Funchal (Marquis of)

Domingos António de Sousa Coutinho was one of the most distinguished Portuguese diplomats. In various European capitals, and especially in London, he represented his country with the greatest brilliance and selflessness, rendering outstanding services at a time of great upheaval throughout Europe.

It is well known that Madeira was twice occupied by English troops, ostensibly for its protection and defence against supposed attacks by Napoleonic forces. These occupations amounted to a genuine conquest, as is proved not only by many diplomatic documents of the period but also by the way the English ran the public affairs of this archipelago: the Portuguese authorities kept only a semblance of power, which in reality lay solely with the commander-in-chief of the British forces (see Occupation of Madeira by English troops). The Madeirans suffered every kind of humiliation during the eight years these occupations lasted. Despite the resolutions adopted at the Congress of Vienna, under which England was to evacuate this island without delay, it is certain that many European chancelleries, and even the highest circles of the Portuguese government, believed that the occupation of Madeira amounted to absolute and permanent possession. It is to the distinguished diplomat Dom Domingos António de Sousa Coutinho, then Portugal’s representative in London, that the evacuation of this archipelago and its return to the Portuguese nation are owed. Through his eminent qualities as a statesman and his numerous writings published abroad, he rendered so many outstanding services to his country. Our government honoured him with the title of Count and later Marquis of Funchal, a title still borne today by the representatives of his family. If we are still Portuguese, it is chiefly to him that we owe it; and yet nothing exists in this city to commemorate this fact or to serve as even a small tribute to the memory of the illustrious diplomat. He died in London in 1832.