Manuel Henrique de Melo e Castro de Mendonça Corte-Real (born 29 October 1940) is a
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 ...
diplomat and historian.
Biography
Manuel Corte-Real was born on 29 October 1940, in
Lapa,
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 ...
. He earned a
licentiate degree
A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels.
It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin Am ...
in
History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
from the Faculty of Letters of the
University of Lisbon
The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; pt, Universidade de Lisboa, ) is a public research university in Lisbon, and the largest university in Portugal. It was founded in 2013, from the merger of two previous public universities located in Lisbon, th ...
,
where he taught as a lecturer (''assistente'') from 1966 to 1970.
He began his diplomatic career in September 1969, when he became an
attaché
In diplomacy, an attaché is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified accor ...
; he became a Third Secretary in 1972 and was posted to the Portuguese embassy in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
in October 1973. He was promoted to Second Secretary in 1974 and to First Secretary in 1976; in February 1977, he was posted to the Portuguese embassy in
Brasília
Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...
.
In January 1980, he was appointed
chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
,
Diogo Freitas do Amaral
Diogo Pinto de Freitas do Amaral (; 21 July 1941 – 3 October 2019), known as Freitas do Amaral, was a Portuguese politician and law professor. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 10 January 1980 to 12 January 1981 and from 12 March 2005 t ...
and, in February 1981, as head of the Office for International Political Organisms (''Repartição dos Organismos Políticos Internacionais''). In October 1982, he was promoted to the rank of Counsellor, and in 1984 was posted to the Portuguese embassy in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
;
between January and June 1989, he acted as interim head of mission in London as ''
chargé d'affaires
A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...
''. In 1990, he was appointed
Consul-General
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
in
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
.
In April 1993, he was promoted to the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary, and in December of that year, Corte-Real became the first Portuguese Ambassador in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, after Portugal had recognised the
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
in 1992. When
Diogo Freitas do Amaral
Diogo Pinto de Freitas do Amaral (; 21 July 1941 – 3 October 2019), known as Freitas do Amaral, was a Portuguese politician and law professor. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 10 January 1980 to 12 January 1981 and from 12 March 2005 t ...
was
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly.
Election
...
in 1995–1996, Corte-Real joined him, on
secondment
Secondment is the assignment of a member of one organisation to another organisation for a temporary period.
Job rotation
The employee typically retains their salary and other employment rights from their primary organization but they work close ...
, again as his chief of staff.
In 1998, after being promoted to the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary, First Class, in March, he served as Chief of Protocol of the
1998 Lisbon World Exposition.
In November 1998, he was appointed President of the Portuguese Diplomatic Institute (''Instituto Diplomático''). He served as the country's
Chief of Protocol from October 2000 to September 2002, during which tenure he was promoted to the diplomatic rank of Ambassador. In November 2002, he presented his credentials as the Portuguese Ambassador to
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
; he returned to Portugal in 2005 and once again served as Chief of Protocol, until 2008.
As Chief of Protocol, he was responsible for the important international meetings of the Portuguese
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, which is the co-legislator of the EU legislature alongside the European Parliament. It rotates among the member state ...
in 2007 as well as for the ceremonies of the
Signing of the Treaty of Lisbon
The signing of the Treaty of Lisbon took place in Lisbon, Portugal, on 13 December 2007. The Government of Portugal, by virtue of holding Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the time, arranged a ceremony inside the 15th-century Jeró ...
, the 20th EU-Russia Summit in
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 Republic. ...
, and the 2nd EU-Africa Summit 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 ...
.
More recently, Corte-Real has led the "''Missão para o Património''"
working group
A working group, or working party, is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. The groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdis ...
of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
, with the goal of studying and publishing the
cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...
of the
Necessidades Palace
The Necessidades Palace () is a historic building in the Largo do Rilvas, a public square in Lisbon, Portugal. It serves as headquarters of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry. The Palace has been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 198 ...
.
Published works
*''A feitoria Portuguesa na Andaluzia 1500–1532'' (Instituto de Alta Cultura, Ed. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, 1967)
*''Feitores e escrivães da feitoria Portuguesa na Andaluzia'' ("Separata da Revista do Tempo e da História", III, Centro de Estudos Históricos da Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, 1968)
*''O Palácio das Necessidades'' (Ed. Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Lisbon, 1981) — recipient of the
Júlio de Castilho Prize in 1983
**2nd Edition, Ed. Chaves Ferreira S.A., 2001; 3rd Edition, By the Book, 2020
*''O Palácio de S. Clemente'' (Ed. Andrea Jakobsen Estúdio, Rio de Janeiro, 2005)
*''Embaixadas de Portugal'' (Ed. Polígono, Lda., 2006)
*"O Palácio da Cova da Moura", in ''O Palácio da Cova da Moura: a Casa dos Assuntos Europeus'' (By the Book, 2020)
Distinctions
National orders
*
![PRT Order of Christ - Grand Cross BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/PRT_Order_of_Christ_-_Grand_Cross_BAR.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Military Order of Christ
The Military Order of Christ is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910 it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was ...
(4 August 1998)
*
![PRT Order of Christ - Officer BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PRT_Order_of_Christ_-_Officer_BAR.svg)
Officer of the
Military Order of Christ
The Military Order of Christ is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910 it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was ...
(21 June 1972)
*
![PRT Order of Prince Henry - Officer BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/PRT_Order_of_Prince_Henry_-_Officer_BAR.svg)
Officer of the
Order of Prince Henry
The Order of Prince Henry ( pt, Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of ...
(29 March 1972)
*
![POR Ordem do Merito Gra-Cruz BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/POR_Ordem_do_Merito_Gra-Cruz_BAR.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
(21 January 1993)
Foreign orders
*
![St Olavs Orden kommandør stripe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/St_Olavs_Orden_kommand%C3%B8r_stripe.svg)
Commander of the
Royal Order of Saint Olav, Norway (12 November 1980)
*
![Commendatore OMRI BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Commendatore_OMRI_BAR.svg)
Commander of the
Order of Merit of the Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
T ...
, Italy (12 November 1980)
*
![GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 4 GrVK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/GER_Bundesverdienstkreuz_4_GrVK.svg)
Commander of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic, Germany (10 February 1981)
*
![Ordine di San Gregorio Magno](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Ordine_di_San_Gregorio_Magno.COMM.PNG)
Commander of the
Order of Saint Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope.
The order is one of ...
, Holy See (21 January 1983)
*
![BRA - Order of the Southern Cross - Commander BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/BRA_-_Order_of_the_Southern_Cross_-_Commander_BAR.svg)
Commander of the
Order of the Southern Cross
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 1822) ...
, Brazil (21 October 1983)
*
![CHL Order of Bernardo O'Higgins - Grand Officer BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/CHL_Order_of_Bernardo_O%27Higgins_-_Grand_Officer_BAR.png)
Grand Cross of the
Order of Bernardo O'Higgins
The Order of Bernardo O'Higgins ( es, Orden de Bernardo O'Higgins) is an award issued by Chile. It is the highest civilian honor awarded to non-Chilean citizens. This award was established in 1965 and named after one of the founders of the Chilean ...
, Chile (30 September 2001)
*
![ITA OMRI 2001 GC BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/ITA_OMRI_2001_GC_BAR.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
T ...
, Italy (1 April 2002)
*
![VEN Order of the Liberator - Grand Cordon BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/VEN_Order_of_the_Liberator_-_Grand_Cordon_BAR.png)
Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Liberator
The Order of the Liberator was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other or ...
, Venezuela (24 June 2002)
*
![AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 2nd Class BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/AUT_Honour_for_Services_to_the_Republic_of_Austria_-_2nd_Class_BAR.png)
Grand Cross, First Class of the
Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic, Austria (14 August 2002)
*
![EST Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana - 3rd Class BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/EST_Order_of_the_Cross_of_Terra_Mariana_-_3rd_Class_BAR.png)
3rd Class of the
Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of ...
, Estonia (29 March 2006)
*
![ESP Isabella Catholic Order GC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/ESP_Isabella_Catholic_Order_GC.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Order of Isabella the Catholic
The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...
, Spain (19 September 2007)
*
![LTU Order for Merits to Lithuania - Grand Cross BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/LTU_Order_for_Merits_to_Lithuania_-_Grand_Cross_BAR.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Order for Merits, Lithuania (8 January 2008)
*
![Order of the Polar Star (after 1975) - Commander Grand Cross](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Order_of_the_Polar_Star_%28after_1975%29_-_Commander_Grand_Cross.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Royal Order of the Polar Star
The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim.
The Order of the ...
(16 May 2008)
*
![POL Order Zaslugi RP kl1 BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/POL_Order_Zaslugi_RP_kl1_BAR.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
T ...
, Poland (3 March 2009)
*
![Den kongelige norske fortjenstorden storkors stripe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Den_kongelige_norske_fortjenstorden_storkors_stripe.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens livin ...
, Norway (25 September 2009)
*
![SMOM-gcs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/SMOM-gcs.svg)
Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion,
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
*
![MelitenseMilitare](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/MelitenseMilitare.png)
Cross of the
Order ''pro Merito Melitensi'', Sovereign Military Order of Malta
*
![GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 3 BVK 1Kl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/GER_Bundesverdienstkreuz_3_BVK_1Kl.svg)
Cross of Merit, First Class of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic, Germany (1 March 2011)
*
![ARG Order of the Liberator San Martin - Grand Cross BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/ARG_Order_of_the_Liberator_San_Martin_-_Grand_Cross_BAR.png)
Grand Cross of the
Order of the Liberator General San Martín
The Order of the Liberator General San Martín ( es, Orden del Libertador General San Martín) is the highest decoration in Argentina. It is awarded to foreign politicians or military, deemed worthy of the highest recognition from Argentina. It is ...
, Argentina
*
![GAB National Order of Merit - Grand Cross BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/GAB_National_Order_of_Merit_-_Grand_Cross_BAR.png)
Grand Cross of the
National Order of Merit, Gabon
*
![Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Order_of_the_British_Empire_%28Civil%29_Ribbon.svg)
Commander of the
Order of British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, United Kingdom
*
![BRA Ordem de Rio Branco Oficial BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/BRA_Ordem_de_Rio_Branco_Oficial_BAR.svg)
Officer of the
Order of Rio Branco
The Order of Rio Branco (''Ordem de Rio Branco'') is an honorific order of Brazil instituted by decree 51.697 of February 5, 1963. It is named in honor of the Brazilian diplomat José Paranhos, Baron of Rio Branco.
The President of Brazil serves ...
, Brazil
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corte-Real, Manuel
1940 births
Living people
Ambassadors of Portugal to Switzerland
Ambassadors of Portugal to Ukraine
Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)
Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal)
Historians of Portugal
Officers of the Order of Christ (Portugal)
Officers of the Order of Prince Henry
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Portuguese diplomats
University of Lisbon alumni