Nápoles
Encyclopedia
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
whose roots lie in the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
. A claimed secondary branch of the royal Capetian House of Anjou
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
, of the kings of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, the Nápoles descend from Stephen of Durazzo
Stephen of Durazzo
Stephen of Durazzo was an Italian nobleman and warrior, the claimed youngest son of John, Duke of Durazzo, ruler of the Kingdom of Albania, by his wife Agnés de Périgord and a grandson of king Charles II of Naples...
(a claimed younger son of John, Duke of Durazzo
John, Duke of Durazzo
John of Gravina , Count of Gravina 1315–1336, Duke of Durazzo 1332–1336 and ruler of the Kingdom of Albania , was a younger son of Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary....
, ruler of the Kingdom of Albania
Kingdom of Albania
The Kingdom of Albania, or Regnum Albaniae, was established by Charles of Anjou in the Albanian territory he conquered from the Despotate of Epirus in 1271. He took the title of "King of Albania" in February 1272. The kingdom extended from the region of Durrës south along the coast to Butrint...
, and grandson of Charles II of Naples
Charles II of Naples
Charles II, known as "the Lame" was King of Naples, King of Albania, Prince of Salerno, Prince of Achaea and Count of Anjou.-Biography:...
) who moved to Portugal during the first half of the 14th century to join the ranks of King Afonso IV at the battle of Salado. It has been noted that this might be a posterior fabrication, for there is no notice of any such legitimate or bastard son of a Prince of Naples.
The main branch of the family in Portugal is that of the Lords of the Honour of Molelos, created Viscounts of Molelos by king John VI of Portugal
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...
and later raised to Counts of Molelos by king Miguel I, in recognition of their support for the traditionalist faction during the Portuguese Civil War. Among its members are Leonardo Estêvão de Nápoles
Leonardo Estêvão de Nápoles
Leonardo Esteves de Nápoles was a Portuguese nobleman and military, the natural son of João Esteves and Catarina Esteves.Because of his deeds in battle, he received an extraordinary amount of Lordships from King Afonso IV: among these were those of Corjas, Penela and Seia...
, Henrique Esteves da Veiga de Nápoles
Henrique Esteves da Veiga de Nápoles
Henrique Esteves da Veiga de Nápoles, 1st Lord of the Honour of Molelos was a Portuguese nobleman, privy counsellor and military, the eldest son of João Esteves da Veiga de Nápoles and his wife Leonor Anes de Vasconcelos....
and Francisco de Paula de Tovar e Nápoles, 1st Viscount of Molelos.