Fernando de Castro ( 1380 – April 1440 or 1441, off

Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...

) was a 15th-century

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, diplomat and military figure. Fernando de Castro was the 1st Lord of Paúl de Boquilobo. He was a member of the royal council of

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 ...

, and governor of the household of Prince

Henry the Navigator ''Dom'' Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator ( pt, Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15t ...

Background

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 ...

Fernando de Castro was a member of the powerful

House of Castro The House of Castro is an Iberian Nobility, noble lineage present in the since the Middle Ages in the kingdoms of Kingdom of Castile, Castile, Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia, and Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal. Though its exact origins are disputed, t ...

. He was a younger son of

Pedro de Castro, Lord of Cadaval 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 ...

(son of

Álvaro Pires de Castro Álvaro Pires de Castro (c. 1310 – 11 June 1384 in Lisbon) was a powerful Galician-Portuguese nobleman, stem of the Portuguese branch of the House of Castro. He was the first Count of Viana (da Foz do Lima), the first Count of Arraiolos and ...

) and Leonor Telo de Meneses (daughter of D. João Afonso Telo, 1st

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 ...

).Moreno, 1980: p.17n. Fernando de Castro is described by chronicler

Rui de Pina Rui (or Ruy) de Pina (1440–1522) was a Portuguese chronicler. Biography Rui (or Ruy) de Pina was a native of Guarda. He acted as secretary of the embassy sent by King John II of Portugal to Castile in the spring of 1482, and in the followin ...

as a man of "noble blood, prudent, of good counsel and good estates".

Early years

Fernando de Castro was a member of the royal council of

, and was appointed by him as governor of the

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

of Prince

. He is sometimes designated as Fernando de Castro ''o Velho'' ('the old'), to distinguish him from his younger cousin and namesake, Fernando de Castro ''o Moço'' ('the boy') or ''o Cegonho'' ('the stork'), who became governor of the household of Prince Ferdinand the Saint around the same time. Along with his elder brother D. João de Castro (the next Lord of Cadaval), D. Fernando de Castro participated in the

Conquest of Ceuta The conquest of Ceuta by the Portuguese on 21 August 1415 marks an important step in the beginning of the Portuguese Empire in Africa. History In 711, shortly after the Arab conquest of North Africa, the city of Ceuta was used as a stagin ...

in 1415. The Castro brothers were said to be the principal officers in charge of the expulsion of the Muslim citizens from the city. In 1416, Fernando de Castro was dispatched by King

as the Portuguese ambassador to the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the res ...

. In April, 1423, Fernando de Castro headed a Portuguese embassy to the

Ávila Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...

court of

John II of Castile John II of Castile ( es, link=no, Juan; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the ...

, to witness the long-delayed ratification of the 1411 peace between

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 ...

and Castile.

Expedition to Gran Canaria

In 1424, sensing that the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...

was losing interest in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, Prince

decided to launch an armed expedition to seize the unconquered islands of that archipelago. The large Portuguese expeditionary force, some 2,500 infantry and 120 knights, was placed under the command of Fernando de Castro. It was a fiasco. Landing at

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

, the expeditionary force faced stiff resistance from the aboriginal

Guanches The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean some west of Africa. It is believed that they may have arrived on the archipelago some time in the first millennium BCE. The Guanches were the only nativ ...

, and were unable to get off the beach. Realizing, too late, that he had not brought along sufficient supplies for so many troops on the beach (water could only be obtained inland), Fernando de Castro decided to cancel the expedition and returned to Portugal. Castile lodged a stern protest immediately. There would not be another attempt. Despite his connection with the Canaries enterprise, in 1432, Fernando de Castro was sent to Castile again on another diplomatic mission – this time, to witness the ratification of the 1431 peace treaty. In February 1432, John I granted Fernando de Castro the bailiwick (''sesmaria'') of Paul de Trava (near Santarém). In 1434, he swapped that benefice for the lordship of Paúl de Boquilobo (near

Golegã Golegã () is a town and municipality in Santarém District, Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 5,913,including the parish Pombalinho, that changed from the municipality of Santarém to Golegã in 2013 in an area of 84.32 ...

). Fernando de Castro was also lord of Ançã, São Lourenço do Bairro and ''alcaide-mor'' of

Covilhã Covilhã () is a city and a municipality in the Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 34,772 inhabitants in 2001. The municipality population in 2011 was 51,797, in an area of . It is located in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela subregion and B ...

. It was around this time (1434) that Fernando de Castro also served as ''regedor'' in the Casa do Cível (lower court of appeals) 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 ...

Tangier and after

D. Fernando de Castro participated in the ill-fated 1437 expedition to Tangier, led by Prince

. As governor of Prince Henry's household, Fernando de Castro led the company of knights and squires of Henry's household, taking along his own sons

Álvaro de Castro Álvaro Xavier de Castro () was Prime Minister of Portugal from 20 November to 30 November 1920 and from 18 December 1923 to 6 July 1924. Early career He was born in Guarda, on 9 November 1878. He was part of the Constitutional junta that gove ...

and Henrique de Castro. At the siege of

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

, Fernando de Castro commanded the right wing of the Portuguese expeditionary force. The siege ended disastrously. In October 1437, the armies of

Marinid The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) a ...

Morocco trapped the Portuguese expeditionary force in their siege camp, and starved it to submission. In order to preserve his army from destruction, Henry the Navigator negotiated a treaty to restore

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

to Morocco, handing over his own brother,

Ferdinand the Saint Prince Ferdinand the Holy Prince (; pt, Fernando o Infante Santo; 29 September 1402 – 5 June 1443), sometimes called the "Saint Prince" or the "Constant Prince", was an ''infante'' of the Kingdom of Portugal. He was the youngest of the " Illustrious G ...

to the Marinids as a hostage, until the terms were fulfilled. Fernando de Castro was placed in charge of bringing the defeated troops to Portugal, while Henry the Navigator went off to Ceuta. As it turns out, the Portuguese Cortes refused to ratify the treaty, preferring to retain Ceuta and leave Ferdinand in Moroccan captivity. But around 1440, disregarding the Cortes, the new Portuguese regent

Peter of Coimbra Infante D. Pedro, Duke of Coimbra KG (; en, Peter), (9 December 1392 – 20 May 1449) was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince) of the House of Aviz, son of King John I of Portugal and his wife Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt. I ...

decided to fulfill the treaty nonetheless, and swap Ceuta for his imprisoned brother. He placed Fernando de Castro, his most experienced diplomat, in charge of the operation. Castro was to lead a flotilla to

and demand the city from its governor

Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha () is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, and located off the Brazilian coast. It consists of 21 islands and islets, extending over an area of . Only the eponymous main island is inha ...

, and make the preparations for the evacuation of the Portuguese garrison and the handover of the city to the

s. In the meantime, an embassy under Gomes Eanes and Martim de Távora was to proceed to

Asilah Asilah (; ar, أزيلا or أصيلة; pt, Arzila; es, Arcila) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history da ...

to receive the released Ferdinand from the strongman

Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Wattasi Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Ziyan al-Wattasi (died 1448) (''abū zakarīyā' yaḥyā ben ziyān al-waṭṭāsī'' ar, أبو زكرياء يحيى بن زيان الوطاس was a vizier of the Marinid sultan of Fez, regent and effective strongman ...

, governor of the

palace of

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

(called ''Lazeraque'' by the Portuguese chroniclers). It is said that Fernando de Castro openly fantasized that the released Infante Ferdinand might marry his own daughter, and prepared a rich and well-stocked expedition, packing the ships with banquet finery, an entourage of notables, and a bodyguard of some 1200 troops. Castro's flotilla set out from Lisbon in April 1440 or 1441 (the exact date is disputed),. But upon turning around the

, the lead ship, carrying Castro, was intercepted and overpowered by Genoese corsairs. Fernando de Castro was killed in the scuffle with the pirates, who plundered his ship and scampered off before it could be rescued by the other ships of the fleet. There is some suspicion that Noronha (who was known to be firmly against the swap) may have had a role in directing the pirates. The Portuguese fleet put in at

Tavira Tavira () is a Portuguese town and municipality, capital of the ''Costa do Acantilado'', situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is east of Faro and west of Huelva across the river Guadiana into Spain. The Gilão ...

and buried Fernando de Castro in the local Franciscan cloister.Pina, p.112. The church of the monastery of São Francisco in Tavira was damaged in the

1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with ...

. Hearing the news of the Castro's death, Peter of Coimbra instructed Fernando de Castro's son

, to take over his father's credentials and fulfil the mission in Ceuta. As it turns, out the negotiations with Abu Zakariya failed, and Ceuta was not evacuated. Ferdinand the Saint would die in Moroccan captivity in 1443.

Descendancy

D. Fernando de Castro married twice. * first marriage (c. 1415) to Isabel de Ataíde (daughter of Martim Gonçalves de Ataíde, ''alcaide-mór'' of Chaves), produced: # D.

, 1st

Count of Monsanto Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

# D. Henrique de Castro,

Prior of Crato The Prior of Crato (''Prior do Crato''), was the traditional title given to the head of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Hospitaller) in Portugal. It is a reference to the domains of the order around Crato, Portugal. The Port ...

# D. Garcia de Castro, 2nd Lord of Paúl de Boquilobo # D. Maria de Castro, married Álvaro de Sousa, Lord of Miranda, ''alcaide-mór'' of Arronches and ''mordomo-mor'' of

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. ...

# D. Isabel de Castro, married

Duarte de Menezes, 3rd Count of Viana Dom Duarte de Menezes, ( Lisbon, 1414 – near Tétouan, Morocco, 20 January 1464) was a 15th-century Portuguese nobleman and military figure. Duarte de Menezes (sometimes modernized as 'de Meneses') was the 3rd Count of Viana do Alentejo, 2nd ...

# D. Catarina de Castro, married D.

Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches (c. 1390 – 20 May 1449) was an illustrious Portuguese knight and nobleman, with a long and illustrious career abroad in England. He was invested by the English king, Henry VI as the 1st Count o ...

, later remarried her first cousin D. Martinho de Ataíde, 2nd

Count of Atouguia Count of Atouguia (in Portuguese ''Conde de Atouguia'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 17 December 1448, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to D. Álvaro Gonçalves de Ataíde. This title became ...

* second marriage to Mécia de Sousa produced # D. Violente de Castro, Lady of

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 Repu ...

# D.Margarida de Castro, married Jean de Neufchâtel, Lord of Montagu-Fontenoy.

Notes

References

* ''Monumenta Henricina, Vol. VII, 1439–1443'', Manuel Lopes de Almeida et al., editors, 1965, University of Coimbra
p.176n
* Frei João Álvares c. 1460, ''Tratado da vida e dos feitos do muito vertuoso Senhor Infante D. Fernando'', first published 1527, Lisbon. Reprinted 1577, Coimbra. 1730 edition retitled ''Chronica dos feytos, vida, e morte do infante santo D. Fernando, que morreo em Fez'', Fr. Jeronimo dos Ramos, editor, Lisbon: M. Rodrigues
online
*

Ruy de Pina Rui (or Ruy) de Pina (1440–1522) was a Portuguese chronicler. Biography Rui (or Ruy) de Pina was a native of Guarda. He acted as secretary of the embassy sent by King John II of Portugal to Castile in the spring of 1482, and in the followin ...

(c. 1510) "Chronica d'el Rey D. Affonso V", first published 1790 in J.F. Correia da Serra, editor, ''Collecção de livros ineditos de historia portugueza''. Lisbon: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Vol. 1. (Repr. in 1901 edition, 3 vols, Gabriel Pereira, editor, Lisbon: Escriptorio
online
*

João de Barros João de Barros () (1496 – 20 October 1570), called the ''Portuguese Livy'', is one of the first great Portuguese historians, most famous for his ''Décadas da Ásia'' ("Decades of Asia"), a history of the Portuguese in India, Asia, and southea ...

(1552) ''Décadas da Ásia: Dos feitos, que os Portuguezes fizeram no descubrimento, e conquista, dos mares, e terras do Oriente.''
Vol. 1 (Dec I, Lib.1–5)
* H. Banquero Moreno (1980)''A Batalha de Alfarrobeira: antecedentes e significado histórico'', Coimbra University
p.17
* Quintella, Ignaco da Costa (1839) ''Annaes da Marinha Portugueza'', Lisbon: Academia Real das Sciencias
vol. 1
* Russell, P.E. (2000) ''Prince Henry 'the Navigator': a life'' New Haven, Conn: Yale University *

Gomes Eanes de Zurara Gomes Eanes de Zurara (c. 1410 – c. 1474), sometimes spelled Eannes or Azurara, was a Portuguese chronicler of the European Age of Discovery, the most notable after Fernão Lopes. Life and career Zurara adopted the career of letters in middle ...

(1453) ''Crónica dos feitos notáveis que se passaram na Conquista da Guiné por mandado do Infante D. Henrique'' or ''Chronica do descobrimento e conquista da Guiné''. [Trans. 1896–99 by C.R. Beazley and E. Prestage, ''The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea'', London: Halyut
v.1v.2

External links

Fernando de Castro
at geneall.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Fernando De Medieval Portuguese nobility Maritime history of Portugal 15th-century Portuguese people 1380s births 1440s deaths 14th-century Portuguese people