February 15, 2018 – Portuguese and Brazilians can be proud to have had one of the most prestigious Military and Honorary Orders of the first half of the 19th century. It was called the Royal Order of the Tower and Sword, for Valour and Loyalty, and was founded by the Prince Regent Joao of Portugal in 1808, in Rio de Janeiro.
Many of the British military who came to fight the French invader in the Peninsula felt a particular fascination for this Royal Order, fruit of the prestige gained over these years as a Coin of Honor, with which the greatest services rendered to the Crown of Portugal were paid.
An insignia for Valour and Loyalty (left) based on a Mediaeval coin (right), an espadim of King Alphonsus V, circa 1458.
In the fiercest period of the Civil War of the Two Brothers, a second Military Order was created with the same name, of the Tower and Sword, but then for Valour, Loyalty and Merit. It was a “war of insignia” designed by the former Emperor of Brazil to discredit the Royal Order, that his brother the King Miguel I continued to grant to his soldiers as Grand Master of the Portuguese Military Orders.
Between August of 1832 and May of 1833, two Orders of the Tower and Sword co-existed in Portugal, with very different insignia and statutes. The fate of the arms dictated the end of the first Royal Order and the continuity up to our days of the second Military Order. The Royal Order of King Joao VI ceased to exist and sank into oblivion. Up to now.
This is the unpublished history of the Royal Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword, and the journey between continents of its insignia and medals for Valour and Loyalty.
Antonio M. Trigueiros, A Viagem das Insignias. Valor e Lealdade (For Valour and Loyalty. The Journey of the Insignia). 384 pages with color illustrations throughout. Hardcover, 21.7 x 30.5 cm. Portuguese text. ISBN: 978-989-20-7974-5. Price including packaging and registered airmail postage: Europe 58.50 euros; rest of the world 68.50 euros.
On February 6, 2018, Portugal and Brazil will be celebrating 200 years of the coronation of King Joao VI, the only head of state of the United Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil (1815-1822) and the sole European monarch crowned in the Americas.
This book is published in his honor, being the result of years of research in the national archives and museums of Portugal, Brazil and Great Britain, unveiling a wide range of unpublished documentation, allowing a new insight into the regency and reign of “The Good King Dom Joao”.
Among other features, it reveals unpublished letters of Lord Wellington and Marshal Beresford; complete list of Portuguese and foreign Orders insignia manufactured in Rio de Janeiro by the goldsmith of the Court, António Gomes da Silva; complete list of insignia manufactured in Lisbon by the goldsmith Francisco dos Santos Leite; complete list of Portuguese and foreign Orders insignia manufactured in Lisbon by the embroiderer of the Royal House, Francisco Alves Pereira; a comprehensive list of all insignia of the Royal Order of the Tower and Sword listed in the 19th century inventories of the Royal House of Portugal, and the Ducal Houses of Cadaval and Lafoes.
Portuguese pattern.
Some books leave their mark on an era and became essential works of reference. With its innovative numismatic approach to the study of the insignia of the Portuguese Military Orders, this is very likely to become one of those books.
Every known insignia of the Royal Order of the Tower and Sword is reproduced in color photography. Historical background is abundant, revealing the unpublished documents kept at National Archives of Brazil and Portugal.
Brasilian pattern.
The book ends with an exhaustive list of the primary sources and bibliography. All this combines to make it an invaluable contribution to the knowledge and international appreciation of the magnificent insignia of the Royal Order of the Tower and Sword, for Valour and Loyalty.
The price, including packaging and registered airmail postage, for this limited edition is €58.50 for Europe and €68.50 for the rest of the world (VAT exempt). This book will not be distributed through bookstores.
To order your copy, please contact author and publisher Antonio M. Trigueiros via e-mail.