José Lúcio Travassos Valdez (February 23 1787-July 10 1862),
1st and sole
Baron and
1st Count do Bonfim , was a
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
soldier and statesman.
Early life
He was born in
ElvasElvas is a Portuguese municipality, an episcopal city and frontier fortress of Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about 230 km east of Lisbon, and about 15 km west of the Spanish fortress of Badajoz, by the Madrid-Badajoz-Lisbon railway...
on February 23rd 1787 and originally intended for a career in the
Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
, but following the
invasion of PortugalThe Peninsular War was a contest between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars...
by Napoleon's armies under General Junot, he became active in the resistance to the occupation.
When
Arthur WellesleyField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
(later the
Duke of WellingtonThe Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born British career officer and statesman, and unqualified...
) landed in Portugal to eject the
FrenchThe French Empire
, also known as the Greater French Empire or First French Empire, but more commonly known as the Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I in France...
, Travassos Valdez served Wellesley as a Portuguese aide-de-camp at the
Battle of RoliçaThe Battle of Roliça the British under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under General Henri Delaborde, near the village of Roliça in Portugal...
and the
Battle of VimeiroIn 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 WarThe Peninsular War was a contest between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars...
he was among the first Portuguese officers to attach himself to the command of Marshal
BeresfordWilliam Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Count of Trancoso, 1st Marquess of Campo Maior GCB GCH GCTE , British soldier and politician, illegitimate son of George de la Poer Beresford, 1st Marquess of Waterford.A general in the British Army and a marshal in the Portuguese army, who fought...
and was so close to him that he was popularly known in the Portuguese battalions as 'o discípulo de Beresford' (Beresford's disciple).
He rose to become a Major Assistant in the General Staff of the Portuguese army under Beresford, and is said to have fought in nine major battles. He was decorated for his services at the
Battle of AlbueraThe 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...
, 16 May 1811 (when Beresford, operating independently from Wellington, was the allied commander); the
Battle of SalamancaThe Battle of Salamanca saw an Anglo-Hispano-Portuguese army 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....
, 22 July 1812; the
Battle of OrthezThe 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:...
, 27 February 1814; and the
Battle of ToulouseThere have been two battles known as the Battle of Toulouse:* Battle of Toulouse during the Islamic conquest of Hispania* Battle of Toulouse during the Napoleonic Wars...
, 5 April 1814.
Civil strife
After the revolution of 1820, in the
civil warThe 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 Constitutionalist
LiberalsLiberalism is the belief in the importance of individual freedom. This belief is widely accepted today throughout the world, and was recognized as an important value by many philosophers throughout history...
(the new parliamentary constitution was supported by King
João VIJohn VI, born Don John Mary Joseph Francis Javier of Paula Louis Anthony Dominic Raphael of Braganza , the Clement John VI, born Don John Mary Joseph Francis Javier of Paula Louis Anthony Dominic Raphael of Braganza (in Portuguese:Dom João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos...
) and
AbsolutistsAbsolutism or The Age of Absolutism is a historiographical term used to describe a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by any other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites...
(supporting his younger son the
InfanteInfante or infanta , also anglicised as infant, was the title and rank given in the European kingdoms of Spain and Portugal to a son or daughter of the king, or to a grandson or granddaughter in the male line of a reigning monarch Infante (masculine) or infanta (feminine), also anglicised as...
(Prince)
Miguel of PortugalMiguel I was the 30th King of Portugal and the Algarves between 1828 and 1834, during the Portuguese civil war.-Early life and...
, a sworn enemy of any form of democracy), Travassos Valdez was strongly on the Constitutionalist side and was engaged in putting down revolts by the Absolutists.
When Miguel became titular head of the army he had Travassos Valdez removed from his post and sent into exile in
SetúbalSetúbal 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...
, 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. When, after the death of King João VI, a Spanish force invaded Portugal to restore Absolutist rule, Travassos Valdez opposed their army of 6,000 with only 900 men at
BraganzaBraganza may refer to:* the English name for the Portuguese city and district of Bragança* the name of a Portuguese ducal and later royal House* Duchy of Braganza, a fief in medieval history of Portugal...
, delaying their advance until the government was able to raise sufficient force to oppose them. He was made a
prisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
and sent into Spain, but escaped and returned to Portugal. The Regent
Dona Isabel MariaInfanta Isabel Maria of Portugal Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal Infanta Isabel Maria of Portugal (or of Braganza and Borbón; ; Queluz, July 4, 1801 – Benfica, Lisbon, April 22, 1876 was a Portuguese infanta (princess) daughter of King John VI of Portugal and his wife Carlota Joaquina of...
offered him the governorship of
AngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
, which he declined and was made instead Governor (Captain General) of
MadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands...
and Porto Santo in 1827. When Dom Miguel seized power from the rightful heir, his niece
Maria IIMaria II da Glória was Queen of Portugal from 1826 to 1853. She was the second Queen regnant of Portugal and the Algarves, and the 29th or 30th Portuguese monarch.-Life:...
, 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 proclaimed that Valdez was to be hanged if captured, he was forced to flee to
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his wife, brother and six children, under the protection of the British Royal Navy (September 1828). He joined the many refugees from Dom Miguel's tyranny and in 1832 made his way to the
AzoresThe Azores is a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about from Lisbon and about from the east coast of North America. The two westernmost Azorean islands actually lie on the North American plate...
to join the expedition of Dom Pedro I of Brazil, ex-
Emperor of Brazil and father of Maria II, to restore his daughter 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
PortoPorto , also known as Oporto in English, is Portugal's second city and capital of the Norte NUTS II region. The city is located in the estuary of the Douro river in northern Portugal. The largest city in the region, Porto is considered the economic and cultural heart of the entire region...
. After the
Battle of Ponte FerreiraThe 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 Gloria, 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 29 September, Travassos Valdez was severely wounded at the defence of a redoubt at the
Bonfim ChurchBonfim 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 which he later took his title of nobility. A year later (5 September 1833) he was again wounded at the siege of
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
, which the Constitutionalists had wrested from Dom Miguel, who was finally 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
AlentejoAlentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the Algarve...
against the
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
Carlist general, Gómez, who was threatening the frontier. In 1837 he was elected deputy for the constituents of the district of
LeiriaLeiria 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
ChartistIn 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 GuardThe 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
LeiriaLeiria 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 CabralAntónio 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 and others. It was during the period of his government that various
EuropeEurope 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 water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an powers (among them, the
Holy SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and 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 speaks for the whole Catholic...
) 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
MoçâmedesMossâmedes 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
AngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
(now
NamibeMossâmedes is a small city in the state of Goiás, Brazil. For that article see MossâmedesNamibe is the capital city of Namibe Province in Angola. Namibe is located in southwestern Angola and was founded in 1840. 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 AguiarJoaquim 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'etat 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 the 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 PalmelaDom 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 Prime Minister. He was also a freemason.He was born in Turin...
took office Bonfim returned to Portugal, but in October the palace coup known as the
EmboscadaThe 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
PatuleiaThe 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 AntasFrancisco 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 VedrasTorres 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 with his sons in a skiff, intending to sail to
Saint HelenaSaint 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.The island...
, 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 GramidoThe Convention of Gramido was an agreement signed on 29 June 1847, in Casa Branca of 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 TerribleHMS 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 at her launch 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
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
; and the fourth son was the noted travel writer and anti-
slaverySlavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be the property of others. 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 receive compensation...
campaigner Francisco Travassos Valdez (1825-1892). A sixth son, Pedro de Alcântara Travassos Valdez (1827-1887), settled in the English village of
DalwoodDalwood is a village near Axminster in East Devon.With the hamlet of Stockland, until 1842 it formed an outlier of Dorset inside Devon. St Peter's church is 15th century and was restored in 1881. It has some early stained glass windows...
in
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
and is buried in the graveyard of St Peter's Church there, with an elaborate headstone summarizing his father's career.