Bernardino Freire de Andrade e Castro (Lisbon, 18 February 1759 – Braga, 17 March 1809) was a

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army () is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who was appointed, in July 1808, commander-in-chief of the Portuguese forces in the north of the country during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

.Chartrand, René (2013)
''Vimeiro 1808: Wellesley’s first victory in the Peninsular''
p. 37. Bloomsbury Publishing, . ''Google Books''. Retrieved 17 February 2023.

Early career

War of the Pyrenees

Freire saw action in the

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...

in 1794-1795.

Peninsular War

In July 1808, the Supreme Junta of Oporto appointed Freire commander-in-chief of the Portuguese forces in the north of the country. Highly critical of the

Convention of Cintra The Convention of Cintra (or Sintra) was an agreement signed on 30 August 1808, during the Peninsular War. By the agreement, the defeated French were allowed to evacuate their troops from Portugal without further conflict. The convention was sig ...

(August 1808), by which Junot's French forces were allowed to leave Portugal after their defeat at

Vimeiro Vimeiro () is a freguesia (civil parish) in the municipality of Lourinhã in west-central Portugal. It is in the Lisboa (district), District of Lisboa. The population in 2011 was 1,470,Sir Arthur Wellesley Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

, Freire was also resentful of British influence in the country. Freire died at

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

, lynched by a mob. Having secretly fled from Braga, he had been seized by the Ordenanza of Tobossa, and brought back to the camp as a prisoner. His second-in-command, Baron Eben, the colonel of the 2nd battalion of the Lusitanian Legion, had then thrown him into the gaol of Braga. Members of the Ordenanza later returned, dragged Freire out, and killed him in the street with their pikes. That same day, they also murdered Major Villasboas, the chief of Freire’s engineers, and one or more of his aides-de-camp. Oman, Charles (1903)
''A History of the Peninsular War'', Vol. II, pp. pp. 232-233.
''Project Gutenberg''. Retrieved 17 February 2023. The commander of the British invasion force,

Sir Arthur Wellesley Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

complained that it was difficult to cooperate with Freire.

Promotions and Units

References

Portuguese military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Portuguese generals People of the Peninsular War 1759 births 1809 deaths Military personnel from Lisbon 18th-century Portuguese people Portuguese murder victims 19th-century Portuguese people People murdered in 1809 {{Portugal-mil-bio-stub