D. Felipe da Silva was a Portuguese

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...

 soldier

Soldier

A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...

 in the service of 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...

.

Felipe was the son of D. Filipa da Silva (1550–1590), 4th Countess of Portalegre and of D. Juan de Silva

Juan de Silva

Juan de Silva was a Spanish military commander and governor of the Philippines, from April 1609 until his death on April 19, 1616.De Silva was a native of Trujillo, Spain, and a knight of the Order of Santiago...

 (1528-1601), Spanish 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....

 to the court of King Sebastian and Count of Salinas

Salinas

-People:*Anita Reeves Salinas, Chilean television, film and theatre actress*Camilo Salinas, Chilean musician*Carlos Salinas de Gortari, a Mexican president*Francisco de Salinas, a 16th century Spanish music theorist*Francisco Vidal Salinas, Chilean politician...

. His brother was D. Manrique da Silva, 1st Marquis of Gouveia, mordomo-mor of King John IV

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...

 of Portugal and member of his privy council.

In 1638 Felipe da Silva was part of the War Council of Flanders, along with the Marquis of Mirabel

Mirabel

Mirabel most often refers to Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Quebec, Canada.Mirabel or Mirabell may also refer to:*Mirabel , a female given name-Canada:*Mirabel, Quebec, a city northwest of Montreal...

 and the Marquis of Cerralvo

Cerralvo

Cerralvo is a municipality situated in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Cerralvo is located in the northeastern region of Nuevo León, in the Gulf Coastal Plain and in the northeastern agricultural and ranching economic zone that also includes the municipalities of Agualeguas, General Treviño,...

, Manuel Pimentel de Requesens Count of Feira

Count of Feira

Count of Feira was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1481, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to D...

, Claude de Rye, Baron of Valançon

Valançon

Claude de Rye de la Palud, Baron of Valançon was a General of the Artillery in Flanders under the service of Spain.The second son of Philibert de Rye , count of Varax and of deLa Roche-St...

 and the Baron of Grobbendonc.

After the Portuguese rebellion of December 1, 1640, he was held in custody at Burgos

Burgos

Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...

, being freed in 1643 after which we was ordered to proceed to Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 where he was promoted to Commander of the Spanish forces in Catalonia

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

, despite his age and the fact that he suffered from the gout

Gout

Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...

.

He led the conquest of Monzon

Monzón

Monzón is a small town in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It has a population of 17,050. It is located in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.-Historical overview:...

 (Montsó) in 1643 and of Lérida (Lleida) in 1644. He died that same year.

Bibliography

• Campaña de Cataluña de 1644, Contiene la batalla, sitio y toma de Lérida y el sitio que el enemigo puso sobre Tarragona sin conseguirla dins de Colección de documentos Inéditos para la Historia de España, Tom 95 - Madrid, 1890