Marshal of Portugal
Encyclopedia
The office of Marshal of the Kingdom of Portugal (Marechal do Reino de Portugal, sometimes Mariscal) was created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal
in 1382, in the course of the reorganization of the higher offices of the army of the Kingdom of Portugal
. The Marshal
was directly subordinate to the Constable of Portugal
(Condestável), being principally responsible for the high administrative matters, including the quartering of troops, supplies and other logistical matters.
Gonçalo Vasques de Azevedo was appointed the first Marshal of the Kingdom in 1382. The office then passed to his son-in-law, Gonçalo Vasques Coutinho, and was maintained within the Coutinho family (see Counts of Marialva) until the Iberian Union
of 1580. After the 1640 restoration of Portugal, the office was resurrected by King John IV of Portugal
, and maintained for a few more years.
The following is the list of title-holders. The date refers to the approximate year of appointment.
Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I , sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant , was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile...
in 1382, in the course of the reorganization of the higher offices of the army of the Kingdom of 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...
. The Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
was directly subordinate to the Constable of Portugal
Constable of Portugal
Constable of Portugal or Constable of the Kingdom was a title created by the King of Portugal Ferdinand I in 1382, to substitute the title Alferes Mór do Reino. The constable was the second most powerful person in the kingdom, after the King of Portugal...
(Condestável), being principally responsible for the high administrative matters, including the quartering of troops, supplies and other logistical matters.
Gonçalo Vasques de Azevedo was appointed the first Marshal of the Kingdom in 1382. The office then passed to his son-in-law, Gonçalo Vasques Coutinho, and was maintained within the Coutinho family (see Counts of Marialva) until the Iberian Union
Iberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
of 1580. After the 1640 restoration of Portugal, the office was resurrected by 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...
, and maintained for a few more years.
The following is the list of title-holders. The date refers to the approximate year of appointment.
List of the Marshals of the Kingdom of Portugal
- Gonçalo Vasques de Azevedo - 1383
- Gonçalo Vasques Coutinho, lord of Couto de Leomil - 1385
- Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, 1st Count of MarialvaVasco Fernandes Coutinho, 1st Count of MarialvaVasco Fernades Coutinho was a distinguished Portuguese nobleman, the 3rd Marshal of Portugal and 1st Count of Marialva .-Life:...
- c.1413. - D. Fernando (I) Coutinho - c. 1450
- D. Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho - c. 1480
- D. Fernando (II) Coutinho - c. 1500
- D. Álvaro Coutinho - c. 1530
- D. Fernando (III) Coutinho - c. 1560
- D. Fernando (IV) Coutinho - c. 1578
- D. Fernando de Mascarenhas, Conde de Serém - 1643
- D. Jorge de Mascarenhas, Conde de Serém - 1650