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Fidalgo (Portuguese:[fiˈðalɣu],Galician:[fiˈðalɣʊ]), fromGalicianfillo de algo andPortuguesefilho de algo—equivalent to anobleman, but sometimes literally translated into English as "nobleman" —is a traditional title ofPortuguese nobility andBrazilian nobility that refers to a member of the titled or untitlednobility. Afidalgo is comparable in some ways to the Frenchgentilhomme (the word also implies nobility by birth or by charge), and to the Italiannobile but having a higher rank to the Britishbaronet as being a part of the aristocracy, not a commoner. The title was abolished after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1910 by the republic and is also a familysurname.[1][2][3]
The word has the sameetymological and historical roots as its Spanishcognate,hidalgo. Althoughalgo generally means "something", in this expression the word specifically denotes "riches" or "wealth" and thus was originallysynonymous withrico homem (literally, "a rich man").[4]
As late as the reign ofAfonso III (1248–1279), who completed the reconquest of theAlgarve, the nobility was not differentiated as it would be later. All nobles, who were thelarge landowners, were referred to simply by twosynonyms,fidalgo andricos homens. Originally,rico homem referred to the administrative duties entrusted to a noble andfidalgo referred to the inherited status of nobility (in an older parlance, "the nobility of blood").[5] Below thericos homens was a descending category of theirvassals: theinfanções, theknights (cavaleiros), and thesquires (escudeiros).[6]
Rico homem andfidalgo reached their current meanings during the reign ofJohn I (1385–1433). Large segments of the nobility did not side with John I in thecrisis of 1383–1385 and the subsequent war with Castile; they lost their lands after the new king secured his claim to the throne and were replaced by a new nobility, elevated from previously non-noble families and modeled on the English system.Fidalgo came to be applied to a category analogous to the English "gentleman."[5]
By the start of the fifteenth century, the terminfanção fell out of use and "knight" came to mean all those below thericos homens.Fidalgo began to be emphasized because, in its sense of someone who had inherited nobility, it differentiated the older knights from the growingbourgeoisie that continued to gain access to knighthood through accomplishments in the service of the state.[6]
It was during the reign of KingManuel I that rules were established that define the use of the degrees of nobility (hereditary titles), and the use ofheraldic arms, preventing abuses in the adoption of both and establishing the rights of the nobility. The nobles were subject to the king and were arranged in an order with three degrees:
All nobles were consideredvassals of theKing of Portugal.