Count of Vidigueira
Encyclopedia
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
title of nobility awarded by King Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
to Dom
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
, who discovered the maritime route from Europe to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The title was created by a royal decree issued in Évora
Évora
Évora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....
on December 29, 1519, after an agreement signed in the 4th November between Vasco da Gama and Dom Jaime, Duke of Braganza
Jaime, Duke of Braganza
James was the older son of Ferdinand II, 3rd Duke of Braganza and of his wife, Isabella of Viseu and he became the fourth Duke of Braganza following his father's death.His father and one of his uncles were...
, who ceded him the towns of Vidigueira
Vidigueira
Vidigueira is a municipality in Portugal, with a total area of 316.0 km² and a total population of 6,019 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of four parishes, and is located in the District of Beja....
and Vila de Frades, granting D.Vasco da Gama and his heirs and successors all the revenues and privileges related.
Vasco da Gama was then the 1st Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
of the Seas of India and in 1524 would became the 6th Governor of Portuguese India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
under the title of 2nd Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
.
Following the expulsion of the Spanish Habsburgs from the throne of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1640, the new King John IV of Portugal
John IV of Portugal
|-|John IV was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1640 to his death. He was the grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, who had in 1580 claimed the Portuguese crown and sparked the struggle for the throne of Portugal. John was nicknamed John the Restorer...
granted this family the new title of Marquis
Marquis
Marquis is a French and Scottish title of nobility. The English equivalent is Marquess, while in German, it is Markgraf.It may also refer to:Persons:...
of Nisa
Nisa
-Locations:*Nısa - a village in Azerbaijan*Nisa, Portugal - a municipality in the district of Portalegre*Nisa, Turkmenistan - an ancient city , first capital of the Parthians-Organizations:*The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency in Japan....
(Portuguese: Marquês de Nisa) by a royal decree dated October 18, 1646.
When the 4th Marchioness and 8th Countess, Maria Josefa da Gama, married the 5th Count of Unhão, the three titles were later inherited by their son, Rodrigo Xavier Teles de Castro da Gama (1744–1784), who became 10th Count of Vidigueira, 6th Marquis of Nisa and 6th Count of Unhão.
List of the Counts of Vidigueira (1499) and Marquesses of Nisa (1646)
- Vasco da GamaVasco da GamaVasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
(1469–1524), 6th Governor and 2nd ViceroyViceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of Portuguese IndiaPortuguese IndiaThe Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
, 1st Count of Vidigueira, 1st AdmiralAdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
of the Seas of India; - Francisco da Gama (c.1510-?), 2nd Count of Vidigueira;
- Vasco da Gama (c.1530-1578), 3rd Count of Vidigueira;
- Francisco da Gama (1565–1632), 33rd Governor and 16th ViceroyViceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
and 42nd GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
and 22nd ViceroyViceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of Portuguese IndiaPortuguese IndiaThe Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
, 4th Count of Vidigueira; - Vasco Luís da Gama (1612–1676), 5th Count of Vidigueira and 1st Marquis of Nisa;
- Francisco Luís Baltazar da Gama (1636–1707), 6th Count of Vidigueira and 2nd Marquis of Nisa;
- Vasco José Luís da Gama (1662–1735), 7th Count of Vidigueira and 3rd Marquis of Nisa;
- Maria Josefa da Gama (1712–1750), 8th Countess of Vidigueira and 4th Marchioness of Nisa;
- Vasco José da Gama (1733–1757), 9th Count of Vidigueira and 5th Marquis of Nisa;
- Rodrigo Xavier Teles de Castro da Gama (1744–1784), 10th Count of Vidigueira, 6th Marquis of Nisa and 6th Count of Unhão;
- Eugénia Maria Teles de Castro da Gama (1776–1839), 11th Countess of Vidigueira, 7th Marchioness of Nisa and 7th Countess of Unhão;
- Tomás Xavier Teles de Castro da Gama (1796–1820), 12th Count of Vidigueira, 8th Marquis of Niza and 8th Count of Unhão;
- Domingos Vasco Teles da Gama (1817–1873), 13th Count of Vidigueira, 9th Marquis of Niza and 9th Count of Unhão;
- Tomás Francisco Teles da Gama (1839–1903), 14th Count of Vidigueira;
- José Xavier Teles da Gama (1877–1941), 15th Count of Vidigueira, 10th Marquis of Nisa;
- Manuel Teles da Gama Soares Cardoso (1904- ? ), 11th Marquis of Nisa;
- Maria Constança Teles da Gama Soares Cardoso (born 1926), 16th Countess of Vidigueira, 12th Marchioness of Nisa and 10th Countess of Unhão.
See also
- List of Marquesses in Portugal
- List of Countships in Portugal
- Count of Unhão