Fernando de Noronha, 2nd Count of Vila Real
Encyclopedia
Dom
Fernando de Noronha (Burgos
, c.1380 — Ceuta
, June 2 or 3, 1445) 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 prominent bastard lines of the crowns of Castile
and Portugal
. He was the second son from the marriage of Alfonso Enríquez de Castilla, count of Gijón y Noreña (a bastard son of King Henry II of Castile) and Isabel of Portugal
, Lady of Viseu
(an illegitimate daughter of King Ferdinand I of Portugal
). After the death of Alfonso of Gijón y Noreña in 1398, Isabel fled to the court of her uncle, King John I of Portugal
. Her children were raised in the Portuguese court, where they were known by their appellation Noronha
(Portuguese translation of Noreña
). Fernando's elder brother, Pedro de Noronha, would become an Archbishop of Lisbon.
On October 18, 1430, Fernando de Noronha married Brites de Menezes
, the daughter of the prominent Portuguese nobleman Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real
and first Portuguese governor of Ceuta
. Brites competed with her half-brother Duarte de Menezes
for her father's titles for herself and her consort. Fernando de Noronha secured the office of counciller and chamberlain
in the household of the royal prince and heir Infante Edward.
By a royal letter issued September 1434 by the now-enthroned King Edward of Portugal, Fernando and Brites succeeded in securing the inheritance of her father's title of Count of Vila Real
, leaving Duarte with the old family title of Count of Viana do Alentejo. Despite Duarte's notable military record as his father's lieutenant in Ceuta, Brites managed once again to pip out Duarte and secure the appointment (October, 1437) of her husband Fernando de Noronha as the next Portuguese governor of Ceuta, succeeding the late Pedro de Menezes.
Fernando de Noronha was appointed to Ceuta only days before a Portuguese expeditionary force, led by Henry the Navigator, was defeated by the army of Marinid
Morocco (see Battle of Tangier (1437)
). To save his army from destruction, Henry agreed to a treaty, signed on October 17, 1437, by which Portugal committed itself to deliver Ceuta back to the Marinids, in return for which the Portuguese prince Ferdinand the Saint Prince would remain as a hostage in Moroccan captivity until its fulfillment. As a result, upon his arrival in Ceuta, Noronha was surprised to hear that a treaty had been signed to evacuate the garrison he had just been appointed to command. Moreover, Prince Henry had sailed directly from Tangier to Ceuta and barricaded himself in his lodgings, sunk in a deep depression and refusing to talk with anyone. Noronha was not sure how to proceed.
By several accounts, Fernando de Noronha was determined not to lose this lucrative perch (his predecessor had made a substantial personal fortune from ransoms and pirate kickbacks.) Noronha probably had a role in stiffening Henry's resolve to write to King Edward from Ceuta, recommending the Portuguese renege on the treaty he had himself signed. But Henry's older brother, Peter of Coimbra, was set on fulfilling the treaty and securing Ferdinand release. In 1440, after Edward died and Peter became regent
of the realm, ambassadors were dispatched to Asilah
to negotiate the logistics of the swap of Ceuta for the captive Ferdinand. The Marinids' preliminary condition was that Fernando de Noronha be relieved from the office of governor of Ceuta - his reputation was such that the Marinid officials were certain Noronha would contrive to prevent the swap. Peter agreed, and in April 1440 (or 1441), he dispatched D. Fernando de Castro
at the head of a Portuguese flotilla, with instructions and credentials to take the city from Noronha, and begin the evacuation of the garrison. As it happens, before his arrival, Castro's flotilla was intercepted by Genoese
pirates and Castro killed - an incident in which some suspected Noronha might have had a hand (Ceuta had long served as a corsair's nest). Nonetheless, Peter of Coimbra hurriedly instructed Fernando's son, Álvaro de Castro, to take over his father's credentials and fulfill the mission.
As it happens, the logistics of the swap turned out to be more complicated than anticipated. Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Wattasi
, the vizier of the Marinid palace of Fez, promised to deliver Ferdinand only after Ceuta was evacuated and in his hands, but Castro (under the watchful eye and counsel of Noronha) rejected the proposal, demanding possession of Ferdinand first. Negotiations dragged on fruitlessly for the next few months, and eventually broke down. The swap was never undertaken, Ceuta remained in Portuguese hands and Ferdinand perished in Moroccan captivity in June, 1443.
Fernando de Noronha died in Ceuta
in June, 1445.
Fernando de Noronha and Brites de Menezes had two sons:
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 Noronha (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...
, c.1380 — 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...
, June 2 or 3, 1445) was a 15th C. Castilian
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...
-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. He was the 2nd Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to Dom Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count of Viana .The Menezes, a high nobility family quite close to the first Dynasty Kings in Portugal,...
, a title which he acquired and shared by his marriage to Brites de Menezes, 2nd Countess of Vila Real
Brites de Menezes, 2nd Countess of Vila Real
Dona Brites de Menezes was a Portuguese noblewoman. She was the 2nd Countess of Vila Real from 1437, a title she shared with her consort, Fernando de Noronha....
and the third Portuguese governor of Ceuta from 1437.
Fernando de Noronha united two prominent bastard lines of the crowns of 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...
and 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...
. He was the second son from the marriage of Alfonso Enríquez de Castilla, count of Gijón y Noreña (a bastard son of King Henry II of Castile) and Isabel of Portugal
Isabel of Portugal, Countess of Gijón and Noroña
Isabel of Portugal was the natural daughter of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, from unknown mother.- Biography :Before 1386 she was betrothed to João Afonso Telo de Menezes, 1st Count of Viana , son of the powerful Dom João Afonso Telo de Menezes, 4th Count of Barcelos...
, Lady of Viseu
Viseu
Viseu is both a city and a municipality in the Dão-Lafões Subregion of Centro Region, Portugal. The municipality, with an area of 507.1 km², has a population of 99,593 , and the city proper has 47,250...
(an illegitimate daughter of King Ferdinand I of Portugal
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...
). After the death of Alfonso of Gijón y Noreña in 1398, Isabel fled to the court of her uncle, 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...
. Her children were raised in the Portuguese court, where they were known by their appellation Noronha
Noronha
Noronha is a family name common among some aristocratic families in Portugal.This family has its origins in the marriage of Alfonso, Count of Gijón and Noreña with Isabel of Portugal...
(Portuguese translation of Noreña
Noreña
Noreña is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is completely surrounded by the municipality of Siero...
). Fernando's elder brother, Pedro de Noronha, would become an Archbishop of Lisbon.
On October 18, 1430, Fernando de Noronha married Brites de Menezes
Brites de Menezes, 2nd Countess of Vila Real
Dona Brites de Menezes was a Portuguese noblewoman. She was the 2nd Countess of Vila Real from 1437, a title she shared with her consort, Fernando de Noronha....
, the daughter of the prominent Portuguese nobleman Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real
Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real
Dom Pedro de Menezes Portocarrero, was a 15th C. Portuguese nobleman and military figure. Pedro de Menezes was the 2nd Count of Viana do Alentejo, 1st. Count of Vila Real and the first Portuguese governor of Ceuta.Pedro de Menezes was the son of the powerful 14th C...
and first Portuguese governor of Ceuta
Governor of Ceuta
This is a list of Governors of the city of Ceuta, under Portuguese control since its conquest by King John I of Portugal, in 1415, until 1640.Since 1640, Ceuta didn't recognize the Portuguese sovereignty, becoming controlled by Spain....
. Brites competed with her half-brother Duarte de Menezes
Duarte de Menezes, 3rd Count of Viana
Dom 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...
for her father's titles for herself and her consort. Fernando de Noronha secured the office of counciller and chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
in the household of the royal prince and heir Infante Edward.
By a royal letter issued September 1434 by the now-enthroned King Edward of Portugal, Fernando and Brites succeeded in securing the inheritance of her father's title of Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real
Count of Vila Real was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to Dom Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count of Viana .The Menezes, a high nobility family quite close to the first Dynasty Kings in Portugal,...
, leaving Duarte with the old family title of Count of Viana do Alentejo. Despite Duarte's notable military record as his father's lieutenant in Ceuta, Brites managed once again to pip out Duarte and secure the appointment (October, 1437) of her husband Fernando de Noronha as the next Portuguese governor of Ceuta, succeeding the late Pedro de Menezes.
Fernando de Noronha was appointed to Ceuta only days before a Portuguese expeditionary force, led by Henry the Navigator, was defeated by the army 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 (see Battle of Tangier (1437)
Battle 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....
). To save his army from destruction, Henry agreed to a treaty, signed on October 17, 1437, by which Portugal committed itself to deliver Ceuta back to the Marinids, in return for which the Portuguese prince Ferdinand the Saint Prince would remain as a hostage in Moroccan captivity until its fulfillment. As a result, upon his arrival in Ceuta, Noronha was surprised to hear that a treaty had been signed to evacuate the garrison he had just been appointed to command. Moreover, Prince Henry had sailed directly from Tangier to Ceuta and barricaded himself in his lodgings, sunk in a deep depression and refusing to talk with anyone. Noronha was not sure how to proceed.
By several accounts, Fernando de Noronha was determined not to lose this lucrative perch (his predecessor had made a substantial personal fortune from ransoms and pirate kickbacks.) Noronha probably had a role in stiffening Henry's resolve to write to King Edward from Ceuta, recommending the Portuguese renege on the treaty he had himself signed. But Henry's older brother, Peter of Coimbra, was set on fulfilling the treaty and securing Ferdinand release. In 1440, after Edward died and Peter became regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the realm, ambassadors were dispatched 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 negotiate the logistics of the swap of Ceuta for the captive Ferdinand. The Marinids' preliminary condition was that Fernando de Noronha be relieved from the office of governor of Ceuta - his reputation was such that the Marinid officials were certain Noronha would contrive to prevent the swap. Peter agreed, and in April 1440 (or 1441), he dispatched D. Fernando de Castro
Fernando de Castro
Dom Fernando de Castro was a 15th C. Portuguese nobleman, diplomat and military figure. Fernando de Castro was the 1st Lord of Paúl de Boquilobo...
at the head of a Portuguese flotilla, with instructions and credentials to take the city from Noronha, and begin the evacuation of the garrison. As it happens, before his arrival, Castro's flotilla was intercepted 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....
pirates and Castro killed - an incident in which some suspected Noronha might have had a hand (Ceuta had long served as a corsair's nest). Nonetheless, Peter of Coimbra hurriedly instructed Fernando's son, Álvaro de Castro, to take over his father's credentials and fulfill the mission.
As it happens, the logistics of the swap turned out to be more complicated than anticipated. 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...
, the vizier of the Marinid palace of Fez, promised to deliver Ferdinand only after Ceuta was evacuated and in his hands, but Castro (under the watchful eye and counsel of Noronha) rejected the proposal, demanding possession of Ferdinand first. Negotiations dragged on fruitlessly for the next few months, and eventually broke down. The swap was never undertaken, Ceuta remained in Portuguese hands and Ferdinand perished in Moroccan captivity in June, 1443.
Fernando de Noronha died in 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...
in June, 1445.
Fernando de Noronha and Brites de Menezes had two sons:
- Pedro de Menezes, 3rd Count (1st Marquis) of Vila Real (from which stems the Portuguese noble house of Count of Vila RealCount of Vila RealCount of Vila Real was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to Dom Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count of Viana .The Menezes, a high nobility family quite close to the first Dynasty Kings in Portugal,...
) - João de Noronha, Lord of Sortelha (from which stems the Portuguese noble house of Count of Monsanto)