Count of Marialva Count of Cantanhede (in Portuguese ''Conde de Cantanhede'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 6 August 1479, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to '' D.'' P ...

, 3rd

Count of Cantanhede {{for, the Condal title, Count of Marialva Count of Cantanhede (in Portuguese ''Conde de Cantanhede'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 6 August 1479, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to '' D.'' P ...

#D. António de Melo e Castro,

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

, Captain of

Sofala Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Mwenemutapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants. This name wa ...

#D. António Teles de Meneses, Count of Vila Pouca de Aguiar #D. António Telo, Captain-Major of the

Portuguese India Armadas The Portuguese Indian Armadas ( pt, Armadas da Índia) were the fleets of ships funded by the Crown of Portugal, and dispatched on an annual basis from Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal to Portuguese India, India. The principal destination was Por ...

#D. Aires de Saldanha,

, Governor of Tangiers #D. Carlos de Noronha, Commander of

Marvão Marvão () is a municipality in Portalegre District in Portugal. The population in 2020 was 2,972 (and dropping at a rate of around one inhabitant per week), in an area of 154.90 km2. The present Mayor is Luís Vitorino, elected by the Socia ...

, President of the Household of Conscience and Order #D. Estevão da Cunha, Prior of São Jorge in Lisboa, Canon of the See of the Algarve, Bishop of Miranda; #D. Fernão Teles da Silva, 1st Count of Vilar Maior, Governor of Arms of Beira #D. Fernando Teles de Faro, Lord of Damião de Azere, Lord of Santa Maria de Nide de Carvalho #D. Francisco de Melo e Torres, 1st Marquis of Sande, 1st Count of Ponte, General of the Artillery of the Kingdom #D. Francisco de Sousa, 1st Marquês de Minas, 3rd Count of Prado #D. Gastão Coutinho, Governor of Minho #D. Gaspar de Brito Freire, Lord of the Majorat of Santo Estevão de Nossa Senhora de Jesus #D. Gomes Freire de Andrade, Cavalry Captain #D. Gonçalo Tavares de Távora, Cavalry Captain #D. Jerónimo de Ataíde, 6th

Count of Atouguia Count of Atouguia (in Portuguese ''Conde de Atouguia'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 17 December 1448, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to D. Álvaro Gonçalves de Ataíde. This title became ...

#D. João da Costa, 1st Count of Soure; #D. João Rodrigues de Sá e Menezes, 3rd Count of Penaguião #D. João Pereira, Prior of São Nicolau, Deputy of the Holy Office #D. João Sanches de Baena, Fidalgo of His Majesty's Council, Judge of the Royal Household #D. Jorge de Melo, General of the Galleys, member of the Council of War #D. Luis Álvares da Cunha, Lord of the Majorat of Olivais #D. Martim Afonso de Melo, 2nd Count of São Lourenço, High

of Elvas #D. Miguel Maldonado, Clerk of the High-Chancery of the Kingdom #D. Miguel de Almeida 4th Count of Abrantes #D. Nuno da Cunha de Ataíde, 1st Count of Pontével #D. Paulo da Gama, Lord of the Majorat of Boavista #D. Pedro de Mendonça Furtado, High

of Mourão #D. Rodrigo da Cunha,

Archbishop of Lisbon The Patriarchate of Lisbon ( la, Patriarchatus Olisiponensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or patriarchal archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Its archiepiscopal see is the Patriarchal Cathedral of ...

#D. Rodrigo de Figueiredo de Alarcão, Lord of Ota #D. Sancho Dias de Saldanha, Cavalry Captain #D. Tomas de Noronha, 3rd Count of Arcos #D. Tomé de Sousa, Comptroller of the Royal Household, High-Official of Festivities of the Kingdom #D. Tristão da Cunha de Ataíde, Lord of Povolide, Commander of São Cosme de Gondomar

References

*{{cite web , url= http://www.geneall.net/P/forum_msg.php?id=52915, title= Os restauradores de 1640 e seus actuais representantes , year= 2003 17th century in Portugal Portuguese Restoration War

List of the Forty Conspirators

See also

References