Counts and Dukes of Linhares
Encyclopedia
Linhares
Linhares is the name of a municipality in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, 135 km north of the state capital, Vitória. It is the largest municipality by area in the state, at 9,501.6 km², and has a population of 130,901 people ....
(in Portuguese Conde de Linhares) was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree of king John III of Portugal
John III of Portugal
John III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile...
dated from May 13th, 1532, and granted 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:...
António de Noronha, 2nd son of Pedro de Menezes, 1st Marquis of Vila Real
Marquis of Vila Real
Marquis of Vila Real was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from March 1, 1489, by King John II of Portugal, and granted to Dom Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter II of Menezes, 3rd Count of Vila Real.The House of Vila Real was the most powerful aristocratic House...
.
This family went to live in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and remained faithful to the Spanish Habsburgs even after the Portuguese revolution of 1 December 1640, so the new Dynasty of Braganza no longer recognized them as Counts of Linhares.
Later, in the 19th Century, Queen Maria I of Portugal
Maria I of Portugal
Maria I was Queen regnant of Portugal and the Algarves from 1777 until her death. Known as Maria the Pious , or Maria the Mad , she was the first undisputed Queen regnant of Portugal...
, granted again the title of count of Linhares (second creation), by a royal decree dated from December 17th, 1808, to Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho (1745-1812), Governor of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Portuguese ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and a remarkable statesman.
First creation (1532)
- António de Noronha (1464-1551), 1st Count of Linhares;
- Francisco de Noronha (1507-1574), 2nd Count of Linhares;
- Fernando de Noronha (c.1540-1608), 3rd Count of Linhares;
- Miguel de Noronha (c.1585-1647), 4th Count of Linhares;
- Fernando de Noronha (c.1600- ? ), 5th Count and 1st Duke of Linhares (not recognized in Portugal);
- Miguel de Noronha (1645- ? ), 6th Count and 2nd Duke of Linhares (not recognized in Portugal).
Second creation (1808)
- Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho (1745-1812), 1st Count of Linhares;
- Vitório Maria de Sousa Coutinho (1790-1857), 2nd Count of Linhares;
- Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho (17823-1894), 3rd Count of Linhares;
- Fernando de Sousa Coutinho (1850-1897), 4th Count of Linhares;
- Nuno de Sousa Coutinho (1854-1929), 5th Count of Linhares;
- Carlos de Sousa Coutinho (1880- ? ), 6th Count of Linhares;
- Nuno de Sousa Coutinho (1914-2006), 7th Count of Linhares.
The Dukes of Linhares/Liñares (Spanish title)
After 1640, to reward Fernando de Noronha, 5th Count of Linhares, fidelity to the Spanish HabsburgsHabsburg Spain
Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries , when Spain was ruled by the major branch of the Habsburg dynasty...
, King Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
upgraded the title of Count to Duke of Linhares. However, as he was no longer King of Portugal, this title was never recognized in Portugal, but it still exists in Spain as Duke of Liñares once, in 1667, King Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
changed it to the Spanish spelling.
The title of Duke of Liñares was later inherited by the Spanish Fernando de Lancastre y Noroña, Marquis of Porto Seguro
Marquis of Porto Seguro
Marquis of Porto Seguro was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree of king Philip III of Portugal dated from 8 April, 1627, and granted to D...
, Duke of Abrantes and Duke of Liñares (all these three titles were granted by King Philip IV
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
after 1640, to reward the fidelity of some Portuguese aristocrats to the Habsburgs and are not valid in Portugal).