{{Infobox noble, type , name = Margarida Luísa Cabral de Melo , title = Fidalga of the Royal House of Portugal. , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = , succession = , reign = , reign-type = , predecessor = , successor = , suc-type = , spouse = Amador Vaz de Alpoim , spouse-type = , issue = , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , styles = , titles = , noble family = Cabral-Melo Coutinho , house-type = , father = Matias Nunes Cabral , mother = Maria Simões de Melo , birth_date = 1570 , birth_place = Santa Maria Island, Azores,

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 ...

, christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = 1631 , death_place = Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty of Peru , burial_date = , burial_place = Iglesia de la Merced , religion = Roman Catholic , occupation = landowner , memorials = , url = , module = Margarida Cabral de Melo (1570–1631) was a Portuguese noblewoman related to the discoverer of Brazil Pedro Álvares Cabral. In 1599 she settled with her husband and children in Buenos Aires. She was one of the most distinguished women in the Río de la Plata, in the early 17th century, owned of luxury homes, farms and vineyards. Her family belonged to illustrious Portuguese lineages, including her royal ancestry through her great-great-grandmother, Dona Beatriz de Meneses, 2nd Countess of Loulé. She and her husband were the ancestors of Argentine politicians and military, among them Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear, President of the Argentine Republic between 1922 and 1928.

Biography

Margarida was born in Santa Maria Island, the daughter of Matias Nunes Cabral and Maria Simões de Melo, belonging to a noble Portuguese family. She was married to

Amador Vaz de Alpoim Amador Vaz de Alpoim (1568–1617) was a Portuguese nobleman, who served as Officer of the Royal Armies, conquistador, colonizer and explorer of South America in the service of the Spanish Crown. He was the founder of the Cabral de Melo Alpoim fa ...

, son of Estevan de Alpoim and Isabel Velha. She and her family arrived in Buenos Aires from Rio de Janeiro, where they had lived for five years. Margarida Cabral de Melo and her sister Inês Nunes Cabral (wife of Gil Gonçalves de Moura) were the first women to have political and economic influence in the Río de la Plata. Margarida was perhaps the richest woman in Buenos Aires towards the beginning of 1600. She possessed one of the most luxurious houses in the city, with mahogany furniture, carved silverware, tapestry and among its jewelry, a gold parrot. The house of the family Cabral de Alpoim was located at the intersection of the streets Victoria and Balcarce, current neighborhood of Monserrat. Margarida and her family were linked to the beginnings of cattle raising (cimarron cattle) in the current Argentine territory. She was the owner of a ranch located in the town of Luján, which was managed by her son

Manuel Cabral de Alpoim Manuel Cabral de Melo e Alpoim (1589–1676) was a Portuguese nobleman in the service of the Spanish Empire. He was one of the most prominent military and politicians of the Río de la Plata towards the beginning of the 17th century. He ser ...

. Her husband died in 1617 being buried in the city. He had rendered military services to the Spanish Empire, taking part in some military expeditions led by Hernando Arias de Saavedra. She had many sons and daughters, including General Amador Báez de Alpoim, who served as mayor of Buenos Aires, lieutenant governor of Santa Fe and Corrientes, and Matías Cabral de Melo y Alpoim (1593-1645) a well-known presbyter of Buenos Aires.

Ancestors and descendants

Margarita Cabral de Melo and his sister were relatives of Pedro Álvares Cabral, discoverer of Brazil and Gonçalo Velho Cabral, discoverer of Azores. His most notorious ancestors were Álvaro Martins Homem 3°Captain of

Praia Praia (, Portuguese language, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.

, and João Fernandes de Andrade, possibly a descendant of

Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of Poi ...

. It is proven that his family descended by several genealogical lines of the kings of Portugal, including Afonso III and

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 ...

. Through these royal ancestors, their lineage is linked to the

House of Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in b ...

and Castile. She and her sister were the ancestors of various historical figures linked to the politics and culture of the Río de la Plata like

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Althoug ...

, governor of the province of Buenos Aires between 1835 and 1852, and Justo José de Urquiza, first President of the

Argentine Confederation The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the name ...

. Other famous descendants of this family include José Gervasio Artigas, a Uruguayan patriot who participated in the War of Independence, and Carlos María de Alvear, a military and politician who served as Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815. His sister Inés Núñez Cabral and Gil Gonçalves de Moura were the ancestors of the writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges.{{Citation , year= 1993, title=Oeuvres complètes, Volume 1, publisher=by Jorge Luis Borges, Jean-Pierre Bernès , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZUsAQAAMAAJ&q=In%C3%A9s+N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez+Cabral+Jorge+Luis+Borges

References

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External links

Genealogía Familiar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabral de Melo, Margarida 1570 births 1631 deaths 16th-century Portuguese people 17th-century Portuguese people Portuguese nobility Portuguese Roman Catholics People from Santa Maria Island People from Rio de Janeiro (city) 17th-century Brazilian people 17th-century Brazilian women 16th-century Portuguese women 17th-century Portuguese women Emigrants from Portugal to the Viceroyalty of Peru