Manuel of Menezes (born c. 1530) was the second son of Pedro de Menezes (in English, Peter (III) of Menezes) 5th

Marquis of Vila Real Marquis of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Marquês de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 1 March 1489, by King John II of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter II of ...

and of his wife, Beatrice of Lara (daughter of Afonso, 8th

Constable of Portugal Constable of Portugal ({{langx, pt, Condestável de Portugal) was an office created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, to replace the High Standard-bearer ('' Alferes-Mor'') as the head of the Portuguese Military. It was also referred as the ...

). Initially, he was baptized Manuel of Noronha, but when his older brother (the 4th Marquis of Vila Real) died unexpectedly without issue in 1564, he inherited his house and changed his

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

from

Noronha Noronha is a family name that is found among some aristocratic families in Portugal, and in areas such as Brazil, India, Mozambique, Angola and Macau that were colonized by the Portuguese. The family has its origins in the marriage of Alfonso E ...

to Menezes, once this was the name used by the Heads of the House of Vila Real. He inherited all titles and honours, becoming 5th

as well as all the subsidiary titles of this House: 7th

Count of Vila Real Count of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Conde de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 2nd Count o ...

, 4th Count of Alcoutim, 5th

Count of Valença Count of Valença (in Portuguese ''Conde de Valença'') was a Portuguese title of nobility, created by a royal decree, dated from July 20, 1464, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to ''Dom'' Henrique de Menezes, who was already 3rd Coun ...

and 7th Governor of Ceuta. When King

Sebastian of Portugal Sebastian ( ; 20 January 1554 – 4 August 1578) was King of Portugal from 11 June 1557 to 4 August 1578 and the penultimate Portuguese monarch of the House of Aviz. He was the son of João Manuel, Prince of Portugal, and his wife, Joanna of Aus ...

visited for the first time

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

, '' Dom'' Manuel, as Governor of the city, received the monarch with extreme magnificence. In recognition of his strong support during the

1580 Portuguese succession crisis The Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 () emerged as a result of the disappearance of young King Sebastian I of Portugal in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in 1578 and the death without issue of his successor and great-uncle Henry I in 1580. As ...

Philip I of Portugal Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He was also ''jure uxoris'' K ...

rewarded him the new title of

Duke of Vila Real Duke of Vila Real (in Portuguese ''Duque de Vila Real'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by royal decree, dated from February 28, 1585, by King Philip I of Portugal (also known as Philip II of Spain), and granted to '' Dom'' Manuel de ...

, on 28 February 1585.

Marriage and children

He married D. Maria da Silva (granddaughter of the 2nd

Count of Redondo Count of Redondo (Portuguese: ''Conde de Redondo'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1481, by King Manuel I of Portugal, and granted to D. Vasco Coutinho, the son of Fernando Coutinho, Marshall of Portugal. List ...

), a chamberlady of Queen

Catherine of Austria Catherine of Habsburg or Catherine of Austria may refer to: * Catherine of Habsburg (1256–1282), daughter of Rudolf I of Germany and wife of Otto III, Duke of Bavaria * Catherine of Austria, Duchess of Calabria (1295–1323), daughter of Albert I ...

, wife of King

John III of Portugal John III ( ; 6 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious ( Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarve from 1521 until he died in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of ...

. They had 8 children: * Miguel Luis de Menezes, 1st

Duke of Caminha Duke of Caminha (Portuguese: ''Duque de Caminha'') was a title created by royal decree, dated 14 December 1620, by King Philip III of Portugal (also known as Philip IV of Spain) for ''Dom'' Miguel Luís de Menezes, 6th Marquis of Vila Real and ...

and 6th

; *Jorge de Lara, died in childhood; * Luis de Noronha e Menezes, 7th

*Beatrice de Lara, married to

Pietro de' Medici Don Pietro de' Medici (3 June 1554 – 25 April 1604) was the youngest son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo. Early in 1571 he went to Rome and in the spring of 1575 he went to Venice. In 1571 he married his f ...

, Prince of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

; *Juliana de Lara, married to Sancho de Noronha, 6th

Count of Odemira Count of Odemira (in Portuguese ''Conde de Odemira'') was a Portuguese title of nobility granted to D. Sancho de Noronha by royal decree issued on 9 October 1446, by King Afonso V of Portugal. Sancho de Noronha was the third son of Alfonso, ...

; *Filipa de Lara, a nun in the Sant'Ana monastery, in

Leiria Leiria () is a city and municipality in the Central Region, Portugal, Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, after Coimbra, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat o ...

; *Maria de Lara, a nun in the Sant'Ana monastery, in

; *Joana de Lara, married to the Portuguese nobleman João Álvares Pais de Menezes de Albuquerque

External links

Genealogy of Manuel de Menezes, Duke of Vila Real, in Portuguese

Bibliography

*”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil” – Vol. III, pages 527. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989. Portuguese nobility Dukes of Vila Real 1530s births Year of death unknown Governors of Portuguese Ceuta 16th-century Portuguese people {{Portugal-noble-stub

Marriage and children

See also

External links

Bibliography