Duke of Victoria () is a Portuguese title of nobility retained by the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

. The title was created by Prince Regent John of Portugal (later King John VI) on 18 December 1812 to honour the British General Arthur Wellesley, who commanded the armies that eventually defeated the troops of

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Napoleon I of France Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. It was the only grant of a Portuguese dukedom to a foreigner. Arthur Wellesley had already received the Portuguese titles Conde de Vimeiro (''Count of Vimeiro'', 18 October 1811) and Marquês de Torres Vedras (''Marquess of Torres Vedras'', 17 December 1812), which became titles subsidiary to that of Duque da Vitória. He also received the British peerage title Duke of Wellington, and other titles and honours from the

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, and the

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. All these titles have been passed to his heirs to the present day.

Dukes of Victoria since 1812

* Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Victoria (1769–1852) from 1812 * Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Victoria (1807–1884) from 1852 * Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Victoria (1846–1900) from 1884 * Arthur Charles Wellesley, 4th Duke of Victoria (1849–1934) from 1900 until 1934 * Arthur Charles Wellesley, 5th Duke of Victoria (1876–1941) from 1934 * Henry Valerian George Wellesley, 6th Duke of Victoria (1912–1943) from 1941 * Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Victoria (1885–1972) from 1943 * Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Victoria (1915–2014) from 1972 * Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Victoria (b. 1945) since 2014 The heir apparent is the present holder's son Arthur Gerald Wellesley, whose heir apparent is his son Arthur Darcy Wellesley.

Family tree

Use of titles of nobility in the Portuguese Republic

With the end of the Portuguese monarchy in 1910, all titles of

Portuguese nobility 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 ...

were initially abolished. Notwithstanding, although the status of nobility has not been recognised in law since 1910, legitimate titles of nobility (those granted by a reigning monarch before 5 October 1910) have been given legal recognition and protection, including under article 26 of the Portuguese Constitution, in conjunction with articles 70 and 72 of the Civil Code, as established by decision of Portugal's Supreme Court of Justice in 2014.Judgment of the Supreme Court of Justice
- website Instituto de Gestão Financeira e Equipamentos da Justiça (IGFEJ) of the Portuguese Ministry of Justice

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duque Da Vitoria *

Vitoria Vitoria or Vitória may refer to: People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Sofia Vitória ( ...

* 1812 establishments in Portugal

Dukes of Victoria since 1812

Family tree

Use of titles of nobility in the Portuguese Republic

See also

References