D. Luís da Cunha (; 25 January 1662 in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

– 9 October 1749 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) was a Portuguese diplomat who served under D.

João V of Portugal João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * Jo ...

as part of

His Most Faithful Majesty's Council His Most Faithful Majesty's Council was the privy council of the Kings of Portugal. It was composed of a small group of fidalgos of great social and political importance. In political importance, only his Most Faithful Majesty's ministers were ...

. He was also Judge of the Royal Household, Envoy Extraordinary of

Portuguese Cortes In the Medieval Kingdom of Portugal, the Cortes was an assembly of representatives of the estates of the realm – the nobility, clergy and bourgeoisie. It was called and dismissed by the King of Portugal at will, at a place of his choosing.O'Ca ...

to London, Madrid and Paris, and Minister Plenipotentiary to the

Congress of Utrecht A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, as well as part of the Portuguese Royal Academy of History. D. Luis da Cunha was considered an "''

Estrangeirado ''Estrangeirados'' () were, in the history of Portugal, Portuguese intellectuals who, in the late 17th century and particularly in the 18th century, strove to introduce the ideas of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, as well as other ...

''", a Portuguese that has been influenced greatly by foreign ideas. He was a critic of the Inquisition and the persecution of

New Christians New Christian ( es, Cristiano Nuevo; pt, Cristão-Novo; ca, Cristià Nou; lad, Christiano Muevo) was a socio-religious designation and legal distinction in the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire. The term was used from the 15th century ...

Early life

D. Luís da Cunha was born on 25 January 1662, in

, to D. António Álvares da Cunha, 18th Lord of Tábua, head of the House of Cunha and a member of the

Forty Conspirators The Forty Conspirators (Portuguese: ''Os Conjurados'') were a Portuguese nationalist group during the Iberian Union. The Conspirators were composed of forty men of the Portuguese nobility, and many clergy and soldiers. Their goal was to depo ...

, and Maria Manoel de Vilhena, daughter of Cristóvão Manoel de Vilhena. He studied law at the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coi ...

, after which he was appointed as Judge to the Relation of

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 ...

, and later to Royal Household the

Career

In 1696, he was appointed envoy extraordinary to London, where he participated in important negotiations related to the Portuguese intervention in the

War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, the most complex political event of the time. In 1712, along with the Count of Tarouca, he represented Portuguese interests in the

. After the signing of the Treaty of Utecht, 1715, he returned to London as envoy extraordinary, by request of the newly crowned King

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...

. Then he was sent to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, then ruled by

Giulio Alberoni Giulio Alberoni (30 May 1664 OS – 26 June NS 1752) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal and statesman in the service of Philip V of Spain. Early years He was born near Piacenza, probably at the village of Fiorenzuola d'Arda in the Du ...

, with whom he had several disputes. Subsequently, he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the Congress of Cambray, which ended up not taking place. Cunha remained in Paris, where he was forced to retire due to a disagreement with Ambassador Livry, envoy of France to Lisbon. Cunha went to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, where he reached an agreement with the Marquis of Fenelon, French minister to

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, and returned to Paris, where he remained as envoy extraordinary of Portugal to the French court, until his death.

Ideas

D. Luís da Cunha had early ideas of

pluricontinentalism Pluricontinentalism ( pt, Pluricontinentalismo) was a geopolitical concept, positing that Portugal was a transcontinental country and a unitary nation-state consisting of continental Portugal and its overseas provinces. With origins as early as ...

, proposing the idea of moving the capital of the Portuguese monarchy from metropolitan Portugal to Brazil. By establishing himself in the "immense continent of Brazil", the King of Portugal would take the title of "Emperor of the Occident." This idea was already presented by Father

António Vieira Pedro António Vieira (; 6 February 160818 July 1697) was an Afro-Portuguese Jesuit priest, diplomat, orator, preacher, philosopher, writer, and member of the Royal Council to the King of Portugal. Biography Vieira was born in Lisbon to ...

, during the emergency period of 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), ...

, but was reiterated by Dom Luís da Cunha when no imminent threat hung over Portuguese sovereignty. The idea was proposed as a means of affirmation and advancement of the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...

, while at the same time guaranteeing its security from European powers.D. Luís da Cunha, Instruções Políticas, 1736, Lisboa, Edição Abílio Diniz Silva, 2001.

Distinctions

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the Order of Christ

References

External links

GeneAll: Luís da Cunha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunha, Luis da Portuguese nobility Political office-holders in Portugal People from Lisbon University of Coimbra alumni 18th-century Portuguese people Ambassadors of Portugal to the United Kingdom Ambassadors of Portugal to France Ambassadors of Portugal to Spain 1662 births 1749 deaths