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Miguel de Vasconcelos

Miguel de Vasconcelos e Brito (Portuguese pronunciation: [miˈɣɛl dɨ vaʃkõˈsɛluʃ]; c. 1590 – 1 December 1640) was a Portuguese politician who served as the Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Portugal in the final years of the Iberian Union. He was assassinated during the Portuguese revolt of 1640.[1][2]

Miguel de Vasconcelos
Secretary of State
In office
January 1635 – December 1640
MonarchPhilip III of Portugal (Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal)
Preceded byFilipe de Mesquita
Succeeded byFrancisco de Lucena
Personal details
Bornc. 1590
Died1 December 1640(1640-12-01) (aged 49–50)
Lisbon, Portugal
Signature

Biography

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Miguel de Vasconcelos e Brito was of obscure Portuguese origin,[3] the son of Pedro Barbosa de Luna, a jurist, and his wife Antónia de Melo.[4]

 
Death of Miguel de Vasconcelos

Vasconcelos assumed the post of Secretary of State in January 1635, serving under Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal, the Duchess of Mantua, a cousin of King Philip III.[5] His appointment was engineered by his relative, Diogo Soares.[6] Bolstered by the powerful Spanish minister Olivares, Vasconcelos and Soares effectively controlled the entire administration of Portugal.[7] The Duchess was merely a figurehead,[3] chosen specifically because a woman was considered easier to dominate.[5]

Perceived as a traitor to his countrymen and nation, Vasconcelos was universally detested in Portugal.[8][9] The Portuguese despised the excessive power exercised by him and Soares and the taxes the two imposed on behalf of the Spanish crown.[10] In 1637, rioting broke out in Evora in response to the collection of new taxes.[11][12] The Count of Linhares, a member of the Council of Portugal, blamed the riots on the tyrannical government of Vasconcelos and Soares and urged Olivares to dismiss them, arguing that it was better to discharge two unpopular ministers than run the risk of losing the kingdom.[13] Despite his respect for Linhares, Olivares refused.[14] The rebellion was quelled, but gave rise to heightened conspiracy amongst fidalgos.[15]

On the morning of 1 December 1640, while Spanish royal troops were occupied with the Catalan Revolt, a group of Portuguese noblemen known as the Forty Conspirators stormed the viceregal palace in Lisbon and arrested Margaret of Savoy.[1][16][17] Miguel de Vasconcelos attempted to hide in a cupboard but was discovered and shot to death.[18] His body was then defenestrated and mutilated by angry crowds.[19] John, 8th Duke of Braganza was proclaimed king of Portugal soon after, marking the end of sixty years of Habsburg Spanish rule.[20]

See also

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Preceded by Prime Minister of Portugal
(Secretary of State)
1635–1640 		Succeeded by

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Newitt 2019, p. 74.
  2. ^ Elliott 1963, p. 342.
  3. ^ a b Hume 1907, p. 333.
  4. ^ Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 331.
  5. ^ a b McMurdo 1889, p. 351.
  6. ^ Disney 2009, p. 116.
  7. ^ Elliott 1986, p. 525.
  8. ^ Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 330.
  9. ^ McMurdo 1889, p. 352.
  10. ^ Elliott 1986, p. 531.
  11. ^ Newitt 2019, p. 70.
  12. ^ Elliott 1986, p. 526.
  13. ^ Elliott 1986, p. 527.
  14. ^ Elliott 1986, p. 528.
  15. ^ McMurdo 1889, pp. 354–367.
  16. ^ McMurdo 1889, pp. 369–370.
  17. ^ Hume 1907, pp. 345–346.
  18. ^ Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 332.
  19. ^ McMurdo 1889, p. 371.
  20. ^ Pike 2022, p. 317.

Sources

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  • Disney, A.R. (2009). The Portuguese in India and Other Studies, 1500-1700. Ashgate Publishing.
  • Elliott, J. H (1986). The Count-Duke of Olivares. The Statesman in an Age of Decline. New Haven and London: Yale University.
  • Elliott, J.H. (1963). Imperial Spain: 1469-1716. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0141007038.
  • Hume, Martin (1907). Court of Philip IV: Spain in Decline. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
  • Krass, Urte (2023). The Portuguese Restoration of 1640 and Its Global Visualization: Political Iconography and Transcultural Negotiation (PDF). Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-94-6372-563-7.
  • McMurdo, Edward (1889). The history of Portugal, from the Commencement of the Monarchy to the Reign of Alfonso III. Vol. III. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington.
  • Newitt, Malyn (2019). The Braganzas: The Rise and Fall of the Ruling Dynasties of Portugal and Brazil, 1640–1910. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78914-165-8.
  • Pereira, Esteves; Rodrigues, Guilherme (1904). Portugal: diccionario historico, chorographico, heraldico, biographico, bibliographico, numismatico e artistico (in Portuguese). Vol. VII. Lisboa: J. Romano Torres. pp. 330–332.
  • Pike, John (2022). The Thirty Years War 1618-1648: The First Global War and the End of Habsburg Supremacy. Pen & Sword Military.
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