1695. Carta não autógrafa de Dom José Afonso de Meneses, Arcebispo Primaz, para o irmão, Fradique Manuel de Magalhães, Senhor de Ponte da Barca.

Family letter, dictated by dom José Afonso de Meneses, Primate Archbishop, to his brother, Fradique Manuel de Magalhães, Lord of Ponte da Barca.

The author writes to give some recomendations concerning a marriage to be celebrated.

Afonso de Meneses, 11th Lord of Ponte da Barca and the nephew of the Archbishop D. José de Meneses, filed a lawsuit in the Ecclesiastical Relation of Braga to dispatch some horses and mules kept in the stables of that diocese.

According to the proceedings, the archbishop issued a decree (1.2.1696) in favour of his nephew, amounting to 150 thousand “réis”, in order to buy João de Faria Machado’s horse. The Archbishop also asked the Mitra’s treasurer to hand in to his nephew 220 thousand “réis” to buy the two male dunkeys from José Pereira de Eça. Since the uncle passed away meanwhile, none of these procedures was concluded.

During the trial, the Archbishop was considered to have been perfectly sane at the time of the events, despite his chronic disease. His actions were motivated by the fact that his nephew was intended to marry Dona Antónia de Bourbon, daughter of the Count of Avintes. The marriage took place in May 1969. All these facts were clear and attested in the letters presented as evidence in court.