Ambassador of the Kingdom of Portugal, donatary captain and governor-general of the Estado de Brasil (1588): Francisco Giraldes, a Portuguese fidalgo of Florentine origin
Abstract
The following article investigates the unique trajectory of Francisco Giraldes, a member of the Italian-origin Giraldi family, who gradually rose through the social ranks of the Kingdom of Portugal in the 16th century. Following his family's efforts to become a prominent and wealthy lineage within the Portuguese Kingdom, Francisco Giraldes succeeded in gradually increasing the family's prestige. He was first appointed ambassador of the Kingdom of Portugal to England and France. After the incorporation of the Portuguese Crown into the Spanish Monarchy, he managed to gain the favor of Philip II. Thanks to an inheritance he received, Giraldes would ultimately become a singular case, as he inherited the donatary captaincy of Ilhéus in Portuguese America and was later appointed governor-general of the Estado de Brasil. In short, this article analyzes a remarkable case of social ascension within the Kingdom of Portugal and Portuguese America in the second half of the 16th century.
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