![Armas sousa arronches](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Armas_sousa_arronches.png)
Sousa is a noble family of
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
.
History
The descendants are of the marriage of
Martim Afonso Chichorro and Inês Lourenço de Sousa.
It is one of the eldest and nobler houses of Portugal. Its origin starts with the Visigoth Kings and the name was first used in the 11th century, by Lord
Egas Gomes de Sousa
Egas Gomes de Sousa (1035 -?) was a Portuguese noble of County of Portugal and the first of his line to use the surname Sousa. He was Lord of the House of Sousa and of Felgueiras.
Biography
He served as governor of the entire region of Entre ...
, heir to the house and to several royal lineages. There are three main lineages of this noble house, but we shall only focus on the one represented to left (Sousa of Arronches).
The family head is the
Duke of Lafões
Duke of Lafões (in Portuguese, ''Duque de Lafões''; ) is a Portuguese title of nobility created under the decree of February 17, 1718, of King John V of Portugal and granted to his nephew, ''Dom'' Pedro Henrique de Bragança, the building force ...
. Some say that there isn't a single noble man (or woman) in Portugal that does not have the blood of the Sousas. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Garcia Homem de Sousa, which was dated 1420, christened at
Funchal
Funchal () is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Madeira, Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it the sixth largest city in Portugal. Because of ...
, Portugal, during the reign of King
John I of Portugal
John I ( pt, João uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...
. The House of Sousa played a significant role in the creation of the
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...
.
Martim Afonso de Sousa
Martim Afonso de Sousa ( – 21 July 1564) was a Portugal, Portuguese ''fidalgo'', List of explorers, explorer and colonial administrator.
Life
Born in Vila Viçosa, he was commander of the first official Portuguese expedition into mainland of th ...
was the first captain - major of Brazil ("''capitão-mor da armada e da terra do Brasil",'' with powers equivalent to those of a governor'')'',
Tomé de Sousa
Tomé de Sousa (1503–1579) was the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 until 1553. He was a nobleman and soldier born in Rates, Póvoa de Varzim. Sousa was born a noble and participated in military expeditions in ...
was the first formal Governor General of Brazil,
Pedro Lopes de Sousa
Pedro Lopes de Sousa ( Bordonhos, Portugal - Danture, present day Sri Lanka, 1594) was the 1st Governor of Portuguese Ceylon. The office of Captain-major was abolished in 1594 and de Sousa was appointed in the same year under Philip I of Portu ...
was the 1st
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Portuguese Ceylon
Portuguese Ceylon ( pt, Ceilão Português, Sinhala: පෘතුගීසි ලංකාව ''Puruthugisi Lankawa'', Tamil: போர்த்துக்கேய இலங்கை ''Porthukeya Ilankai'') is the name given to the territory ...
and Thome de Sousa Arronches was a Captain of the
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...
in 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 ...
.
The family motto (Better to break than to bend).
Lords of the House of Sousa
* D.
Sueiro Belfaguer (875-925) - the 1st Lord of the House of Sousa.
* D. Egas Gomes de Sousa (1035 -?)
* D. Mem Viegas de Sousa (1070 - 1130)
* D.
Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa {{Infobox noble, type
, name = Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa
, title = Rico-Homen
, image = Armas sousa arronches.png
, caption = arms of Sousa
, alt =
, CoA =
, more ...
, ''"the good"'' (1120 – 1190)
* D.
Mendo de Sousa, ''"the sousão"'' (1140 -1197)
* D. Constança Mendes de Sousa (1245 -
Santarém, 1298)
* D. Martim Afonso Chichorro (1250-1313)
* D. Martim Afonso Chichorro II or Martin Afonso de Sousa Chichorro (1280 -?)
* D. Maria Pais Ribeira, 15ª Lady of House of Sousa * c. 1285
* D. Vasco Martins de Sousa Chichorro (1320 - 1387)
* D. Lopo Dias de Sousa, Lord of
Mafra
Mafra is a Czech media group that publishes printed and internet media, headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. It is a subsidiary of Agrofert holding conglomerate owned by trust of Andrej Babiš, the former Prime Minister of the Czech Repu ...
,
Ericeira
Ericeira () is a civil parish and seaside community on the western coast of Portugal (in Mafra municipality, about 45km northwest of Lisbon) considered the surfing capital of Europe for being the only European spot among the World Surfing Reserves ...
and Enxara dos Cavaleiros * 1350
* D. Afonso Vasques de Sousa (1370)
* Diogo Lopes de Sousa, 18º Lord of House of Sousa * c. 1380
* D.Afonso Vasques de Sousa II (1400),
* Álvaro de Sousa, Lord of
Miranda e mayor of
Arronches
Arronches () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,165, in an area of 314.65 km2.
The municipality is located by the Serra de São Mamede in Portalegre District.
The present Mayor is Fermelinda Carvalho (PSD) and the Pr ...
* c. 1410
* D. Luis de Sousa Chichorro (1440)
* Diogo Lopes de Sousa * c. 1440
* André de Sousa * c. 1465
* D. Henrique de Sousa (1480)
* Manuel de Sousa, mayor of Arronches * c. 1495
* André de Sousa, 23º Lord of House of Sousa * c. 1515
* D. António de Sousa Chichorro (1520)
* Manuel de Sousa
* D. Matias de Sousa (1550)
* Diogo Lopes de Sousa, 2nd Count of Miranda * c. 1595
* D. Pedro de Sousa Chichorro
* Henrique de Sousa Tavares, first Marquis of Arronches * 1626
* D. Maria de Sousa e Mesquita
* D. António Sousa Chíchorro balio "ad honorem".
* Mariana Luísa Francisca de Sousa Tavares Mascarenhas e Silva, 2nd Marquess of Arronches * 1672
* Luísa Casimira de Sousa Nassau and
Ligne
The ''ligne'' ( ), or line or Paris line, is a historic unit of length used in France and elsewhere prior to the adoption of the metric system in the late 18th century, and used in various sciences after that time. The ''loi du 19 frimaire an V ...
, duchess of Lafões * 1694
Coat of arms
The field of the shield is divided in four quarters (quarterly or party per cross) with the royal arms of Portugal in the first and fourth quarters, and the arms of Sousa, a quartet of silver crescents (Argent) over a field of red (Gules), in the second and third quarters. This grouping known as the Sousa of Arronches (because of the title of Lords of Arronches), is still borne by many of the noble houses of Portugal, like the
Dukes of Palmela
The Duke of Palmela (in Portuguese ''Duque de Palmela'') is a Portuguese title granted by royal decree of Queen Maria II of Portugal, dated from October 18, 1850, to ''Dom'' Pedro de Sousa Holstein (1781-1850), a Portuguese politician during the f ...
.
References
{{Reflist
* Manuel Abranches de Soveral,http://www.soveral.info/mas/Souza%20do%20Prado.htm
* D.
António Caetano de Sousa, História Genealógica da Casa Real Portuguesa, Atlântida-Livraria Editora, Lda, 2ª Edição, Coimbra, 1946. Tomo I-pg. 142.
*
José João da Conceição Gonçalves Mattoso, Ricos-Homens, Infanções e Cavaleiros, Guimarães Editores, 3ª Edição, Lisboa, 1998, pg. 47
Portuguese noble families