José do Telhado or Zé do Telhado, nicknames of José Teixeira da Silva ( Castelões de Recesinhos,

Penafiel Penafiel ( or ) is a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality and former bishopric (now a Latin Catholic titular see) in the Norte Region, Portugal, northern Portugal, Portuguese Porto District, district of Porto. Capital of the Tâmega Subregion ...

22 June Events Pre-1600 *217 BC – Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. * 168 BC – Battle of Pydna: Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus defeat Macedonian King Perseus ...

1818 Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire. ** English author Mary Shelley publishes the novel ''Frankenstein ...

—

Mucari Mucari is a town and municipality in Malanje Province in Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Port ...

Malanje Malanje is the capital city of Malanje Province in Angola, with a population of 455,000 (2014 census), and a municipality, with a population of 506,847 (2014 census). Projected to be the thirteenth fastest growing city on the African continent be ...

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

1875 Events January * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the year (Third C ...

) was a Portuguese

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

. He served in the 2nd Lancers Regiment of the

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army () is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

, where he took part in July 1837 in a failed attempt to restore the

Constitutional Charter of 1826 The Charter of 1826 or ''Carta Constitucional'', often simply referred to as the ''Carta'', was the second constitution in Portuguese history. It was given to the country in 1826 by King Dom Pedro IV. The constitution remained in force, with th ...

. After this failed attempt, he took refuge in Spain. He returned to Portugal when a popular revolt grew against the anticlerical government of Costa Cabral, resulting in the 23 March 1846

Revolution of Maria da Fonte The Revolution of Maria da Fonte, or Revolution of the Minho, is the name given to a popular revolt in the spring of 1846 against the Cartista government of Portugal (presided over by António Bernardo da Costa Cabral, 1st Marquess of Tomar). T ...

, which he joined. He placed himself at the orders of General Sá da Bandeira. For his bravery in action he was awarded a knight of the

Order of the Tower and Sword The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit (), before 1917 the ancient and most noble order of the Tower and of the Sword, of valour, loyalty and merit (), is one of the four former ancient Portuguese milita ...

. However his faction lost, he collected debts of taxes he could not pay, and was expelled from the army. Soon after he became a notorious bandit. He was eventually captured in 31 March 1859, and presented to court in

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

9 December 1859. He was sentenced to

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

to the Portuguese colony of Angola where he lived for the remainder of his life in the area around

. He is regarded as a Portuguese equivalent of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

as he stole from the rich to give to the poor.Stead, Rorison & Scafidi p.296

Popular culture

Zé do Telhado's exploits rapidly became part of Portuguese

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

and have been an inspiration for a number of plays and novels. Several films have been made about him, including the 1929 silent film '' José do Telhado'', the 1945 film '' José do Telhado'' and ''

The Return of José do Telhado ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' in 1949.

References

Bibliography

* Mike Stead, Sean Rorison, Oscar Scafidi. ''Angola''. Bradt Travel Guides, 2013. 1818 births 1875 deaths Portuguese criminals Portuguese emigrants to Angola People from Penafiel 19th-century Portuguese people Outlaws {{Portugal-bio-stub