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Dukedoms in Portugal

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Noble titles of Portugal
Dukedoms of Portugal
Marquisates of Portugal
Countships of Portugal
Viscountcies of Portugal
Baronies of Portugal

This is a list of the dukedoms created in the Kingdom of Portugal.

History

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The title of Duke occupies the summit of the Portuguese nobiliary hierarchy. In the majority of instances it was conferred upon close relatives of the royal family, and above all upon the second-born sons of the monarchs.[1]

The earliest Portuguese dukedoms were those of Coimbra and Viseu, both created in 1415 by John I for the infantes Pedro and Henrique.[2][3] There followed that of Braganza, created in 1442, during the regency of the Infante D. Pedro in the name of Afonso V, in favour of Afonso, son of John I and 8th Count of Barcelos.[4]

The influence of the English court weighed upon this practice, it being customary there to create a dukedom for a member of the royal family other than the heir apparent to the crown. Queen Philippa of Lancaster, mother of the first three Portuguese dukes, contributed to its diffusion in Portugal.[citation needed]

From the 19th century onwards, following the establishment of the liberal régime, the title of Duke, like other titles of nobility, came to be employed as a reward for eminent services rendered to the nation.[1] A notable instance is that of António José de Ávila who, possessing no tie of blood to the Royal House, received the title of Duke of Ávila and Bolama for having secured for Portugal the possession of Bolama, in what was then Portuguese Guinea, disputed by the United Kingdom, through the mediation of the American president Ulysses S. Grant.[citation needed]

Classes

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The Portuguese titles of Duke are divided into the following types, ranked within the nobiliary hierarchy as follows:[1]

No. Precedence Type Transmission Description Examples
1st Dukedoms of the Royal House Royal hereditary Hereditary Conferred upon the heir presumptive to the crown, who upon his accession to the throne transmits it to his own heir. It comprises the Dukedom of Braganza alone. Braganza
Royal courtesy Non-hereditary Granted occasionally to members of the Royal Family. Coimbra, Viseu, Beja, Porto
2nd Dukedoms with Honours of Kinship With Honours of Kinship According to the underlying title A distinction added to titles held de juro e herdade or for life, conferring upon the holder the treatment due to a relative of the royal family and precedence over the remaining dukedoms not belonging to the Royal House. Cadaval, Terceira, Saldanha
3rd Dukedoms de juro e herdade De juro e herdade Hereditary Titles of noble families, transmissible to the heirs of the holder. Aveiro, Lafões, Palmela, Loulé
4th Dukedoms for life For life Non-hereditary Conferred as a reward or an homage upon a distinguished personage, and not passing automatically to his heirs. Ávila and Bolama, Elvas
5th Courtesy dukes Courtesy Non-hereditary Conferred by virtue of the exercise of the office of camareira-mor (chief lady-in-waiting to the Queen), and not passing automatically to the holder's heirs. Abrantes, Tancos, Ficalho

In all, twenty-nine ducal titles were created in Portugal.[a][1]

Dukedoms

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Dukes of the Royal House

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Arms Title Creation First Holder Nature Present claimant under the Republic Ref.
King John I (1385–1433)
Duke of Coimbra 1415
(1st dukedom granted in Portugal)		 Pedro, Infante of Portugal Royal courtesy Maria Francisca Isabel of Braganza [2][5]
Duke of Viseu 1415
(1st dukedom in Portugal)		 Henrique, Infante of Portugal Royal courtesy Miguel of Braganza [3][6]
Regency of the Infante Pedro in the name of King Afonso V (1439–1448)
Duke of Braganza 1442 Afonso, 8th Count of Barcelos and 2nd Count of Neiva Royal hereditary Duarte Pio of Braganza [4][6][7]
King Afonso V (1448–1481)
Duke of Beja 1453 Fernando, Infante of Portugal Royal courtesy No claimant
(from Peter IV onwards it came to be reserved for a younger son of the monarch, in principle the third, yielding second place to the Duke of Porto)		 [8][9]
Duke of Guimarães 1475 Fernando II, 3rd Duke of Braganza and 1st Count of Guimarães Royal courtesy Afonso of Braganza [10][6][5]
King John III (1521–1557)
Duke of Guarda 5 October 1530 Fernando, Infante of Portugal and Lord of Trancoso Royal courtesy Extinct [11]
Duke of Trancoso 5 October 1530 Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Guarda and Lord of Abrantes Royal courtesy Extinct [12]
King Sebastian (1557–1578)
Duke of Barcelos 5 August 1562 João I, 13th Count of Barcelos and heir to the Dukedom of Braganza, being subsequently 6th Duke of Braganza Royal courtesy Afonso of Braganza [13][6]
Regent King Peter IV in the name of Queen Maria II (1832–1834)
Duke of Porto 1833 Maria II Royal courtesy Dinis of Braganza [14][5]

Dukes with Honours of Kinship

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The dukedoms which follow enjoyed Honours of Kinship, occupying within the nobiliary hierarchy the position immediately below the dukedoms of the Royal House. The nature of each title appears in the respective column.

Arms Title Creation First Holder Nature Present claimant under the Republic Ref.
King John IV (1640–1656)
Duke of Cadaval 26 April 1648 Nuno Álvares Pereira de Melo, 4th Marquess of Ferreira and 5th Count of Tentúgal For life
(renewed)		 Diana Álvares Pereira de Melo [15][16][17]
Regent King Peter IV in the name of Queen Maria II (1832–1834)
Duke of Terceira 8 November 1832 António José Severim de Noronha, 1st Marquess and 7th Count of Vila Flor Juro e herdade Lourenço Manoel de Vilhena de Freitas [18][19][20]
Queen Maria II (1834–1853)
Duke of Saldanha 4 November 1846 João Carlos de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun, 1st Count and Marquess of Saldanha Juro e herdade José Augusto de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun [21][5]

Dukes de juro e herdade

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Arms Title Creation First Holder Present claimant under the Republic Ref.
King John III (1521–1557)
Duke of Aveiro 1535 João de Lencastre, 1st Marquess of Torres Novas Extinct [22][23]
King Philip III (1621–1640)
Duke of Linhares 1621 Fernando de Noronha, 5th Count of Linhares Extinct [24][25]
King John V (1706–1750)
Duke of Lafões 17 February 1718 Pedro Henrique de Bragança, 3rd Marquess of Arronches and 7th Count of Miranda do Corvo Miguel Bernardo de Bragança [26][27][5]
Regency of Prince John in the name of Queen Maria I (1792–1816)
Duke of Victoria[b] 18 December 1812 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Charles Wellesley [28][29][30][31]
Queen Maria II (1834–1853)
Duke of Palmela 10 October 1850 Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Count and Marquess of Palmela and 1st Duke of Faial Pedro de Sousa e Holstein Beck [32][33]
Duke of Loulé 3 October 1852 Nuno José de Mendonça, 2nd Marquess of Loulé and 9th Count of Vale dos Reis Pedro José Folque de Mendonça [34][35]

Dukes for life

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Arms Title Creation First Holder Present claimant under the Republic Ref.
King Philip I (1581–1598)
Duke of Vila Real 28 February 1585 Manuel de Menezes, 5th Marquess of Vila Real Extinct [36][37][38][39]
King Philip II (1598–1621)
Duke of Torres Novas 26 September 1619 Jorge de Lencastre, 3rd Marquess of Torres Novas and heir to the Dukedom of Aveiro (having died before he could inherit it) Extinct [40]
Duke of Caminha 14 December 1620 Miguel Luís de Menezes, 6th Marquess of Vila Real Extinct [39][41]
Regency of Prince John in the name of Queen Maria I (1792–1816)
Duke of Miranda do Corvo 13 May 1796 José de Bragança e Ligne de Sousa, heir to the Dukedom of Lafões (having died before he could inherit it) Miguel Bernardo de Bragança [5][42]
Duke of Elvas
(attribution disputed; no instrument of grant is known)		 1817
(date disputed; already referred to as duke in 1814)		 William Carr Beresford, 1st Marquess of Campo Maior and 1st Count of Trancoso Extinct (1854) [43][44][45][46][47][48]
Regent King Peter IV in the name of Queen Maria II (1832–1834)
Duke of Faial 4 April 1833 Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Count and Marquess of Palmela and subsequently 1st Duke of Palmela Extinct
(replaced, at the holder's request, by the Dukedom of Palmela)		 [49][50]
King Luís I (1861–1889)
Duke of Ávila and Bolama 14 May 1878 António José de Ávila, 1st Count and Marquess of Ávila Extinct [51]
Duke of Albuquerque 19 May 1886 João Afonso da Costa de Sousa de Macedo, 2nd Count and 4th Viscount of Mesquitela Extinct [52]

Courtesy dukes

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Arms Title Creation First Holder Present claimant under the Republic Ref.
King Joseph I (1750–1777)
Duke of Abrantes 9 December 1753 Ana Maria Catarina de Lorena, 3rd Marchioness of Abrantes Extinct [52][53]
Queen Maria I (1777–1792)
Duke of Tancos 22 April 1790 Constança Manuel, 2nd Marchioness of Tancos and 7th Countess of Atalaia Extinct [54][55]
Queen Maria II (1834–1853)
Duke of Ficalho 4 May 1836 Eugénia Maurícia de Almeida Portugal, 1st Marchioness of Ficalho (widow of the 2nd Count of Ficalho) Extinct [56][57]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ This figure includes the dukedom of Elvas, the grant of which to William Carr Beresford is referred to by several authors but for which no instrument of grant is known. Excluding it, the ducal titles created would number twenty-eight.
  2. ↑ The nature of the grant is not established by the sources cited. According to Zuquete, no decrees of renewal are known for the title up to 1910, and subsequent holders, heads of the House of Wellington, have used the title by succession.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. 3 vols. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. ISBN 9789729362231.
  2. 1 2 Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 531–532.
  3. 1 2 Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. III. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 544–546.
  4. 1 2 Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 433–449.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Títulos de Nobreza – Instituto da Nobreza Portuguesa" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. p. 3.
  7. ↑ Infopédia. "Casa de Bragança - Infopédia". Dicionários infopédia da Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  8. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 409–410.
  9. ↑ Infopédia. "Casa Ducal de Beja - Infopédia". Dicionários infopédia da Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 651–652.
  11. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 648–649.
  12. ↑ António Lourenço Caminha (1807). "Ordenações da India do senhor rei D. Manoel, de eterna memoria" (in Portuguese). p. 24.
  13. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. p. 401.
  14. ↑ "Decreto de 4 de Abril de 1833". Parlamento (in Portuguese).
  15. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 459–463.
  16. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 18–19.
  17. ↑ Infopédia. "D. Nuno Álvares Pereira de Melo, duque de Cadaval - Infopédia". Dicionários infopédia da Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  18. ↑ Resenha das familias titulares do reino de Portugal, acompanhada das noticias biographicas de alguns individuos das mesmas familias (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Imprensa Nacional. 1838. p. 235.
  19. ↑ "O que guardam os palácios onde ainda vivem nobres em Portugal". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). September 17, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  20. ↑ Infopédia. "Duque da Terceira - Infopédia". Dicionários infopédia da Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  21. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 37–40.
  22. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 342–347.
  23. ↑ da Silva Canedo, Fernando de Castro (1945). A Descendência Portuguesa de El-Rei D. João II (in Portuguese). Vol. I. Lisbon: Edições Gama. pp. 342–347.
  24. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 688–692.
  25. ↑ Caldeira Pires, António (1926). História do Palácio Nacional de Queluz (in Portuguese). Coimbra: Imprensa da Universidade. p. XVIII.
  26. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 665–669.
  27. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 19–29.
  28. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. III. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 546–550.
  29. ↑ "Duque de Wellington morreu a meses da celebração dos 200 anos de Waterloo". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). December 31, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  30. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 898–902.
  31. ↑ Infopédia. "Duque de Wellington - Infopédia". Dicionários infopédia da Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  32. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 32–37.
  33. ↑ Infopédia. "Duque de Palmela - Infopédia". Dicionários infopédia da Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  34. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 694–699.
  35. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 29–31.
  36. ↑ Teixeira, Júlio A. (1946). Fidalgos e morgados de Vila Real e seu termo: genealogias, brazões, vínculos (in Portuguese). J. A. Telles da Sylva. p. 24.
  37. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. III. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 523–528.
  38. ↑ Braamcamp Freire, Anselmo (1927). Brasões da Sala de Sintra (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Coimbra: Imprensa da Universidade. p. 82.
  39. 1 2 Stewart, John (2024). African States and Rulers (3 ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 56.
  40. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 446–447.
  41. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. III. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 470–471.
  42. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 747–748.
  43. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 474–477.
  44. ↑ Debrett, John (1838). Debrett's Complete Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. revised by William Courthope. London. p. 226. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  45. ↑ Sousa, José Baptista de (2018). Holland House and Portugal, 1793–1840: English Whiggery and the Constitutional Cause in Iberia. London: Anthem Press.
  46. ↑ Bollaert, William (1870). The Wars of Succession of Portugal and Spain, from 1826 to 1840. Vol. I. London: E. Stanford. p. 5.
  47. ↑ "William Beresford". Arquivo Nacional de Portugal – arqnet.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  48. ↑ Afonso Lourenço, João Manuel (2013). William Carr Beresford: Contributo para um roteiro Documental (PDF) (in Portuguese). Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa.
  49. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. p. 572.
  50. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. p. 72.
  51. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 348–351.
  52. 1 2 Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. p. 17.
  53. ↑ Infopédia. "Castelo de Abrantes - Infopédia". Dicionários infopédia da Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  54. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. III. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 416–418.
  55. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 161–167.
  56. ↑ Afonso Eduardo Martins Zuquete, ed. (1989). Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (in Portuguese). Vol. II. Lisbon: Editorial Enciclopédia. pp. 592–597.
  57. ↑ Corrêa, Manuel de Mello (1985). Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal (in Portuguese). Vol. III, Tome I. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Heráldica. pp. 73–75.
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