José Travassos Valdez
Encyclopedia
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 and statesman.
Early life
Travassos Valdez was born in Elvas, PortugalPortugal
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...
, on February 23, 1787, and originally intended for a career in the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
but, following the invasion of Portugal
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
by Napoleon's armies under General Junot, became active in the resistance to the occupation.
When Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(later the first Duke of Wellington) landed in Portugal to eject the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, Travassos Valdez served Wellesley as a Portuguese aide-de-camp at the battles of Roliça
Battle of Roliça
In the Battle of Roliça an Anglo-Portuguese army under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated an outnumbered French army under General Henri Delaborde, near the village of Roliça in Portugal. The French retired in good order...
and Vimeiro
Battle of Vimeiro
In the Battle of Vimeiro the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro , near Lisbon, Portugal during the Peninsular War...
, his first major victory.
During the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, Travassos Valdez was among the first Portuguese officers to attach himself to the command of Marshal William Carr Beresford
William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, GCB, GCH, GCTE, PC , was a British soldier and politician...
and was so close to this commander that he was popularly known in the Portuguese battalions as 'o discípulo de Beresford' ("the disciple of Beresford").
Travassos Valdez rose to become a Major Assistant in the General Staff of the Portuguese army under Beresford and is reputed to have fought in nine major battles. He was decorated for his services at the battles of Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
(fought on May 16, 1811, and at which Beresford, operating independently from Wellington, commanded the allied forces), Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
(July 22, 1812), Orthez
Battle of Orthez
The Battle of Orthez saw the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington defeat a French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France near the end of the Peninsular War.-Preliminaries:...
(February 27, 1814), and Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (1814)
The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
(April 5, 1814).
Civil strife
After the revolution of 1820, in the civil warLiberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
between Constitutionalists Liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
(the new parliamentary constitution was supported by King João VI
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...
) and Absolutists
Absolutism (European history)
Absolutism or The Age of Absolutism is a historiographical term used to describe a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites...
(supporting his younger son, the Infante - that is, royal prince - Miguel of Portugal
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
, a sworn enemy of any form of democracy), Travassos Valdez was strongly on the Constitutionalist side and was engaged in suppressing Absolutist revolts.
When Miguel became titular commander-in-chief of the army, he had Travassos Valdez removed from his post and sent into exile in Setúbal
Setúbal
Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....
, where the 'Parc Bonfim' now commemorates his time there; but after the prince overreached himself in April, 1825, with an attempted coup (known as the Abrilada) and was sent into exile, Travassos Valdez was reinstated. After the death of King João VI, a Spanish army invaded Portugal to restore Absolutist rule; Travassos Valdez, with just 900 men, opposed 6,000 Spaniards at Braganza
Braganza
Braganza may refer to:* House of Braganza, a Portuguese ducal and later royal House* Duke of Braganza, a Portuguese title that has been used for example by several heirs-apparent to the Portuguese throne...
, delaying their advance until the government was able to raise sufficient forces to oppose them. However, the Spaniards captured
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
Travassos Valdez and sent him to Spain; but he escaped and returned to Portugal. He then declined the governorship 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...
, offered him by the regent, Dona Isabel Maria
Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal
Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal (or of Braganza and Borbón; ; Queluz, July 4, 1801 – Benfica, then Belém, April 22, 1876 was a Portuguese infanta (princess) daughter of King John VI of Portugal and his wife Carlota Joaquina of...
, and was instead made Captain General (governor) of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
and Porto Santo in 1827.
When Dom Miguel returned and seized power from the rightful heir, his niece Maria II, and proclaimed himself 'Absolute King', Travassos Valdez held out in Madeira until his defence of the island was overwhelmed by an expeditionary force despatched from Portugal. As Miguel had given orders that Travassos Valdez should be hanged if captured, he was forced to flee the Portuguese realms and, with his wife, brother, and six children, sailed to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
under the protection of the British Royal Navy in September of 1828. He joined the many refugees from Dom Miguel's tyranny and in 1832 made his way to the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
to join the expedition of Dom Pedro I of Brazil, father of Maria II and formerly Emperor of Brazil, to restore Maria to her throne and constitutional rule to Portugal.
Pedro's expeditionary force landed in Portugal in 1832 and was besieged for a year in the city of Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
. After the Battle of Ponte Ferreira
Battle of Ponte Ferreira
The Battle of Ponte Ferreira, fought on 22–23 July 1832, was the first major battle of the Portuguese Civil War between the forces of Dom Pedro, ex-Emperor of Brazil and Regent for his daughter Maria da Glória, and the army of his brother Dom Miguel, who had usurped the throne of Portugal...
, when Dom Pedro instituted changes in his high command, Travassos Valdez exercised the functions of Adjutant-General and chief of the General Staff of the Army of Liberation. During the major Miguelite assault on the city on September 29th, 1832, Travassos Valdez was severely wounded defending the redoubt at the Bonfim church
Bonfim (Porto)
Bonfim is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Porto. It has a population of 28,578 inhabitants and a total area of 3.05 km²....
; from this, he later took his title of nobility. A year later, on September 5, 1833, he was again wounded at the siege of 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...
, which the Constitutionalists had wrested from Dom Miguel. Dom Miguel was at last defeated in 1834 and sent into exile, this time permanently.
Insurrections and political office
Dom Pedro died immediately after his victory and a long period of political unrest between competing factions began under the young queen Maria II. Governments came and went, mostly lasting only a few months. On 17 September 1835 Travassos Valdez was elevated to the peerage as Baron Bonfim. From October 1836 he commanded forces in the Alentejo against the SpanishSpain
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...
Carlist general, Miguel Gómez Damas
Miguel Gómez Damas
Miguel Gómez Damas was a Spanish Carlist general of the First Carlist War.Born at Torredonjimeno, in the province of Jaén, he served under the Carlist general Zumalacárregui and in 1836 undertook an unsuccessful military expedition against Liberal forces in various locations, including Asturias,...
, who was threatening the frontier. In 1837 he was elected deputy for the constituents of the district of Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
to the parliament.
When the Chartist
Cartista
In the history of Portugal, a Cartista was a member of the party that led Portugal over to a more conservative form of the liberalism that had arisen after the revolution of 1820, centered around the Constitutional Charter of 1826, granted by Pedro IV in an attempt to reduce the conflicts opened up...
forces raised an insurrection against the government on 12 July 1837, and the Dukes of Saldanha and Terceira put themselves at its head, according to an early 20th-century account:
"The Lisbon government confided extraordinary powers to the Viscount de Sá and the baron de Bonfim. These two officers, with the constitutional forces, attacked the marshals' troops at Rio Mayor on the 28th of August, and, although on both sides they had more than six weeks in which to make preparations, neither of the armies counted 800 men. But the soldiers were more prudent than their leaders. After a slight infantry skirmish in which the Portuguese had sensible losses to deplore, the marshals gave the order to charge to their little squadron and the Viscount de Sá advanced at the head of his troop. The cavalry on both sides stopped at 50 paces, replaced their sabres in their scabbards, and having fraternised returned faithfully to the flags of their respective commanders. The latter saw themselves compelled to sign an armistice and the marshals retired to the North."
On 9 September 1837 Bonfim was appointed Minister of War and interim Foreign Minister and Minister of Marine in the second government of Sá de Bandeira. Among his acts in this office, following the crushing of the Chartist rebellion at the Battle of Ruivaes on 20 September 1837, was disarming the National Guard
Portuguese Republican National Guard
The term Republican National Guard may refer to:*Italian National Republican Guard*Portuguese National Republican Guard...
, which had been converted into a permanent force for insurrection. On 13 March 1838 he used troops to put down a revolt by rebels who had occupied the Lisbon Arsenal, a decisive act that probably prevented the fall of the liberal government. By a Decree of D. Maria II of 4 April 1838 he was elevated to the Nobility, as Conde do Bonfim. (The family tended to use the older spelling 'Bomfim'.) He was a senator in the legislature of 1839-40.and deputy for the constituents of the district of Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
. On 26 September 1839 he assumed the leadership of the government as Prime Minister, and provided the first period of relative stability by presiding over the eleventh government, a coalition which succeeded in remaining in office for nearly two years, until 1841. He retained the office of Foreign Minister until 28 December. Bonfim’s administration, in which he combined the posts of Prime Minister, Minister of War, and head of the Colonial Department, lasted to 9 July 1841. Among those taking office in his ministry were Costa Cabral
António Bernardo da Costa Cabral, 1st Marquess of Tomar
António Bernardo da Costa Cabral, 1st Count and 1st Marquess of Tomar was a Portuguese 19th century statesman.Born in Fornos de Algodres he trained as a lawyer in Coimbra and was later appointed as a judge...
, Rodrigo da Fonseca Magalhães and others. It was during the period of his government that various Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an powers (among them, the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
) resumed diplomatic relations with Portugal, having broken them off after the arrival of the constitutional regime. He especially cultivated friendly relations with Spain after the tensions of the Carlist War. He was responsible for the foundation in July 1840 of the fortress and town of Moçâmedes
Mossâmedes
Mossâmedes is a small town and municipality in western Goiás state, Brazil.-Location:Mossâmedes is located northwest of the state capital, Goiânia in the Anicuns Microregion. It is connected by paved roads with Itaberaí to the north and Anicuns to the south. The distance to the state capital is...
in southern 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...
(now Namibe
Namibe
Namibe is the capital city of Namibe Province in Angola. It is a coastal desert city located in southwestern Angola and was founded in 1840 by the Portuguese rulers of the territory. The city's current population is 132,900...
) and he promoted internal pacification in Portugal. On 26 December 1840, Portugal and the United States of America signed a Mutual Treaty of Commerce and Navigation. Bonfim resigned the premiership when he encountered resistance to his plans to reform the National Guard, and was succeeded in office by Joaquim António de Aguiar
Joaquim António de Aguiar
Joaquim António de Aguiar was a Portuguese politician. He held several relevant political posts during the Portuguese constitutional monarchy, namely as leader of the Cartists and later of the Partido Regenerador...
, who had been his deputy.
Later years and progeny
After the coup d'état of 1842, which brought the Costa Cabral government to power, the Count of Bonfim became its most implacable opponent. In 1844 he raised the standard of rebellion against Costa Cabral's dictatorial policies but his associates were imprisoned or forced to flee the country and he himself left Portugal until the rebellion of Maria da Fonte in 1846. When the anti-Cabralist government of the Duke of PalmelaPedro de Sousa Holstein
Dom Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Count, 1st Marquess and 1st Duke of Palmela was one of the most important Portuguese diplomats and statesmen in the first half of the 19th century. He also served as the country's first Prime Minister...
took office Bonfim returned to Portugal, but in October the palace coup known as the Emboscada
Emboscada (historical event)
The Emboscada was a palace coup of 6 October 1846, by which queen Maria II deposed the government presided over by Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela, that had been installed on 20 May that year as a result of the Revolution of Maria da Fonte...
brought a new government of Cabralist sympathies to power, headed by the Duke of Saldanha. In the ensuing 'Little Civil War' or Patuleia
Patuleia
The Patuleia, Guerra da Patuleia, or Little Civil War was a civil war in Portugal, so called to distinguish it from the 'great' civil war between Dom Pedro IV and Dom Miguel that ended in 1834. The Patuleia occurred after the Revolution of Maria da Fonte, and was closely associated with her...
, Travassos Valdez supported the revolutionary Junta of Porto against the more conservative forces around the Queen and took command of the 'Progressista' army. Expected reinforcement from the troops commanded by the Conde das Antas
Francisco Xavier da Silva Pereira, Conde das Antas
Francisco Xavier da Silva Pereira, Baron, Viscount and finally Conde das Antas, born in Valença on 14 March 1793, died in Lisbon on 20 May 1852, was a leading Portuguese soldier of the period of the Liberal Wars...
, the President of the Junta, was not forthcoming in time, and Bonfim and his army were besieged by Saldanha in the fortress of Torres Vedras
Torres Vedras
Torres Vedras is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, Portugal, about 50 km north of Lisbon. It belongs to the Oeste subregion and the Centro region.The municipality covers an area of 405.89 km² distributed over 20 freguesias...
and defeated, 22-23 December 1846. In violation of their safe-conduct, Bonfim, his two eldest sons and various political associates were exiled to Moçâmedes in southern Angola. He escaped from there with his sons in a skiff, intending to sail to Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, but was recaptured; the safe return of the exiles by the British Royal Navy and their honourable reinstatement was a condition of the Peace negotiated by the Four Powers at the Convention of Gramido
Convention of Gramido
The Convention of Gramido was an agreement signed on 29 June 1847, in Casa Branca on the town square of Gramido, in Valbom, Gondomar, Portugal, to end the civil war of the Septembrists against the Cartists known as the Patuleia...
, 1847. Bonfim and his associates were repatriated to Portugal in the British frigate HMS Terrible
HMS Terrible (1845)
HMS Terrible was when designed the largest steam-powered wooden paddle wheel frigate built for the Royal Navy. She was designed by Oliver Lang and laid down at HMNB Devonport under the name HMS Simoom, but was renamed on 23 December 1842, and launched on 6 February 1845...
, returning to Lisbon on 9 October, and his rank and honours were restored. After 1851 he was appointed head of the Supreme Council of Military Justice, and on his death in Lisbon in 1862 was accorded a state funeral.
He had married (21 February 1813) D. Jerónima Emília Godinho Valdez, daughter of José Ricardo Godinho Valdez, 14th lord Quinta de Flandres, Pombal, and administrator of N. Sr.ª das Neves and Marco, and his wife D. Maria Joana Travassos da Silveira. (Travassos Valdez's wife was his first cousin twice over, being the daughter of his father's sister and his mother's brother.) Among the most notable of his children, the eldest son José Bento Travassos Valdez (1814-1881) was Colonial Secretary of Angola in 1841-45, shared his father's exile in 1846-47 and became 2nd Count of Bonfim; the second son Luís Travassos Valdez (1816-1900) attained the rank of General and was a distinguished writer on military affairs; the third son António Travassos Valdez (1818-1855) entered the diplomatic service, edited the first annual report of the conduct of affairs published by the Foreign Ministry and died as Portuguese ambassador to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
; and the fourth son was the noted travel writer and anti-slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
campaigner Francisco Travassos Valdez (1825-1892). A sixth son, Pedro de Alcântara Travassos Valdez (1827-1887), settled in the English village of Dalwood
Dalwood
Dalwood is a village and county parish in the East Devon district of the English county of Devon. It is approximately 3 miles away from the nearest town, Axminster, and 5 miles away from Honiton. Dalwood can be accessed by the nearby A35 road. The village is placed within the Blackdown Hills Area...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and is buried in the graveyard of St Peter's Church there, with an elaborate headstone summarizing his father's career.