Duke of Victoria
Duque da Vitória

Arms of the Dukes of Wellington as Duke of Victoria.
Creation date18 December 1812
Created byPrince Regent John of Portugal (later King John VI)
PeeragePeerage of Portugal
First holderArthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington
Present holderCharles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington
Heir apparentArthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington
Remainder tothe 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles
  • Marquess of Torres Vedras
  • Count of Vimeiro

Duke of Victoria (Portuguese: Duque da Vitória, lit. 'Victorious duke, or Duke of the victory')[1] is a Portuguese title of nobility retained by the Duke of Wellington.

The title was created by Prince Regent John of Portugal (later King John VI) on 18 December 1812 to honour the British General Arthur Wellesley, who commanded the armies that eventually defeated the troops of Emperor Napoleon I of France in the Peninsular War. It was the only grant of a Portuguese dukedom to a foreigner.

Arthur Wellesley had already received the Portuguese titles Conde de Vimeiro (Count of Vimeiro, 18 October 1811) and Marquês de Torres Vedras (Marquess of Torres Vedras, 17 December 1812), which became titles subsidiary to that of Duque da Vitória. He also received the British peerage title Duke of Wellington, and other titles and honours from the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. All these titles have been passed to his heirs to the present day.

Dukes of Victoria since 1812

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Arthur Gerald Wellesley, whose heir apparent is his son Arthur Darcy Wellesley.

Family tree

Use of titles of nobility in the Portuguese Republic

With the end of the Portuguese monarchy in 1910, all titles of Portuguese nobility were initially abolished. Notwithstanding, although the status of nobility has not been recognised in law since 1910, legitimate titles of nobility (those granted by a reigning monarch before the 5th October 1910) have been given legal recognition and protection, including under article 26 of the Portuguese Constitution, in conjunction with articles 70 and 72 of the Civil Code, as established by decision of Portugal's Supreme Court of Justice in 2014.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Issue 21388". London Gazette. 6 December 1852. pp. 3563, 3564.
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