Os Grandes Portugueses

Last updated

Os Grandes Portugueses
GenreDocumentary
Developed by Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Presented by Maria Elisa
Country of originPortugal
Original languagePortuguese
No. of episodes24
Production
Production company Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Original release
Network RTP 1
Release15 October 2006 (2006-10-15) 
25 March 2007 (2007-03-25)

Os Grandes Portugueses (English: The Greatest Portuguese) was a public poll contest organized by the Portuguese public broadcasting station RTP and hosted by Maria Elisa. Based on BBC's 100 Greatest Britons, it featured individual documentaries advocating the top ten candidates. The final vote took place on 25 March 2007, the winner being António de Oliveira Salazar, Portugal's Prime Minister from 1932 to 1968.

Contents

Format

The series started in October 2006, with each episode featuring small groups of candidates considered amongst the Greatest Portuguese. Based on voting results, the list of 10 most voted-for personalities were revealed on 14 January 2007, in alphabetical order. All of the 10 finalists were deceased. The ten finalists were then featured in individual documentary episodes, followed by a second round of voting within these top ten. On 25 March the voting results for the final 10, and the full list of 100, was announced.

Results

There are 19 women in the final list of the top 100 Greatest Portuguese, with singer and actress Amália Rodrigues rating the highest, at number 14. The list included 33 then-living persons, with former president and prime minister Mário Soares rating the highest, at number 12. A total of 66 on the list (including the 33 then-living) are predominantly 20th century figures. Of the 100 candidates presented in the opening programs, the only (likely) fictional person was Brites de Almeida, a baker who legend says killed six Castilian soldiers during the 1335 Battle of Aljubarrota, a battle in which Portuguese independence was confirmed; she appeared at number 51 when the final list was released.

The Top-10

Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar, whose episode was presented by Jaime Nogueira Pinto, polled the most (41%); his lifelong communist political opponent Álvaro Cunhal was second (19%), and the diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes third (13%).

A simultaneous opinion poll conducted by Marktest showed that, given the choice of the finalists, Salazar was the favourite of only 11%. [1] RTP itself commissioned a simultaneous poll, conducted by Eurosondagem, which ranked Salazar 7th, with 6.6% of the vote, and Afonso I 1st with 21%. [2] The difference of these statistically conducted polls to the final result of the Os Grandes Portugueses program suggest that the voting for the program, consisting of voluntary telephone calls, may have been skewed by repeat voters in general or organized groups of repeat voters with vested interests. [3]

NameShare of
Top 10 votes
BirthDeathOccupation
Antonio Salazar-1.jpg António de Oliveira Salazar 41.0%18891970 President of the Council of Ministers for 36 years during the authoritarian period of the Estado Novo
Alvaro Cunhal.jpg Álvaro Cunhal 19.1%19132005 Communist leader during the Estado Novo regime and during the post-Carnation Revolution political scene
Aristides20I.jpg Aristides de Sousa Mendes 13.0%18851954Diplomat who fought against his own government for the safety of Jews living in Europe, during World War II, saving thousands of people.
Afonso I Henriques de Portugal.jpg Afonso I 12.4%11091185Founder and first king of Portugal
Luis de Camoes por Francois Gerard.jpg Luís de Camões 4.0%15241580 Epic and lyrical poet, author of the national epic Os Lusíadas
JoaoII-P.jpg John II 3.0%14551495Thirteenth king of Portugal and restorer of the Atlantic Ocean and African-coast explorations
Henry the Navigator1.jpg Henry the Navigator 2.7%13941460 Infante and fomenter of the Portuguese discoveries
216 2310-Fernando-Pessoa.jpg Fernando Pessoa 2.4%18881935 Modernist poet and writer widely known for the employment of multiple heteronyms
O marques de pombal, conde de Oeiras.jpg Marquês de Pombal 1.7%16991782Minister of Kingdom of José I and responsible for the reconstruction of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake
Vasco da Gama (Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu).jpg Vasco da Gama 0.7%14691524First explorer to discover the sea route from Europe to India

The other 90

PositionNameLived
11 Salgueiro Maia 1944–1992soldier, a key figure in the Carnation Revolution of 1974
12 Mário Soares 1924–2017former President of the Republic
13 Saint Anthony of Lisbon 1195–1231saint
14 Amália Rodrigues 1920–1999 fado singer
15 Eusébio 1942–2014football player
16 Francisco Sá Carneiro 1934–1980politician
17 Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa born 1937president of Futebol Clube do Porto
18 Nuno Álvares Pereira 1360–1431strategist and general
19 João Ferreira Annes de Almeida 1628–1691missionary
20 José Mourinho born 1963football team manager
21 Agostinho da Silva 1906–1994philosopher
22 Eça de Queiroz 1845–1900 realist writer
23 Egas Moniz 1874–1955doctor, first Portuguese to win a Nobel Prize
24 Denis of Portugal 1261–13256th king of Portugal
25 Fernando Nobre born 1951president of the AMI foundation
26 José Hermano Saraiva 1919–2012historian, TV host
27 Aníbal Cavaco Silva born 1939President of the Portuguese Republic, former Prime Minister
28 Humberto Delgado 1906–1965military officer and politician
29 Zeca Afonso 1929–1987singer-songwriter
30 Luís Figo born 1972football player
31 Marcelo Caetano 1906–1980politician and professor
32 Pedro Nunes 1502–1578scientist and mathematician
33Father António Vieira 1608–1697writer and preacher
34 Florbela Espanca 1894–1930poet
35 Ferdinand Magellan c. 1480–1521navigator
36 Maria de Lurdes Pintasilgo 1930–2004the only female prime-minister of Portugal
37 John I of Portugal 1357–143310th king of Portugal
38 Sophia de Mello Breyner 1919–2004writer and poet
39 Antonia Ferreira 1811–1896businesswoman
40 Father Américo 1887–1953philanthroper
41 António Damásio born 1944scientist
42 Afonso de Albuquerque 1462–1515military strategist and governor of India
43 Manuel I of Portugal 1469–152114th king of Portugal
44 José Saramago 1922–2010*Nobel-laureate writer
45 Elizabeth of Portugal 1271–1336The Saint Queen, queen consort of Portugal
46 Catarina Eufémia 1928–1954popular heroine
47 Carlos Paredes 1925–2004Portuguese guitarra player and composer
48 José Sócrates born 1957former Prime Minister of Portugal
49 Pedro Álvares Cabral 1467–1520navigator who discovered Brazil
50 Ruy de Carvalho born 1927actor
51 Brites de Almeida, The Baker of Aljubarrota 14th centurypopular heroine
52 Alberto João Jardim born 1943president of the Autonomous Region of Madeira
53 Almada Negreiros 1893–1970 modern painter and writer
54 Vasco Gonçalves 1921–2005military officer and politician
55 Álvaro Siza Vieira born 1933architect
56 Belmiro de Azevedo 1938–2017businessman
57 Sousa Martins 1843–1897doctor
58 Maria do Carmo Seabra born 1955former minister of Education
59Father António Andrade 1580–1624missionary explorer
60 Charles I of Portugal 1860–190832nd king of Portugal
61 Mariza born 1973 fado singer
62 Eleanor of Portugal 1458–1525queen consort of Portugal
63 Rosa Mota born 1958athlete
64 António Teixeira Rebelo 1748–1825founder of the military school
65 Afonso III of Portugal 1210–12795th king of Portugal
66 Vítor Baía born 1969football goalkeeper
67 Bartolomeu Dias c. 1450–1500navigator
68 Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho 1936–2021military officer and politician
69 Cristiano Ronaldo born 1985football player
70 Herman José born 1954actor and comedian
71 Mary II of Portugal 1819–1853queen of Portugal
72 Carlos Lopes born 1947athlete
73 Afonso Costa 1871–1937politician
74 Fontes Pereira de Melo 1819–1887politician
75 Gago Coutinho 1869–1959geographer – first to cross the South Atlantic by plane
76 Ricardo de Araújo Pereira born 1974comedian
77 Manuel Sobrinho Simões born 1947doctor and scientist
78 Bocage 1765–1805poet
79 Hélio Pestana born 1985actor, teenage idol
80 Jorge Sampaio 1939–2021former President of the Portuguese Republic
81 António Champalimaud 1918–2004businessman
82 António Lobo Antunes born 1942writer
83 Gil Vicente c. 1465–1536playwright
84 Maria Helena Vieira da Silva 1908–1992painter
85 Miguel Torga 1907–1995writer
86 Natália Correia 1923–1993poet and writer
87 Edgar Cardoso 1913–2000engineer
88 Fernão Mendes Pinto c. 1510–1583explorer and writer
89 Sister Lúcia 1907–2005nun
90 Alfredo da Silva 1871–1942industrialist
91 Pedro Hispano c. 1205–1277 Pope John XXI
92 Damião de Góis 1502–1574 humanist writer and humanist
93 John IV of Portugal 1604–165620th king of Portugal
94 Joaquim Agostinho 1943–1984cyclist
95 Adelaide Cabete 1867–1935doctor
96 Almeida Garrett 1799–1854 romanticist writer
97 António Gentil Martins born 1930doctor
98 António Variações 1944–1984singer-songwriter
99 Paula Rego 1935-2022painter
100 Maria João Pires born 1944pianist

Os Piores Portugueses

The SIC Notícias programme Eixo do Mal (Axis of Evil) held a parallel vote for Os Piores Portugueses (The Worst Portuguese), also won by António de Oliveira Salazar.

Other editions

Other countries have produced similar shows; see Greatest Britons spin-offs

References

  1. "O melhor Português de sempre". Marktest.com. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  2. "SondagemGrandesPortugueses.pdf" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  3. Gomes, Adelino (27 March 2007). "Salazar ganhou um concurso, não uma eleição". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 March 2024.