António Luís de Meneses, 1st Marquis of Marialva and 3rd

Count of Cantanhede {{for, the Condal title, Count of Marialva Count of Cantanhede (in Portuguese ''Conde de Cantanhede'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 6 August 1479, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to '' D.'' P ...

(13 December 1596 – 16 August 1675) was a member of the

Forty Conspirators The Forty Conspirators ( Portuguese: ''Os Quarenta Conjurados''), were a Portuguese nationalist group during the Iberian Union. The Conspirators were composed of forty men of the Portuguese nobility, and many clergy and soldiers. Their goal w ...

and a Portuguese general who fought in the

Portuguese Restoration War The Restoration War (), historically known as the Acclamation War (''Guerra da Aclamação''), was the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, bringing a forma ...

, that ended the

Iberian Union The Iberian Union is a historiographical term used to describe the period in which the Habsburg Spain, Monarchy of Spain under Habsburg dynasty, until then the personal union of the crowns of Crown of Castile, Castile and Crown of Aragon, Aragon ...

between

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Biography

Meneses was born in a noble family - his father was Dom Pedro de Menezes, 2nd count of Cantanhede, and his mother Dona Constança de Gusmão (daughter of Rui Gonçalves da Câmara, 1st count of Vila Franca). Meneses was one of the

involved in the revolution against the

Spanish Habsburgs Habsburg Spain refers to Spain and the Hispanic Monarchy, also known as the Catholic Monarchy, in the period from 1516 to 1700 when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. In this period the Spanish Empire was at the zenith of its in ...

on 1 December 1640. He took active part in the storming of the residence and the capture of the Duchess of Mantua, who governed Portugal in the name of

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 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 for his patronage of the ...

(Philip III of Portugal). In 1641 he was assigned as general-commander (''mestre-de-campo'') of the Portuguese forces loyal to

John IV of Portugal ''Dom (honorific), Dom'' John IV (; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), also known by the Portuguese as John the Restorer (), was the List of Portuguese monarchs, King of Portugal from 1640 until his death in 1656. He Portuguese Restoration War, ...

, and he organized the defences against Spanish attacks. He participated in almost every battle of the Portuguese Restoration War between 1641 and 1665. His greatest victories were the

Battle of the Lines of Elvas The Battle of the Lines of Elvas (), was fought on 14 January 1659, in Elvas, between Portugal and Spain during the Portuguese Restoration War. It ended in a decisive Portuguese victory. Background By 1659, the Portuguese Restoration War which ...

in 1659 and the

Battle of Montes Claros The Battle of Montes Claros was fought on 17 June 1665, near Borba, Portugal, Borba, between Habsburg Spain, Spanish and a combined English Expedition to Portugal (1662-1668), Anglo-Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese force as the last major battle i ...

in 1665. After the success in the first battle the Count of Cantanhede received among several honors, the title of Marquis of Marialva on 11 June 1661. He was present at the signing of the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...

on 13 February 1668. After his victory at Montes Claros, he also worked to establish the Convent of São Pedro de Alcântara.

References

External links

1596 births 1675 deaths People from Cantanhede, Portugal Portuguese generals Portuguese military commanders of the Portuguese Restoration War 17th-century Portuguese military personnel Portuguese nobility Portuguese revolutionaries {{Portugal-noble-stub