The Almeida clan was closely associated with King John II of Portugal played a pivotal role in the 1490s succession crisis, strongly backing John II's preferred candidate, Jorge de Lencastre against the eventual winner, Manuel, Duke of Beja.
According to Subrahmanyam (1997: 49), Lopo de Almeida, the first Count of Abrantes, had at least six notable sons:
D. João de Almeida - 2nd Count of Abrantes married D. Inês de Noronha (a niece of Christopher Columbus)
Jorge de Lencastre was a Portuguese prince, illegitimate son of King John II of Portugal and Ana de Mendonça, a lady-in-waiting to Joanna la Beltraneja. He was created the second Duke of Coimbra in 1509. He was also master of the Order of Santiago and administrator of the Order of Aviz from 1492 to 1550.
Estêvão da Gama was a wealthy Portuguese knight of the fifteenth century, best known as the father of explorer Vasco da Gama.
The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword is a Portuguese order of chivalry. Its full name is the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit.
João de Lencastre, was the older son of Jorge de Lencastre, Duke of Coimbra and of his wife Dona Beatriz of Vilhena.
Marquess of Abrantes was a Portuguese title of nobility, granted by a decree issued by King John V of Portugal on 24 June 1718, to Rodrigo Anes de Sá Almeida e Menezes, 3rd Marquess of Fontes and 7th Count of Penaguião.
Count of Penaguião is a Portuguese title of nobility, created by King Philip I of Portugal, on 10 February 1583, for Dom João Rodrigues de Sá.
Count of Assumar was a Portuguese title of nobility granted, on 30 March 1630, by King Philip III of Portugal, to D. Francisco de Melo, son of Constantino de Bragança, a junior member of the House of Cadaval.
Maria Margarida de Lorena, Duchess of Abrantes was the daughter of Dom Rodrigo de Mello (1688–1713), second child of Nuno Álvares Pereira de Melo, 1st Duke of Cadaval and of Ana Maria Catarina Henriqueta de Lorena, 1st Duchess of Abrantes.
Marquis of Alorna was a Portuguese title of nobility granted, on 9 November 1748, by King John V of Portugal, to D. Pedro Miguel de Almeida Portugal e Vasconcelos, 3rd Count of Assumar and 44th viceroy of India.
Count of Alvor was a Portuguese title of nobility granted by king Peter II of Portugal on 4 February 1683, to Francisco de Távora, second son of António Luís de Távora, 2nd Count of São João da Pesqueira.
Count of Vila Nova de Portimão was a Portuguese title of nobility granted on 28 May 1504, by King Manuel I of Portugal to D. Martinho de Castelo Branco, 2nd Lord of Vila Nova de Portimão.
The House of Abrantes descends from the ancient and noble Almeida family.
The Prior of Crato, was the traditional title given to the head of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Hospitaller) in Portugal. It is a reference to the domains of the order around Crato, Portugal.
The Seventh India Armada was assembled in 1505 on the order of King Manuel I of Portugal and placed under the command of D. Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of the Indies. The 7th Armada set out to secure the dominance of the Portuguese navy over the Indian Ocean by establishing a series of coastal fortresses at critical points – Sofala, Kilwa, Anjediva, Cannanore – and reducing cities perceived to be local threats.
Marquess of Lavradio is a Portuguese title of nobility created by Letters Patent of King José I of Portugal on 18 October 1753 for D. António de Almeida Soares de Portugal, 1st Count of Lavradio and 4th Count of Avintes.
The high office of Admiral of the Kingdom of Portugal as the head of the Portuguese navy was created by King Denis of Portugal in 1317 for the Genoese nobleman and naval officer Manuel Pessanha. Although there is evidence that such a title existed before, it seems to have been of only a temporary character, for fleets assembled in times of war. The exception was perhaps Nuno Fernandes Cogominho who seems to have been appointed admiral by King Denis in 1307, and still had that title at his death in 1316, although the conditions are unclear. Nonetheless, Manuel Pessanha was the first person known to hold the title of Almirante-mor as a permanent office for a permanent fleet. All the king's galleys were under his jurisdiction. The conditions of the Pessanha's title stipulated that he must maintain a corps of at least 20 Genoese naval officers at all times and was obliged to serve the king in military service on land as well as sea.
The Forty Conspirators were a Portuguese nationalist group during the Iberian Union. The Conspirators were composed of forty men of the Portuguese nobility, and many clergy and soldiers. Their goal was to depose the House of Habsburg king, Philip III.
D. Leonor de Almeida Portugal, 4th Marquise of Alorna, 8th Countess of Assumar was a Portuguese noblewoman, painter, and poet. Commonly known by her nickname, Alcipe, the Marquise was a prime figure in the Portuguese Neoclassic a proto-Romantic literary scene, while still a follower of Neoclassicism when it came to painting.
The Captaincies of the Azores were the socio-political and administrative territorial divisions used to settle and govern the overseas lands of the Azores by the Kingdom of Portugal. These territories, a segment of the Captaincies of the Portuguese Empire, which usually conformed to the individual islands, allowing the stewardship of the King through the Donatary and Captaincy system.
Lopo de Almeida (1416–1486) was the first Count of Abrantes bestowed with the title on June 13, 1476 by King D. Afonso V of Portugal.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
