Marquis
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
of
Vila Real
Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the North region. It is also the seat of the Douro intermunicipal community and of the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro historical province. The Vila Real municipality covers ...
(in Portuguese ''Marquês de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese
title of nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
created by a royal decree, dated from 1 March 1489, by King
John II of Portugal
John II ( pt, João II; ; 3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince ( pt, o Príncipe Perfeito, link=no), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for re-establishi ...
, and granted to ''Dom''
Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter II of Menezes, 3rd
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
.
The House of Vila Real was the most powerful
aristocratic
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At the time of the word's ...
House in Portugal, during the 16th and 17th centuries, after the
Dukes of Braganza
The title Duke of Braganza ( pt, Duque de Bragança) in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Starting in 1640, when the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal, the male heir of the Po ...
and the
Dukes of Aveiro
Duke of Aveiro ( pt, Duque de Aveiro) was a Portuguese title of nobility, granted in 1535 by King John III of Portugal to his 4th cousin, John of Lencastre, son of Infante George of Lencastre, a natural son of King John II of Portugal.
Joh ...
.
To reward their support during the
1580 Portuguese succession crisis, the Spanish Habsburgs granted this House new titles (
Duke of Vila Real
Duke of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Duque de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by royal decree, dated from February 28, 1585, by King Philip I of Portugal (also known as Philip II of Spain), and granted to '' Dom'' Manuel de ...
and
Duke of Caminha
Duke of Caminha (Portuguese: ''Duque de Caminha'') was a title created by royal decree, dated 14 December 1620, by King Philip III of Portugal (also known as Philip IV of Spain) for ''Dom'' Miguel Luís de Menezes, 6th Marquis of Vila Real and ...
). However, all this wealth was confiscated and
Miguel Luís II, 2nd Duke of Caminha, was executed for high treason, by King
John 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 H ...
instructions, for supporting the right of the Spanish Habsburg Kings to the Portuguese throne after the revolution of 1640.
List of the Marquesses of Vila Real
#
Pedro de Menezes, 1st Marquis of Vila Real
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
(1425–1499), also known as Peter II of Menezes, 3rd
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
and 7th
Count of Ourém
Count of Ourém (in Portuguese ''Conde de Ourém'') is a Portuguese title granted in 1370 by King Fernando I of Portugal, to ''Dom'' João Afonso Telo, uncle of Queen Leonor Teles. Later he also became the fourth Count of Barcelos.
The title s ...
;
#
Fernando de Menezes, 2nd Marquis of Vila Real (1463- ? ), also known as Ferdinand II of Menezes, 4th
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
;
#
Pedro de Menezes, 3rd Marquis of Vila Real
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meani ...
(1486- ? ), also known as Peter III of Meneses, 5th
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
;
#
Miguel de Menezes, 4th Marquis of Vila Real (1520- ? ), also known as Michael I of Menezes, 6th
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
;
#
Manuel de Meneses, 5th Marquis of Vila Real (1530- ? ), also known as Manuel of Menezes, 1st
Duke of Vila Real
Duke of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Duque de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by royal decree, dated from February 28, 1585, by King Philip I of Portugal (also known as Philip II of Spain), and granted to '' Dom'' Manuel de ...
and 7th
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
;
#
Miguel Luís, 6th Marquis of Vila Real (1565–1637), also known as Michael II of Menezes, 1st
Duke of Caminha
Duke of Caminha (Portuguese: ''Duque de Caminha'') was a title created by royal decree, dated 14 December 1620, by King Philip III of Portugal (also known as Philip IV of Spain) for ''Dom'' Miguel Luís de Menezes, 6th Marquis of Vila Real and ...
and 8th
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
;
#
Luis de Noronha e Meneses, 7th Marquis of Vila Real
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...
(1570–1641), also known as Louis of Menezes, 9th
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
.
Genealogical summary
The House of Vila Real had their origins in ''
Dom Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an et ...
'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
, 2nd
Count of Viana (do Alentejo) and 1st
Governor of Ceuta
The following is a list of governors and other local administrators of the city of Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa. The list encompass the period from 1415 until 1995.
List Portuguese Captains-general
*1415–1424: Pedro de Meneses ...
after the Portuguese conquest, in 1415.
However the Counts, later Marquesses, have royal ancestry (both Portuguese and Spanish), once they descended from King
Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I ( pt, Fernando; 31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383), sometimes called the Handsome () or occasionally the Inconstant (), was the King of Portugal from 1367 until his death in 1383. His death led to the 1383–85 crisis, also k ...
and from King
Henry II of Castile
Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter the ...
.
The Marquises of Villa Real (Spanish Title)
When the 7th Marquis of Vila Real, along with his son the Duke of Caminha, was executed in Portugal for high treason in 1641, his daughter, Beatrice of Menezes, married to the Spanish Count of Medellin, remained in Spain.
To reward her fidelity towards the Spanish
Habsburgs
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 IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...
gave her, 23 March 1660, the title of Marquise of Villa Real (Spanish spelling) as a Spanish title, included today among the titles of the
House of Medinaceli
Duke of Medinaceli () is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, created the title and awarded it on 31 October 1479 to Lui ...
.
Beatrice of Menezes never returned to her homeland and this title was never recognized in
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 ...
.
Marquises of Villa Real (1660-)
*
Beatriz de Meneses, 1st Marquise of Villa Real (1614–1668)
*
Pedro Damián Portocarrero, 9th Count of Medellín and 2nd Marquis of Villa Real (1640–1704), eldest son of the 1st Marquise.
*
Luisa Feliciana Portocarrero, 10th Countess of Medellín and 3rd Marquise of Villa Real (1641–1705), elder surviving daughter of the 1st Marquise.
*
Guillén Ramón de Moncada, 6th Marquis of Aitona and 4th Marquis of Villa Real (1671–1727), eldest son of the 3rd Marquis.
*
María Teresa de Moncada, 7th Marquise of Aitona and 5th Marquise of Villa Real (1707–1756), eldest daughter of the 4th Marquis.
*
Pedro de Alcántara Fernández de Córdoba, 12th Duke of Medinaceli and 6th Marquis of Villa Real (1730–1789), eldest son of the 5th Marquise.
*
Luis Fernández de Córdoba, 13th Duke of Medinaceli and 7th Marquis of Villa Real (1749–1806), eldest son of the 6th Marquis.
*
Luis Fernández de Córdoba, 14th Duke of Medinaceli and 8th Marquis of Villa Real (1780–1840), eldest son of the 7th Marquis.
*
Luis Fernández de Córdoba, 15th Duke of Medinaceli and 9th Marquis of Villa Real (1813–1873), elder son of the 8th Marquis.
*
Luis Fernández de Córdoba, 16th Duke of Medinaceli and 10th Marquis of Villa Real (1851–1879), elder son of the 9th Marquis.
*
Luis Fernández de Córdoba, 17th Duke of Medinaceli and 11th Marquis of Villa Real (1880–1956), elder son of the 10th Marquis.
*
Victoria Eugenia Fernández de Córdoba, 18th Duchess of Medinaceli and 12th Marquise of Villa Real (1917–2013), eldest daughter of the 11th Marquis.
*
, Current Countess of Vila Real (b.1997)
[http://www.fundacionmedinaceli.org/casaducal/fichaestado.aspx?id=49]
Other Titles
*
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count o ...
, in 1424 by a royal decree 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 ...
;
*
Count of Valença
Count of Valença (in Portuguese ''Conde de Valença'') was a Portuguese title of nobility, created by a royal decree, dated from July 20, 1464, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Henrique de Menezes, who was already 3rd Coun ...
, in 1464 by a royal decree of King
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V () (15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa. ...
;
*
Count of Alcoutim
Count of Alcoutim (in Portuguese ''Conde de Alcoutim'') was a Portuguese title of nobility, subsidiary to the one of Marquis of Vila Real, created by a royal decree, dated from November 15, 1496, by King John II of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom ...
, in 1496 by a royal decree of King
John II of Portugal
John II ( pt, João II; ; 3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince ( pt, o Príncipe Perfeito, link=no), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for re-establishi ...
;
*
Duke of Vila Real
Duke of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Duque de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by royal decree, dated from February 28, 1585, by King Philip I of Portugal (also known as Philip II of Spain), and granted to '' Dom'' Manuel de ...
, in 1585 by a royal decree of King Philip I of Portugal (
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
);
*
Duke of Caminha
Duke of Caminha (Portuguese: ''Duque de Caminha'') was a title created by royal decree, dated 14 December 1620, by King Philip III of Portugal (also known as Philip IV of Spain) for ''Dom'' Miguel Luís de Menezes, 6th Marquis of Vila Real and ...
, in 1620 by a royal decree of King Philip III of Portugal (
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...
).
See also
*
Duke of Vila Real
Duke of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Duque de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by royal decree, dated from February 28, 1585, by King Philip I of Portugal (also known as Philip II of Spain), and granted to '' Dom'' Manuel de ...
*
Duke of Caminha
Duke of Caminha (Portuguese: ''Duque de Caminha'') was a title created by royal decree, dated 14 December 1620, by King Philip III of Portugal (also known as Philip IV of Spain) for ''Dom'' Miguel Luís de Menezes, 6th Marquis of Vila Real and ...
*
List of Portuguese Dukedoms
The highest hereditary title in the Portuguese monarchy. By tradition, there are a total of five royal and seven non-royal dukes in Portugal, out of 28 dukedoms that have ever been created. In the majority of cases, the title of duke was attribute ...
*
List of Marquesses in Portugal
This is a list of marquisates in Portugal.
A
# Marquess of Abrantes
# Marquis of Aguiar
# Marquis of Alegrete
# Marquis of Alenquer
# Marquis of Alorna
# Marquis of Alvito
# Marquis of Angeja
# Marquis of Angra
# Marquis of Arronches
...
*
List of Countships in Portugal
This is a list of countships in Portugal ( pt, Condados; singular ''Condado''; the title is ''Conde'', for Count, and ''Condessa'', for Countess):
A
*Count of Abrantes
* Count of Agarez
* Count of Agrolongo
* Count of Águeda
* Count of Aguiar ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Genealogy of the Marquis of Vila Real
Bibliography
”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. III, pages 523/528. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.
Vila Real
Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the North region. It is also the seat of the Douro intermunicipal community and of the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro historical province. The Vila Real municipality covers ...
1489 establishments in Europe
15th-century establishments in Portugal
Marquisates