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 ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

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

. 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

, the younger son D. Fernando Coutinho as the 4th

References

Sources

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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

Personal life

Marriage and Children

See also

References

Sources

External links