Vasco Fernades Coutinho ( 1385 – 1450) was a distinguished
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
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nobleman, the 3rd
Marshal of Portugal {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2012
__NOTOC__
The office of Marshal of the Kingdom of Portugal (''Marechal do Reino de Portugal'', sometimes ''Mariscal'') was created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, in the course of the reorganization of the h ...
and 1st
Count of Marialva
The Count of Marialva ( pt, Conde de Marialva) was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, issued in 1440, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to Vasco Fernandes Coutinho (from a family descendency dating to the old Portugue ...
(from 1440/41).
Personal life
Fernandes Coutinho was the son of
Gonçalo Vasques Coutinho, Lord of Couto de Leomil, the 2nd
Marshal of the Kingdom. His brother was
Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho, nicknamed ''Magriço'', a semi-legendary knight of the
Twelve of England.
Fernandes Coutinho inherited his father's titles and position as Marshal in 1413. He participated in the Portuguese
capture of Ceuta in 1415.
He was one of the leaders of the
Portuguese expedition to capture Tangier in 1437, serving directly under Prince
Henry the Navigator. Although it proved a disaster, Coutinho served with distinction and was said to be the last man to leave the beach, personally covering the retreat and embarkation of the last Portuguese troops.
After the death of King
Edward of Portugal
Edward ( pt, Duarte (; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the King Philosopher (''Duarte o Rei-Filósofo'') or the Eloquent (''o Eloquente''), was the King of Portugal from 1433 until his death. He was born in Viseu, the so ...
in 1438, Fernandes Coutinho was one of the ringleaders of the noble party, and conspired with
Afonso of Barcelos
Dom Afonso I of Braganza (; 10 August 1377 – 15 December 1461) was the first duke of Braganza and the eighth count of Barcelos. He founded the House of Braganza, the most powerful and wealthy dynasty in Portugal. His descendants became high-ra ...
to keep the dowager-queen
Eleanor of Aragon as regent for the young 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 Afri ...
. They sidelined the popular candidate, prince
Peter of Coimbra. Peter's brother, Henry the Navigator, eventually managed to detach Coutinho from Barcelos's side.
In 1441 (or 1440), hoping to win the noblemen's allegiance, regent Peter of Coimbra invested Fernandes Coutinho as the first
Count of Marialva
The Count of Marialva ( pt, Conde de Marialva) was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, issued in 1440, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to Vasco Fernandes Coutinho (from a family descendency dating to the old Portugue ...
. However, relations between the two remained tense. At the
Battle of Alfarrobeira
The Battle of Alfarrobeira () took place on 20 May 1449. It was a confrontation between the forces commanded by King Afonso V of Portugal and his uncle Afonso, Duke of Braganza, against the army of the rebellious Peter, Duke of Coimbra. The p ...
in May 1449, Fernandes Coutinho took the field on behalf of Afonso V against Peter of Coimbra. He died a year later.
Marriage and Children
In 1412, Fernandes Coutinho married D. Maria de Sousa (d. 1472), the natural daughter of
Lopo Dias de Sousa, master of the
Order of Christ. Their eldest son D.
Gonçalo Coutinho succeeded as the 2nd
Count of Marialva
The Count of Marialva ( pt, Conde de Marialva) was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, issued in 1440, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to Vasco Fernandes Coutinho (from a family descendency dating to the old Portugue ...
, the younger son D.
Fernando Coutinho as the 4th
Marshal of Portugal {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2012
__NOTOC__
The office of Marshal of the Kingdom of Portugal (''Marechal do Reino de Portugal'', sometimes ''Mariscal'') was created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, in the course of the reorganization of the h ...
.
See also
*
Counts of Marialva
*
Marshal of Portugal {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2012
__NOTOC__
The office of Marshal of the Kingdom of Portugal (''Marechal do Reino de Portugal'', sometimes ''Mariscal'') was created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, in the course of the reorganization of the h ...
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, 1º conde de Marialva,Geneall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coutinho, Vasco Fernandes, 1st Count Of Marialva
1450 deaths
Counts of Marialva
1380s births
15th-century Portuguese people