Fidalgo
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Fidalgo (Portuguese: [fiˈðalɣu], Galician: [fiˈðalɣʊ]), from Galician fillo de algo and Portuguese filho de algo—equivalent to a nobleman, but sometimes literally translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some (important family)"—is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility that refers to a member of the titled or untitled nobility. A fidalgo is comparable in some ways to the French gentilhomme (the word also implies nobility by birth or by charge), and to the Italian nobile but having a higher rank to the British baronet as being a part of the aristocracy, not a commoner. The title was abolished after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1910 by the democratic federal republic and is also a family surname. However, the title may still be granted by the Imperial Family of Brazil as part of the fount of honor. Titles received from the family hold no status within the government of Brazil but are still considered respectable and recognized by many people. [1][2][3][4]
Origins and etymology
The word has the same etymological and historical roots as its Spanish cognate, hidalgo. Although algo generally means "something", in this expression the word specifically denotes "riches" or "wealth" and thus was originally synonymous with rico homem (literally, "a rich man").[5]
As late as the reign of
Rico homem and fidalgo reached their current meanings during the reign of
By the start of the fifteenth century, the term infanção fell out of use and "knight" came to mean all those below the ricos homens. Fidalgo began to be emphasized because, in its sense of someone who had inherited nobility, it differentiated the older knights from the growing bourgeoisie that continued to gain access to knighthood through accomplishments in the service of the state.[7]
It was during the reign of King Manuel I that rules were established that define the use of the degrees of nobility (hereditary titles), and the use of heraldic arms, preventing abuses in the adoption of both and establishing the rights of the nobility. The nobles were subject to the king and were arranged in an order with three degrees:
- 1st grade: Fidalgo Cavaleiro
- 2nd grade: Fidalgo Escudeiro
- 3rd grade: Moço Fidalgo
- 4th grade: Fidalgo Capelão (for ecclesiastics)
All nobles were considered
References
- ^ https://royalty.miraheze.org/wiki/House_of_Orl%C3%A9ans-Braganza
- ^ https://royalblog.org/2019/01/18/fons-honorum-legally-bestowing-titles-honors/
- ^ https://www.icocregister.com/principles/
- ^ https://freiherrvonquast.wordpress.com/2020/08/09/i-have-obtained-a-nobiliary-title-from-a-deposed-monarch-do-i-belong-to-the-nobility-of-his-country/
- ISBN 84-249-1362-0
- ^ a b Nowell, Charles E. (1952). A History of Portugal. New York: D. Van Nostrand. pp. 11, 23–24.
- ^ ISBN 0-299-05580-9.