D. Felipe da Silva (died 1644) was a Portuguese

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

in the service of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Felipe da Silva was the son of Dona Filipa da Silva (1550–1590), 4th Countess of Portalegre and of Don Juan de Silva (1528-1601), Spanish

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the court of King Sebastian and Count of Salinas. His brother was D. Manrique da Silva, 1st Marquis of Gouveia, mordomo-mor of King John IV of Portugal and member of his privy council. In 1638, da Silva was part of the War Council of Flanders, along with the Marquis of Mirabel and the Marquis of Cerralvo, Manuel Pimentel de Requesens Count of Feira, Claude de Rye, Baron of Valançon and Anthonie Schetz, Baron of

Grobbendonk Grobbendonk () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp (). The municipality comprises the towns of Bouwel and Grobbendonk proper. In 2021, Grobbendonk had a total population of 11,249. The total area is 28.36 km2. The ...

. After the Portuguese revolution of 1 December 1640, he was held in custody at

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

, being freed in 1643 after which he was ordered to proceed to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

where he was promoted to commander of the Spanish forces in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, despite his age and the fact that he suffered from

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. He led the conquest of Monzon (Montsó) in 1643 and of

Lérida Lleida (, ; ; ''#Name, see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià, Segrià county, the Ponent, Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Cent ...

(Lleida) in 1644. He died that same year. Bibliography * Campaña de Cataluña de 1644, Contiene la batalla, sitio y toma de Lérida y el sitio que el enemigo puso sobre Tarragona sin conseguirla dins de Colección de documentos Inéditos para la Historia de España, Tom 95 - Madrid, 1890

References

{{Reflist 1644 deaths Portuguese soldiers Year of birth unknown 17th-century Portuguese military personnel Spanish military personnel