The Count of Santiago de Beduído (in Portuguese: Conde de Santiago de Beduído) was a Portuguese title of nobility created by letters patent of 12 November 1667 issued by King Afonso VI for Dom Lourenço de Sousa da Silva e Meneses, commander of Santiago de Beduído in the Order of Christ, a commandery that was hereditary in his family. The title took its name from Santiago de Beduído, then described as a town in the province of Beira.

The title remained with the first holder's descendants until the end of the 18th century. In the following century it passed to the House of the Marquises of Pombal through the inheritance of the family's entailed estates, and it was renewed for the last time in 1906.

History

The 1st Count, Dom Lourenço de Sousa da Silva e Meneses (d. 1675), was the son of Aleixo de Sousa da Silva e Meneses and his wife, Dona Luísa de Távora. His father was the 5th aposentador-mor (royal quartermaster), lord of Alfaiates and of the crown estate (reguengo) of Arronches, and commander of Santiago de Beduído and Guilhofrei in the Order of Christ, both commanderies being hereditary in the family.

The 1st Count was the 6th aposentador-mor of the Royal Household, an office in which he served John IV, lord of the crown estate of Arronches and of Estarreja, and commander of his father's commanderies. He served in the Restoration War, first as a cavalry captain, then as mestre de campo of the terço (regiment) of Moura and finally as general of battle in the Army of the Alentejo.

The title was renewed by letters patent of John V of 3 January 1728 for Dom Lourenço António de Sousa da Silva e Meneses (1708–1786), who became the 3rd Count, and by letters patent of Maria I of 27 July 1786 for his brother, Dom Nuno Aleixo de Sousa da Silva e Meneses (1713–1798), 4th Count.

A sister of the 3rd and 4th Counts, Dona Joana Inês Vicência de Meneses, married Dom Brás Baltasar da Silveira, lord of São Cosmado. Their two daughters each married Nuno Gaspar de Távora in turn, the second after the death of the first. The 9th Marquis of Minas was a great-grandson of the first daughter, while the second was the mother of Dona Francisca de Paula do Pópulo de Lorena, who married the 3rd Marquis of Pombal. Dona Francisca inherited the entailed estates of the House of Minas. On the death of Dona Luísa de Meneses, another sister of the two counts who had inherited their entailed estates, she also inherited those of the House of the Counts of Santiago de Beduído, which was thus merged into that of the Marquises of Pombal.

The title was renewed by decree of Luís I of 31 July 1865 for Dom António de Carvalho e Melo Daun Albuquerque e Lorena, de jure 8th Count of Oeiras and 6th Marquis of Pombal, while his elder brother, the 7th Count of Oeiras, was still alive.

Properties

The Quinta Velha de Pedrouços belonged to the Counts of Santiago de Beduído, who kept it until the end of the 18th century. The 2nd Count, Dom Aleixo de Sousa da Silva e Meneses (1675–1744), inherited the estate from Dona Antónia de Sousa de Meneses. After his death the estate remained with his widow, Dona Leonor Maria Josefa de Meneses (b. 1680), and later passed to their eldest son and heir, Dom Lourenço António de Sousa da Silva e Meneses (1708–1786), 3rd Count of Santiago de Beduído and governor of the Tower of São Julião da Barra.

On the death of the 3rd Count, the estate passed to his brother, Dom Nuno Aleixo de Sousa da Silva e Meneses (1713–1798), 4th Count of Santiago de Beduído. It then passed to their sister, Dona Luísa (or Luzia) de Meneses, who in July 1797 gave it to Infanta Maria Francisca Benedita.

Arms

Up to the 4th Count: quarterly, the first and fourth quarters for Sousa of Arronches and the second and third for Silva, ensigned with a count's coronet.

From the 5th Count onwards: the arms of the Marquises of Pombal.

Counts of Santiago de Beduído (1667)

# Holder Dates Titles Notes Ref. 1 Dom Lourenço de Sousa da Silva e Meneses d. 1675 1st Count of Santiago de Beduído Son of Aleixo de Sousa da Silva e Meneses, 5th aposentador-mor, and Dona Luísa de Távora. Created 1st Count by letters patent of 12 November 1667 from Afonso VI. He was 6th aposentador-mor of the Royal Household, lord of the crown estate of Arronches and of Estarreja, and general of battle in the Army of the Alentejo. He married twice. His first wife, Dona Joana da Silva, lady-in-waiting to Luisa de Guzmán and daughter of the cavalry captain Luís de Saldanha da Gama and his wife, Dona Margarida de Vilhena, bore him no children. On 30 October 1667 he married Dona Luísa Maria de Mendonça e Távora, also lady-in-waiting to the same queen and daughter of the 2nd Counts of Vale de Reis, with whom he had children. 2 Dom Aleixo de Sousa da Silva e Meneses 10 May 1675 – 29 November 1744 2nd Count of Santiago de Beduído Eldest son of the 1st Count's second marriage. He was 7th aposentador-mor of the Royal Household (27 April 1695), lord of Alfaiates, Estarreja and the crown estate of Arronches, alcaide-mor of Ervededo and Alfaiates, commander of Santiago de Beduído and Santa Maria de Castelo Bom in the Order of Christ, patron of the main chapel of Santa Cruz do Castelo in Lisbon, a member of His Majesty's Council and a deputy of the Junta dos Três Estados. In April 1695 he married Dona Leonor Maria de Meneses, lady-in-waiting to Queen Maria Sofia and daughter of the 2nd Marquises of Fronteira, and had children. 3 Dom Lourenço António de Sousa da Silva e Meneses 29 December 1708 – 7 February 1786 3rd Count of Santiago de Beduído Son of the preceding. The title was renewed for him by letters patent of 3 January 1728 from John V. He was 8th aposentador-mor of the Royal Household and lord of his family's lordships, alcaidarias-mores and commanderies. He followed a military career, reaching the rank of lieutenant-general, and was governor of the Tower of São Julião da Barra and a member of the Council of War. On 6 January 1749 he married Dona Josefa de Noronha (11 August 1731 – November 1791), daughter of the 2nd Marquises of Angeja; they had no children. 4 Dom Nuno Aleixo de Sousa da Silva e Meneses 17 July 1713 – 30 April 1798 4th Count of Santiago de Beduído Second son of the 2nd Count. He was a canon of the Patriarchal Church of Lisbon and was released from holy orders in order to succeed to the family estates. He was 9th aposentador-mor and lord of all his ancestors' lordships, entailed estates, alcaidarias and commanderies. The title was renewed for him by letters patent of 27 July 1786 from Maria I. On 5 February 1788 he married Dona Francisca Leonor de Castro, 45 years his junior and daughter of the 1st Counts of Resende; they had no children. 5 Dom António de Carvalho e Melo Daun Albuquerque e Lorena 1850–1911 5th Count of Santiago de Beduído Born in the parish of São Mamede, Lisbon. Great-grandson of Dona Francisca da Silveira e Lorena, Marchioness of Pombal, who was a granddaughter of Dona Joana Inês Vicência de Meneses, sister of the 3rd and 4th Counts. He was also 6th Marquis of Pombal and 8th Count of Oeiras. The title was renewed for him by decree of 31 July 1865 from Luís I, while his elder brother, the 7th Count of Oeiras, was still alive. He was a Peer of the Realm, master of ceremonies of the Royal Household, chamberlain to Ferdinand II and Carlos I, and Grand Cross of the Order of Christ. In 1873, in the private oratory of the Marquises of Pombal, he married Dona Maria do Carmo Fernandes (1858–1931), lady-in-waiting to Queen Maria Pia, and had children. 6 Dom Joaquim de Carvalho Daun e Lorena 15 September 1878 – 20 July 1954 6th Count of Santiago de Beduído Born in Lisbon, son of the 6th Marquis of Pombal and brother of the 7th Marquis of Pombal. He was a legation secretary and a commander of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great of the Holy See and of the Order of the Crown of Romania. On 5 May 1924, in the private chapel of the residence of the Viscount of Santarém, he married Dona Maria Amália de Barros de Saldanha da Gama (b. Lisbon, 1 October 1879), daughter of the 2nd Viscounts of Vila Nova da Rainha; they had no children.

Claimants under the Republic

Following the establishment of the Republic in 1910, the state stopped granting titles of nobility. (art. 3, no. 3) Since then, the following members of the family have claimed to represent the title:

# Name Dates Titles claimed Notes Ref. 7 Sebastião José de Carvalho Daun e Lorena b. 1903 7th Count of Santiago de Beduído Son of the 7th Marquis of Pombal. In 1927, in Lisbon, he married his cousin Dona Maria da Nazaré Monteiro de Almeida (b. 1909), and had children. 8 Manuel Sebastião de Almeida de Carvalho Daun e Lorena 6 February 1930 – 5 September 2021 8th Count of Santiago de Beduído Son of the preceding. A lawyer, he was one of the seven founding partners of the Instituto de Arte e Decoração (IADE), established in 1969 by António Quadros. He leased the institute the main wing of the Barão de Quintela Palace, where he lived with his family, and in 1993 he joined its board of directors. He married Mariana João Cabral Daun e Lorena, with whom he had six children. 9 Pedro de Carvalho Daun e Lorena b. 1956 9th Count of Santiago de Beduído Son of the preceding. He sat on the board of directors of IADE until the institution was sold in 2007.

References