Count of Vimioso

Count of Vimioso (in Portuguese Conde de Vimioso) is a Portuguese title of nobility which have their origins in Alphonse, Bishop of Évora, the natural son of Alphonse, 4th Count of Ourém and 1st Marquis of Valença (eldest son of Alphonse I, Duke of Braganza). Therefore, the Counts of Vimioso were close related to the Braganzas.

This title was created on February 2, 1515, by King Manuel I of Portugal to his 3rd cousin, Francisco de Portugal (Francis of Portugal), also known as Francis I, 1st Count of Vimioso, a natural son of Alphonse of Portugal, Bishop of Évora.

The House of the Counts of Vimioso had also close links with the Portuguese Royal family, as members of the King’s Council, ambassadors, and Vice-roys. The 2nd Count, Alphonse I of Portugal, joined King Sebastian in his crusade in Morocco, and died there (during the Battle of Alcazarquivir in 1578 or, according to others, imprisoned by the moors after the battle).

This was one of the few Portuguese high aristocracy families to support King Anthony I of Portugal against King Philip II of Spain claims, during the War of the Portuguese Succession (1580–1583). The 3rd Count, Dom Francisco de Portugal (Francis II), was appointed King’s Anthony Constable, leading the Portuguese armies in the Battle of Alcântara (1580); he found death, two years later, in the naval Battle of Vila Franca, off São Miguel Island, in the Azores.

The family supported the 1640 rebellion against the Spanish Habsburgs, receiving a new title from the Braganzas (Marquis of Aguiar, in 1643).

In 1687, the 7th Count, Dom Miguel de Portugal (Michael of Portugal), died without legitimate issue. To avoid that such an illustrious family would be extinct, the King Pedro II of Portugal, through a special decree, issued on December 13, 1681, legitimated the count’s natural son, Francisco de Paula (or Francis III), as 8th Count, giving him all his father’s honours and titles.

During the romantic period, the 13th Count of Vimioso (1817–1865) was quite a popular personality not only among aristocracy but also throughout the Portuguese society: he was a remarkable horse-rider, participating in bullfightings, with a bohemian life style; his mistress was the quite known fado singer, Maria Severa, and the story was later popularized by literature, music (the famous Fado do Conde de Vimioso), theatre and movies (A Severa (film)).