Corte-Real family

For other uses, see Corte-Real.
Corte-Real
Côrte-Real, Corte Real

Armorial of Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo;
(quarterly: Moura & Corte-Real "Gules, six ribs argent; chief Saint George's cross")
Country Azores, Portugal
Estates Santa Catarina Palace
Titles
  • Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo
  • Marquis of Vagos
  • Count of Aveiras
  • Count of Subserra
  • Count of Lumiares
  • Count of Fijó
  • Viscount of Bucelas
  • Viscount of Fijó
  • Baron of Ponte da Quarteira
  • Majorat of Eça
  • Majorat of Vale de Palma
  • Majorat of Silves
  • Lord of Mira
Founded 14th century
Founder Vasco Anes da Costa Corte-Real
Ethnicity Portuguese

The Corte-Real (also Côrte-Real and Corte Real) are a Portuguese family of noble origins in the 14th century. The family is famous for its involvement in the Portuguese discoveries during the Age of Exploration, in the 16th century. During this time, João Vaz Corte-Real and his sons Gaspar Corte-Real and Miguel Corte-Real, notably participated in exploratory voyages to Newfoundland, in Canada.

For their discoveries in service of the Portuguese Crown, the family was given the islands of Terceira and São Jorge, in the Azores, and charged with their development and colonization. The family integrated itself well into the Portuguese nobility in the 17th century through a series of successful marriages and acquisition of several titles, notably Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo.

Family history

The origins of the Corte-Real family lie in the 14th century, when Vasco Anes da Costa, a Portuguese knight, was honoured by the House of Aviz, when King John I of Portugal granted him the use of the designation Corte-Real (Portuguese for Royal Court) for his descendants. From him and his brother, Gil Vaz da Costa, the first members of the Corte-Real family descend.

João Vaz Corte-Real (c. 1420-1496) was Vasco Anes da Costa's first son and the first user of the surname Corte-Real. He, alongside his two of his four sons (Miguel and Gaspar), participated in various exploratory voyages sponsored jointly by the Portuguese and Danish Crowns. These voyages are said to have been some of the first to reach Newfoundland and possibly other parts of northeastern Canada. For the family's service to the crown, João Vaz was made Captain-Donatário (proprietor and governor) of the islands of Terceira and São Jorge, in the Azores.

Gaspar's son, Jerónimo Corte-Real (1530-1588) served in various places in Asia and Africa across the Portuguese Empire before retiring back to Portugal as a court painter and poet to King Sebastian I of Portugal. His works were contemporary of Luís Vaz de Camões and said even to rival them, gaining Jerónimo the epithet of the Portuguese Virgil.

Through Gaspar and Miguel's eldest brother, Vasco Anes Corte-Real, a branch of the family relocated to the Kingdom of the Algarves, in the south of the Kingdom of Portugal, in the early 16th century. This branch continued administration of the family's Azorean islands, while integrating into the administration of the Algarve. By 1581, the family was headed by Margarida Corte-Real. As the heiress to the Corte-Real family's wealth and titles in both the Azores and the Algarve, Margarida was an especially attractive bride for members of the Portuguese nobility. She married Cristóvão de Moura e Távora, 1st Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo and several times a Viceroy of Portugal, during the Philippine Dynasty. As Margarida was richer and had more extensive notability and power, the children of her marriage would carry her name more prominently than her husbands.

Margarida's son, Manuel de Moura Corte Real, 2nd Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo, amplified the family's position under the Habsburg monarchs of Portugal. Both he and his son, Francisco de Moura Corte Real, 3rd Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo, served as Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands and became loyal subjects to the House of Habsburg. Francisco, who also served as Viceroy of Sardinia, however was the last of the Moura Corte-Real branch of the family before it was exiled from the country due to the Portuguese Restoration War, which saw the Habsburgs deposed in Portugal in lieu of House of Braganza, which expelled supporters of the previous dynasty.

Notable members

Gallery

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