Andrade

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This article discusses the origins of the Andrade family in Portugal and Spain. For others with the surname Andrade see Andrade (disambiguation).

Medieval Castle of Andrade in Narahio Ferrolterra - 43°29′33.6″N, 8°04′56.79″W

The Andrades (sometimes Andrada) were a powerful family in north-western Iberia during the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance time during which they held the titles of Counts of Andrade and Vilalba amongst others, together with numerous castles, palaces, manor houses and extensive lands.

The two Galician Regions of Ferrolterra and Terra Chá are known to have been part of the domains of Fernán Pérez de Andrade in the 14th Century.

And the City of Ferrol and the borough of Pontedeume in particular, have always been regarded as the areas with the closest attachment to the Andrades, to the point, that Puente de Eume have always been, and still is, known as the The Borough of Andrade.

Most of the Galician properties, palaces and castles of the Andrade family, these days belong to the House of Alba.

1 Surname origin
2 People with the surname Andrade
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Surname origin

Original Coat of Arms of the Andrade family

Originally, the name Andrade could have come from any of numerous places of the same name in Galicia or northern Portugal and several Andrade are known from documents dating back to the 12th century. Most likely, however, it originated in the small fief of San Martiño de Andrade (St. Martin of Andrade) in Pontedeume, Ferrol and Vilalba, in Galicia.

These localities were given in the 14th century to Fernán Pérez de Andrade, descendant of Bermudo Peres de Traba (with origins in the house of the Counts of Traba and Trastámara), by the king Henry II of Castile (of the House of Trastámara), due to his services against his brother the King Pedro of Castile.

Fernán Pérez de Andrade was made Count of Andrade and Pontedeume, and Lord of Ferrol, Serantes and Vilar. Later the family would obtain the title of Counts of Vilalba under the Catholic Monarchs gaining full control over the entire Terra Chá Region in today's Lugo Province.

This family soon spread to Portugal. This happened several times and with several different branches of the Andrade. The most important branche to go to Portugal was that of the Freire de Andrade in the person of Rui Freire de Andrade (14th century) and his two sons, Nuno Rodrigues Freire de Andrade, later 6th Grand-Master of the Order of Christ, and Vasco Freire.

Coat of Arms of the Andrade (do Arco) family, from Madeira

From this branch of the Freire de Andrade came João Fernandes de Andrade who, having served the Portuguese Kings Afonso V and John II in the conquest of the Moroccon strongholds of Tangier and Asilah, was granted a new Coat of Arms and possessions in the Portuguese Island of Madeira, namely in Arco da Calheta (Bow of the Calheta). João Fernandes de Andrade, known also as João Fernandes de Andrade do Arco, married Beatriz de Abreu (descendant of the first King of Portugal, Afonso I) and had prolific issue, descendants of whom were present in the colonization of Brazil.

[edit] People with the surname Andrade

The surname Andrade is now commonly found not only in Portugal and Spain, but also in countries of Latin America and Portuguese speaking Africa and Equatorial Guinea. In 1920, there were hundreds of Andrade families living in the United States, with the largest concentrations in California, Texas, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

For others with the surname Andrade see Andrade (disambiguation).

[edit] See also

Iberian naming customs
List of most common surnames
Alonso Pita da Veiga In the Battle of Pavia under the orders of Count Fernando de Andrade (1525)
Francisco Franco (Spanish Dictator 1936-1975) signed his novel Raza (Race) as Jaime de Andrade (1942), using part of his mother's (Pilar Bahamonde Pardo de Andrade) maternal surname
Ferrolterra Connections of the Andrade family with Ferrol (Counts of Andrade). North-western Spain.
Terra Chá Region Connections of the Andrade family with Villalba (Counts of Villalba). North-western Spain.