Josse Van Huerter
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Joost De Hurtere (1430 in
Torhout Torhout (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Torhout proper, the villages of Wijnendale and Sint-Henri ...
,
Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...
– 1495 in Horta, Azores islands,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
), also known by several transliterations (such as ''Josse van Huerter, Josse van Hurtere'', ''Josse De Hurtere'' or ''Joss van Hürter'', and later in Portuguese, ''Joss de Utra'' or just ''Dutra'') was the first settler, and
captain-major A donatary captain was a Portuguese colonial official to whom the Crown granted jurisdiction, rights and revenues over some colonial territory. The recipient of these grants was called a (donatary), because he had been given the grant as a (donat ...
of the Portuguese island of Faial in the
Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
. After 1482, the island of
Pico Pico may refer to: Places The Moon * Mons Pico, a lunar mountain in the northern part of the Mare Imbrium basin Portugal * Pico, a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Verde * Pico da Pedra, a civil parish in the municipality of Ribe ...
was also incorporated into his captaincy. His son, Joss de Utra would later inherit the captaincy from him after his death.


Biography


Early life

De Hurtere, a name of
Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...
origin, appears frequently in Portuguese writings with many variations. What is known, is that the family name De Hurtere evolved through Portuguese transliteration to Utra and later Dutra (a contraction of De Utra, "Of Utra"). Similarly, the city of Horta (settled by De Hurtere and his Flemish compatriots) would owe its name to an adulterated variation on the De Hurtere name. Joost, has also appeared with some variations; Joost De Hurtere himself used Josse and the shorter Joss in communications, although Joz, Job, Jobst and Jost have also been identified. He was the second son of Leon De Hurtere, Lord of Hagebroek,José Guilherme Reis Leite (2012), p.64 of a governing family with feudal holdings in Wijnendale,
West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...
: his father was a
bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...
and chairman of the municipal council of Wijnendale appointed by
Adolph of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein Adolph of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein, Netherlands, Ravenstein (1425–1492) was the youngest son of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves, and of his wife Marie of Burgundy, Duchess of Cleves, Marie of Burgundy, a sister of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. ...
. Marcelino Lima was among the first who stated that the De Hurtere holdings were specifically in Hagebroek, refuting the claims of the German navigator and geographer
Martin Behaim Martin Behaim (6 October 1459 – 29 July 1507), also known as and by various forms of , was a German textile merchant and cartographer. He served John II of Portugal as an adviser in matters of navigation and participated in a voyage to Wes ...
, in his Globo de Nuremberga (who believed that the noble family lived in Moerkirchen). The De Hurtere family was of
noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...
lineage, and established heraldry, who dedicated themselves in the homeland, which was confirmed by a 1527 document, by Jacques De Hurtere, of Flanders, the cousin of Joss de Utra (second Captain-Donee of Faial), and chronicled by Manuel Luís Maldonado. Little is known of his life prior to his participation in the great exploration and colonization of the 15th Century. What is known is that he frequented the circles of Flemish nobility, and made friendships in the court of
Isabella of Portugal Isabella of Portugal (; 24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and Lady of the Netherlands fr ...
, the Duchess of Burgundy and Countess of Flanders (who established a parallel court to her husband).Carlos Melo Bento (2008), p.28José Guilherme Reis Leite (2012), p.63 Although his family belonged to lower nobility, he was always under threat of a life in financial misery. Yet, he had pretensions to life as a courtesan and regularly overspent, but had the sensibility to accept the protection of the Duchess. It was at this time that the new Captain-Donee of the Azores, the Infante D. Fernando, established contacts with his aunt Isabella, wife of Duke
Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...
and mother of
Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...
.


Captain-Donee

About 1460, Joost made an acquaintance of Friar Pedro, the Queen's confessor, who traveled with the Infanta Isabella. He developed a friendship with the young nobleman, and quickly promoted the advantages of exploration in the "new" islands of the Azores. D. Pedro talked to De Hurtere of the islands and what he believed were large deposits of silver and tin (referring to the islands as the fabled ''Ilhas Cassitérides'' or ''Islands of Tin''). De Hurtere later convinced 15 impoverished Flemings of the profitability of a venture in the archipelago. Around 1465, De Hurtere first disembarked along the eastern coast in the channel between Pico and Faial, in an area that would later be known as Praia de Almofariz (now
Praia do Almoxarife Praia do Almoxarife is a ''freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality (''concelho'') of Horta (Azores), Horta, of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 834, in an area of 9.20 km2. Although it was the beac ...
). The expedition remained in the area around Lomba dos Frades for about a year, until about the time their supplies ran out. It was at this time that many of his compatriots became disenchanted with De Hurtere and angered by the lack of return on their investments: finding none of the promised precious metals. Things escalated and De Hurtere nearly escaped to Flanders, abandoning some on the island, and returning hastily to the court of the Duchess of
Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...
. He returned, in 1466–67, with the aid of the Duchess of Burgundy, who assisted her vassal in his protection under the Crown of Portugal. The Duchess would send a two-year supply of the equipment, foodstuffs, animals and materials to support the fledgling colony made up of Flemish nationals looking for a new life following the
Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a c ...
. But, quickly, He discovered the limitations of the area owing to the lack of sufficient potable water. He abandoned the main settlement in Almofariz, in favor of the adjacent valley (later known as the Valley of
Flamengos Flamengos is a Portuguese language, Portuguese civil parish () on the island of Faial Island, Faial in the archipelago of the Azores. Its name was derived from the grouping of Flanders, Flemish settlers who made their homes in this landlocked val ...
). De Hurtere would later extend his community farther south along the shore of Horta Bay, where he would construct a small chapel to Santa Cruz, that would become the nucleus of the small village. The Infante Ferdinand,
Duke of Viseu Duke of Viseu (in Portuguese ''Duque de Viseu'') was a Portuguese Royal Dukedom created in 1415 by King John I of Portugal for his third male child, Henry the Navigator, following the conquest of Ceuta. When Henry the Navigator died with ...
, had bestowed on De Hurtere the first captaincy of the island on 2 February 1468, which would later extend to the neighboring island of Pico (29 December 1482) by Infanta Beatrice. De Hurtere cultivated new relationships in Flanders, hoping to construct a "New Flanders" by attracting a second wave of settlers to Faial. One of them, Willem De Kersemakere, brought administrators, tradesmen, settlers and other compatriots to settle on the island. This was a short-term colony, owing to a falling out between De Hurtere and De Kersemakere, the latter abandoned the island, eventually settling on
Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the East Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is 14,250 km2. Including Komodo and Rinca islands ...
. On 15 October 1484, De Hurtere was honored with a knighthood in the House of the Duke of Viseu.


Family and Later life

He was married to D. Beatriz de Macedo, daughter of Jerónimo Fernandes, the governess of the Infanta Beatrice, who bore him two children. De Hurtere's son, Joss de Utra (who would become the second Captain-General of Faial), and daughter, Dona Joana de Macedo were born on Faial. Joss de Utra would later marry Dona Isabel Corte Real, and Dona Joana would marry
Martin Behaim Martin Behaim (6 October 1459 – 29 July 1507), also known as and by various forms of , was a German textile merchant and cartographer. He served John II of Portugal as an adviser in matters of navigation and participated in a voyage to Wes ...
, a German navigator/cartographer at the Chapel of Santa Cruz. Joost De Hurtere's sister, Josina De Hurtere, and his illegitimate half brother Boudewijn De Hurtere (Balduino de Utra/Dutra) also settled on Faial around 1468. Josina married Nuno Fernandes, originally of the Isle of Madeira, and their son, Antonio d'Utra Nunes, served as Deputy Capitao of both the Isles of Faial and Pico. Boudewijn's daughter, Christina De Hurtere married the
Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...
Antonius Cornelis and had one daughter, Isabella De Hurtere, who became the wife of Tomás de Pórras, the Elder. De Hurtere died in 1495 in Horta, and along with his wife (in 1531) would be buried in the Chapel of Santa Cruz, where today the Church of Nossa Senhora das Angústias is located. The descendants of the
Azorean The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two Autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaro ...
De Hurtere family exist to this day, the surname having changed to Dutra, Silveira and Morais (aka: Dutra de Morais).A history of the Dutra De Morais family available from the RI Historical Society
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See also

*
Jácome de Bruges Jácome de Bruges, 1st Captain-Donee of Terceira (born Jacob van Brugge, Gruuthuse en van der Aa circa 1418 in Bruges, Flanders) was the brotherPaviot speculates that he was born illegitimate, whereas Claeys maintains that he was legitimate. of Lo ...
* Willem van der Haegen * Josse van Aertrycke


References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * * * *L. Fr. Claeys, André (2011). Vlaamse Adel op de Azoren sinds de 15de eeuw, Volume IV. Bruges. pp. 206–207. {{DEFAULTSORT:van Heurter 1430 births 1495 deaths People from the Burgundian State Immigrants to Portugal Huerter Josse People from Torhout Portuguese people of Flemish descent