João Afonso Telo, (died on 14 August 1385 in the

Battle of Aljubarrota The Battle of Aljubarrota was fought between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile on 14 August 1385. Forces commanded by King John I of Portugal and his general Nuno Álvares Pereira, with the support of English allies, opposed the a ...

), mayor of

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

in 1372, admiral of Portugal from 13751376, and sixth

Count of Barcelos Count of Barcelos (in Portuguese ''Conde de Barcelos'') is a title of nobility, the first to be granted in Portugal. It was created in 1298 by king Denis I and initially it was a non hereditary title, although most of the holders belonged to t ...

, was a member of the highest ranks of the nobility, member of the Téllez de Meneses lineage as a descendant of Tello Pérez de Meneses.

Family relations

He was the son of Martim Afonso Telo de Meneses — '' mayordomo mayor'' of Maria of Portugal, queen consort as the wife of King

Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ...

— who was killed in 1356 following the orders of King

Peter of Castile Peter (; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called Peter the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for h ...

. His mother was Aldonça Anes de Vasconcelos, daughter of João Mendes de Vasconcelos, ''

Alcalde ''Alcalde'' (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and Administration (government), administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor (position), corregidor, the presiding officer o ...

'' of Estremoz, and Aldara Alfonso Alcoforado. He had one brother, Gonçalo Teles de Meneses,

Count of Neiva Count of Neiva (in Portuguese ''Conde de Neiva'') is a Portuguese title granted, in 1373 by King Ferdinand I of Portugal, to ''Dom'' Gonçalo Teles de Meneses, brother of Queen Leonor Telles de Meneses. '' Dom'' Gonçalo was also Lord of Faria ...

and Lord of Faria, and two sisters, Maria Teles, murdered by her second husband,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, and Leonor Teles, queen consort by her marriage with King

Ferdinand I of Portugal Ferdinand I (; 31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383), sometimes called the Handsome () or occasionally the Inconstant (), was the King of Portugal from 1367 until his death in 1383. He was also briefly made King of Galicia, in 1369 (a claim whi ...

. He also had a half-sister, Joana Teles de Meneses, the wife of Juan Alfonso Pimentel, Count of Benavente.

Life

During the third Fernandine War João Afonso Telo commanded the Portuguese fleet in the Battle of Saltes Island fought between the

Crown of Castille 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 accessio ...

, under the command of

Fernando Sánchez de Tovar Fernando (or Fernán) Sánchez de Tovar (died 1384) was a Crown of Castile, Castilian soldier and admiral. Soldier of Castile During the Castilian Civil War, Sánchez de Tovar initially supported King Peter the Cruel, who appointed him Adelantado ...

, and the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...

. The result of the battle was the destruction of the naval offensive capability of Portugal, achieving the Castilian naval supremacy in the Atlantic Ocean. Portuguese chronicler, Fernão Lopes in his ''Chronica de el-rei D. Fernando'' blamed the defeat on the arrogance and haughtiness of the Count of Barcelos. He participated in the assassination of Count Juan Fernández de Andeiro, alleged lover of Queen Leonor, and was present on 6 December 1383 when the master of the

Order of Aviz The Military Order of Aviz (), known previously to 1910 as the Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz (), and before 1789 as the Knights of Saint Benedict of Aviz () or ''Friars of Santa Maria of Évora'', is one of the four former ancien ...

, the future

John I of Portugal John I ( WP:IPA for Portuguese, �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 1383–85 crisi ...

, entered the queen's chambers to kill Fernández Andeiro. He switched loyalties later and supported the Castilian King, Juan I who made him Count of Mayorga, as the pretender to the Portuguese throne. He married Beatriz Alfonso de Alburquerque, an illegitimate daughter of

João Afonso de Albuquerque João Afonso de Albuquerque, (28 September 1354), Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque in Spanish and nicknamed "o do Ataúde", 6th Lord of Alburquerque, Badajoz, Alburquerque, was a member of the highest ranks of the nobility of the Kingdom of Portugal, ...

, the tutor and chancellor of King Peter of Castile, and of his mistress María Rodríguez Barba. His wife's sister married to João Afonso's brother, Gonçalo Teles. Even though he had issue with Beatriz, he had no grandchildren. João Afonso died in

Aljubarrota Aljubarrota () is a ''freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality of Alcobaça, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the parishes of Prazeres and São Vicente. Its population in 2011 was 6,639Battle of Saltes Island * Fernandine Wars

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Telo, João Afonso, 6th Count of Barcelos 14th-century births 1385 deaths Portuguese military personnel Portuguese admirals 14th-century Portuguese nobility People of the 1383–1385 Portuguese interregnum Medieval admirals