Fernando de Castro
Encyclopedia
Dom
Fernando de Castro (c.1380 - off Cape St. Vincent
, April 1440 or 1441) was a 15th C. Portuguese
nobleman, diplomat and military figure. Fernando de Castro was the 1st Lord of Paúl de Boquilobo. He was a member of the royal council of John I of Portugal
, and governor of the household of Prince Henry the Navigator.
. He was a younger son of Pedro de Castro, Lord of Cadaval (son of Álvaro Pires de Castro
) and Leonor Telo de Meneses (daughter of D. João Afonso Telo de Menezes, 1st Count of Ourém
). Fernando de Castro is described by chronicler Ruy de Pina as a man of "noble blood, prudent, of good counsel and good estates"
, and was appointed by him as governor of the household
of Prince Henry the Navigator. He is sometimes designated as Fernando de Castro o Velho ('the old'), to distinguish him from his younger cousin and namesake, Fernando de Castro o Moço ('the boy') or o Cegonho ('the stork'), who became governor of the household of Pince Ferdinand the Saint around the same time.
Along with his elder brother D. João de Castro (the next Lord of Cadaval), D. Fernando de Castro participated in the Battle of Ceuta
in 1415.. The Castro brothers were said to be the principal officers in charge of the expulsion of the Muslim citizens from the city.
In 1416, Fernando de Castro was dispatched by King John I of Portugal
as the Portuguese ambassador to the Council of Constance
. In April, 1423, Fernando de Castro headed a Portuguese embassy to the Ávila court of John II of Castile
, to witness the long-delayed ratification of the 1411 peace
between Portugal
and Castile
.
was losing interest in the Canary Islands
, Prince Henry the Navigator decided to launch an armed expedition to seize the unconquered islands of that archipelago. The large Portuguese expeditionary force, some 2,500 infantry and 120 knights, was placed under the command of Fernando de Castro. It was a fiasco. Landing at Gran Canaria
, the expeditionary force faced stiff resistance from the aboriginal Guanches
, and were unable to get off the beach. Realizing, too late, that he had not brought along sufficient supplies for so many troops on the beach (water could only be obtained inland), Fernando de Castro decided to cancel the expedition and returned to Portugal.
Castile lodged a stern protest immediately. There would not be another attempt.
Despite his connection with the Canaries enterprise, in 1432, Fernando de Castro was sent to Castile again on another diplomatic mission - this time, to witness the ratification of the 1431 peace treaty. In February 1432, John I granted Fernando de Castro the bailiwick (sesmaria) of Paul de Trava (near Santarém
). In 1434, he swapped that benefice for the lordship of Paúl de Boquilobo (near Golegã). Fernando de Castro was also lord of Ançã
, São Lourenço do Bairro and alcaide-mor of Covilhã
. It was around this time (1434) that Fernando de Castro also served as regedor in the Casa do Cível (lower court of appeals) in Lisbon
.
, led by Prince Henry the Navigator. As governor of Prince Henry's household, Fernando de Castro led the company of knights and squires of Henry's household, taking along his own sons Álvaro de Castro and Henrique de Castro. At the siege of Tangier
, Fernando de Castro commanded the right wing of the Portuguese expeditionary force.. The siege ended disastrously. In October 1437, the armies of Marinid
Morocco trapped the Portuguese expeditionary force in their siege camp, and starved it to submission. In order to preserve his army from destruction, Henry the Navigator negotiated a treaty to restore Ceuta
to the Moroccos, handing over his own brother, Ferdinand the Saint Prince to the Marinids as a hostage, until the terms were fulfilled. Fernando de Castro was placed in charge of bringing the defeated troops to Portugal, while Henry the Navigator went off to Ceuta.
As it turns out, the Portuguese Cortes refused to ratify the treaty, preferring to retain Ceuta and leave Ferdinand in Moroccan captivity. But around 1440, disregarding the Cortes, the new Portuguese regent Peter of Coimbra decided to fulfill the treaty nonetheless, and swap Ceuta for his imprisoned brother. He placed Fernando de Castro, his most experienced diplomat, in charge of the operation. Castro was to lead a flotilla to Ceuta
and demand the city from its governor Fernando de Noronha
, and make the preparations for the evacuation of the Portuguese garrison and the handover of the city to the Marinid
s. In the meantime, an embassy under Gomes Eanes and Martim de Tavora was to proceed to Asilah
to receive the released Ferdinand from the strongman Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Wattasi
, governor of the Marinid
palace of Fez
(called Lazeraque by the Portuguese chroniclers).
It is said that Fernando de Castro openly fantasized that the released Infante Ferdinand might marry his own daughter, and prepared a rich and well-stocked expedition, packing the ships with banquet finery, an entourage of notables, and a bodyguard of some 1200 troops. Castro's flotilla set out from Lisbon in April 1440 or 1441 (the exact date is disputed),. But upon turning around the Cape St. Vincent
, the lead ship, carrying Castro, was intercepted and overpowered by Genoese
corsair
s. Fernando de Castro was killed in the scuffle with the pirates, who plundered his ship and scampered off before it could be rescued by the other ships of the fleet. There is some suspicion that Noronha (who was known to be firmly against the swap) may have had a role in directing the pirates.
The Portuguese fleet put in at Tavira and buried Fernando de Castro in the local Franciscan cloister. Hearing the news of the Castro's death, Peter of Coimbra instructed Fernando de Castro's son Álvaro de Castro, to take over his father's credentials and fulfil the mission in Ceuta. As it turns, out the negotiations with Abu Zakariya failed, and Ceuta was not evacuated. Ferdinand the Saint would die in Moroccan captivity in 1443.
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:...
Fernando de Castro (c.1380 - off Cape St. Vincent
Cape St. Vincent
Cape St. Vincent , next to the Sagres Point, on the so-called Costa Vicentina , is a headland in the municipality of Sagres, in the Algarve, southern Portugal.- Description :This cape is the southwesternmost point in Portugal...
, April 1440 or 1441) was a 15th C. Portuguese
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
nobleman, diplomat and military figure. Fernando de Castro was the 1st Lord of Paúl de Boquilobo. He was a member of the royal council of John I of Portugal
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
, and governor of the household of Prince Henry the Navigator.
Background
Fernando de Castro was a member of the powerful House of CastroHouse of Castro
The House of Castro, is believed to have had its origins in Castile, the name deriving from the town of Castrogeriz , and had deep branches in Galicia.-Origins and Brief History:...
. He was a younger son of Pedro de Castro, Lord of Cadaval (son of Álvaro Pires de Castro
Álvaro Pires de Castro
Álvaro Pires de Castro , was a powerful Galician-Portuguese nobleman, stem of the Portuguese branch of the House of Castro...
) and Leonor Telo de Meneses (daughter of D. João Afonso Telo de Menezes, 1st Count of Ourém
Count of Ourém
Count of Ourém is a Portuguese title granted, in 1370 by King Fernando I of Portugal, to Dom João Afonso Telo de Meneses, uncle of Queen Leonor Telles de Menezes...
). Fernando de Castro is described by chronicler Ruy de Pina as a man of "noble blood, prudent, of good counsel and good estates"
Early Years
Fernando de Castro was a member of the royal council of John I of PortugalJohn I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
, and was appointed by him as governor of the household
Medieval household
The medieval household was, like modern households, the centre of family life for all classes of European society. Yet in contrast to the household of today, it consisted of many more individuals than the nuclear family...
of Prince Henry the Navigator. He is sometimes designated as Fernando de Castro o Velho ('the old'), to distinguish him from his younger cousin and namesake, Fernando de Castro o Moço ('the boy') or o Cegonho ('the stork'), who became governor of the household of Pince Ferdinand the Saint around the same time.
Along with his elder brother D. João de Castro (the next Lord of Cadaval), D. Fernando de Castro participated in the Battle of Ceuta
Battle of Ceuta
The Battle of Ceuta and the subsequent conquest of the Wattasid city of Ceuta by the Portuguese had its roots in the earliest years of the House of Aviz dynasty of Portugal...
in 1415.. The Castro brothers were said to be the principal officers in charge of the expulsion of the Muslim citizens from the city.
In 1416, Fernando de Castro was dispatched by King John I of Portugal
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
as the Portuguese ambassador to the Council of Constance
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance is the 15th ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418. The council ended the Three-Popes Controversy, by deposing or accepting the resignation of the remaining Papal claimants and electing Pope Martin V.The Council also condemned and...
. In April, 1423, Fernando de Castro headed a Portuguese embassy to the Ávila court of John II of Castile
John II of Castile
John II was King of Castile from 1406 to 1454.He was the son of Henry III of Castile and his wife Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster by Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile.-Regency:He succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, at the age of...
, to witness the long-delayed ratification of the 1411 peace
Treaty of Ayllón
The Treaty of Ayllón was a peace treaty signed between the Kingdom of Portugal and Crown of Castile in 1411....
between Portugal
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
and Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
.
Expedition to Gran Canaria
In 1424, sensing that the Crown of CastileCrown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
was losing interest in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Prince Henry the Navigator decided to launch an armed expedition to seize the unconquered islands of that archipelago. The large Portuguese expeditionary force, some 2,500 infantry and 120 knights, was placed under the command of Fernando de Castro. It was a fiasco. Landing at Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, with a population of 838,397 which constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago...
, the expeditionary force faced stiff resistance from the aboriginal Guanches
Guanches
Guanches is the name given to the aboriginal Berber inhabitants of the Canary Islands. It is believed that they migrated to the archipelago sometime between 1000 BCE and 100 BCE or perhaps earlier...
, and were unable to get off the beach. Realizing, too late, that he had not brought along sufficient supplies for so many troops on the beach (water could only be obtained inland), Fernando de Castro decided to cancel the expedition and returned to Portugal.
Castile lodged a stern protest immediately. There would not be another attempt.
Despite his connection with the Canaries enterprise, in 1432, Fernando de Castro was sent to Castile again on another diplomatic mission - this time, to witness the ratification of the 1431 peace treaty. In February 1432, John I granted Fernando de Castro the bailiwick (sesmaria) of Paul de Trava (near Santarém
Santarém, Portugal
Santarém is a city in the Santarém Municipality in Portugal. The city itself has a population of 28,760 and the entire municipality has 64,124 inhabitants.It is the capital of Santarém District....
). In 1434, he swapped that benefice for the lordship of Paúl de Boquilobo (near Golegã). Fernando de Castro was also lord of Ançã
Ançã
Ançã is a town in Cantanhede, Portugal....
, São Lourenço do Bairro and alcaide-mor of Covilhã
Covilhã
Covilhã is a city in Covilha Municipality in Centro region, Portugal. The city proper has 36,723 inhabitants, and the municipality has an area of 555.6 km² with a total population of 53,501, being composed of 31 parishes. It is located in the Cova da Beira subregion, in the district of...
. It was around this time (1434) that Fernando de Castro also served as regedor in the Casa do Cível (lower court of appeals) in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
Tangier and After
D. Fernando de Castro participated in the ill-fated 1437 expedition to TangierBattle of Tangier (1437)
The 1437 Battle of Tangier, sometimes referred to as the Siege of Tangiers, refers to the attempt by a Portuguese expeditionary force to seize the Moroccan citadel of Tangier, and their subsequent defeat by the armies of the Marinid sultanate of Morocco....
, led by Prince Henry the Navigator. As governor of Prince Henry's household, Fernando de Castro led the company of knights and squires of Henry's household, taking along his own sons Álvaro de Castro and Henrique de Castro. At the siege of Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
, Fernando de Castro commanded the right wing of the Portuguese expeditionary force.. The siege ended disastrously. In October 1437, the armies of Marinid
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
Morocco trapped the Portuguese expeditionary force in their siege camp, and starved it to submission. In order to preserve his army from destruction, Henry the Navigator negotiated a treaty to restore Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
to the Moroccos, handing over his own brother, Ferdinand the Saint Prince to the Marinids as a hostage, until the terms were fulfilled. Fernando de Castro was placed in charge of bringing the defeated troops to Portugal, while Henry the Navigator went off to Ceuta.
As it turns out, the Portuguese Cortes refused to ratify the treaty, preferring to retain Ceuta and leave Ferdinand in Moroccan captivity. But around 1440, disregarding the Cortes, the new Portuguese regent Peter of Coimbra decided to fulfill the treaty nonetheless, and swap Ceuta for his imprisoned brother. He placed Fernando de Castro, his most experienced diplomat, in charge of the operation. Castro was to lead a flotilla to Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
and demand the city from its governor Fernando de Noronha
Fernando de Noronha, 2nd Count of Vila Real
Dom Fernando de Noronha was a 15th C. Castilian-Portuguese nobleman. He was the 2nd Count of Vila Real, a title which he acquired and shared by his marriage to Brites de Menezes, 2nd Countess of Vila Real and the third Portuguese governor of Ceuta from 1437.Fernando de Noronha united two...
, and make the preparations for the evacuation of the Portuguese garrison and the handover of the city to the Marinid
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
s. In the meantime, an embassy under Gomes Eanes and Martim de Tavora was to proceed to Asilah
Asilah
Asilah or Arzila is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 31 km from Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact...
to receive the released Ferdinand from the strongman Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Wattasi
Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Wattasi
Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Ziyan al-Wattasi Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Ziyan al-Wattasi (d.1448) Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Ziyan al-Wattasi (d.1448) (abū zakarīyā' yaḥyā ben ziyān al-waṭṭāsī was a vizier of the Marinid sultan of Fez, regent and effective strongman ruler of Morocco from 1420 until 1448. He...
, governor of the Marinid
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
palace of Fez
Fes, Morocco
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
(called Lazeraque by the Portuguese chroniclers).
It is said that Fernando de Castro openly fantasized that the released Infante Ferdinand might marry his own daughter, and prepared a rich and well-stocked expedition, packing the ships with banquet finery, an entourage of notables, and a bodyguard of some 1200 troops. Castro's flotilla set out from Lisbon in April 1440 or 1441 (the exact date is disputed),. But upon turning around the Cape St. Vincent
Cape St. Vincent
Cape St. Vincent , next to the Sagres Point, on the so-called Costa Vicentina , is a headland in the municipality of Sagres, in the Algarve, southern Portugal.- Description :This cape is the southwesternmost point in Portugal...
, the lead ship, carrying Castro, was intercepted and overpowered by Genoese
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
corsair
Corsair
Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
s. Fernando de Castro was killed in the scuffle with the pirates, who plundered his ship and scampered off before it could be rescued by the other ships of the fleet. There is some suspicion that Noronha (who was known to be firmly against the swap) may have had a role in directing the pirates.
The Portuguese fleet put in at Tavira and buried Fernando de Castro in the local Franciscan cloister. Hearing the news of the Castro's death, Peter of Coimbra instructed Fernando de Castro's son Álvaro de Castro, to take over his father's credentials and fulfil the mission in Ceuta. As it turns, out the negotiations with Abu Zakariya failed, and Ceuta was not evacuated. Ferdinand the Saint would die in Moroccan captivity in 1443.
Descendancy
D. Fernando de Castro married twice.- first marriage (c.1415) to Isabel de Ataíde (daughter of Martim Gonçalves de Ataíde, alcaide-mór of Chaves), produced:
- D. Álvaro de Castro, 1st Count of Monsanto
- D.Henrique de Castro, Prior of CratoPrior of CratoThe Prior of Crato , was the traditional title given to the head of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem in Portugal...
- D. Garcia de Castro, 2nd Lord of Paul de Boquilobo
- D. Maria de Castro, married Álvaro de Sousa, Lord of Miranda, alcaide-mór of Arronches and mordomo-mor of Afonso V of PortugalAfonso V of PortugalAfonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...
- D. Isabel de Castro, married Duarte de Menezes, 3rd Count of VianaDuarte de Menezes, 3rd Count of VianaDom Duarte de Menezes, was a 15th C. Portuguese nobleman and military figure. Duarte de Menezes was the 3rd Count of Viana do Alentejo, 2nd Count of Viana , Lord of Caminha and the first Portuguese captain of Alcácer-Ceguer.- Family :Duarte de Menezes was an illegitimate...
- D. Catarina de Castro, married Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches, later re-married Martinho de Ataíde, 1st Count of Atouguia
- second marriage to Mécia de Sousa produced
- D. Violente de Castro, Lady of MafraMafra, PortugalMafra is a town in Mafra Municipality in Portugal.The town is 28 km north-west from the center of Lisbon. It is mostly known for the sumptuous Palácio de Mafra , which also makes it a popular tourist destination in the Lisbon area...
- D.Margarida de Castro, married Jean de Neufchâtel, Lord of Montagu-Fontenoy.