Sancho Manuel de Vilhena, 1st Count of Vila Flor (1610–3 February 1677), was a Portuguese

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

and military leader, of royal background. He participated in several battles in Central Europe and fought the Dutch in Brazil between 1638 and 1640. During the

Portuguese Restoration War The Portuguese Restoration War ( pt, Guerra da Restauração) was the war between History of Portugal (1640–1777), Portugal and Habsburg Spain, Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon (1668), ...

, he was appointed general, and participated in the defence of Beira. His greatest victories were the Battle of the Lines of Elvas in 1659 and the Battle of Ameixial in 1663. António Manuel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John and ruler of Malta, was his fifth son. He was memorialized in a prominent azulejo of the Room of the Battles () in the Palace of the Marquises of Fronteira, created in 1671-1672 and depicting the Battle of Ameixial.The inscription in Portuguese reads as follows:

References

Portuguese military commanders of the Portuguese Restoration War Portuguese generals 1610 births 1677 deaths Portuguese nobility 17th-century Portuguese people People of the Dutch–Portuguese War People from Lisbon {{Portugal-bio-stub