Topic summary
Matias de Albuquerque
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Matias de Albuquerque, Count of Alegrete.
Matias de Albuquerque, Count of Alegrete (Olinda, colony of Brazil, 1580s – Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal, 9 June 1647) was a Portuguese colonial administrator and soldier. He was nicknamed "Hero of Two Continents" for his performance, beginning in 1624, against the Dutch invaders of colonial Brazil (Captaincy of Pernambuco) and for his role, beginning in 1641, as a general in Portugal, fighting for king John IV during the Portuguese Restoration War, where he won the battle of Montijo over the Spaniards in 1644. For this victory he was rewarded the title of Count of Alegrete by the king.