Moniz
Entry on the Moniz family, one of Madeira's oldest surnames, descended from early settlers Vasco Martins Moniz de Meneses of Machico and Francisco Moniz, the Elder, who gave his name to Porto Moniz. It notes the family's link to Columbus through Filipa Moniz.
Origins and notable members of the Moniz family
This is a very old family surname here in Madeira. Among the first settlers who came from mainland Portugal, says the annotator of the Saudades, Vasco Martins Moniz de Meneses established himself on this island and held a sesmaria (royal land grant to settlers on condition of cultivation) at Caniço (‘reed’). He was a nobleman of the Royal Household (fidalgo da Casa Real) and the second son of Henrique Moniz, alcaide-mor (royal governor of a castle and town) of Silves, and of his wife Dona Inês de Meneses, daughter of Gonçalo Nunes Barreto, alcaide-mor of Faro. Vasco Martins Moniz kept a great house in the town (vila) of Machico and, by a will approved in 1489, founded an entail (morgado) from the disposable third (terça) of the estate; he died in 1510 in the town of Torrão. Nicolau Florentino (António Maria de Freitas) writes at length about Vasco Martins Moniz in his pamphlet A mulher de Colombo, extolling his deeds and qualities. He says that in the town of Machico, where Moniz had settled, he stood out among all the Portuguese and foreigners living there for his generosity, the nobility of his manners and the princely splendour of his house. Its comforts and attractions did not make him soft; on the contrary, whenever the king and the country called for his services, he left his family to lend his arm and often his purse. Vasco Moniz’s daughter, Dona Isabel Moniz, was the wife of Bartolomeu Perestrelo, the first donatary (donatário) of Porto Santo (‘holy harbour’), and from this marriage was born Dona Filipa Moniz, wife of the great navigator Christopher Columbus. The pamphlet by Nicolau Florentino cited above also deals at length with all these figures.
Francisco Moniz, the Elder, a native of the Algarve, also came to Madeira. He gave his name to the parish (freguesia) of Porto Moniz, or rather Porto do Moniz, where he held sesmaria lands.
We do not know whether the Moniz family to which the distinguished Madeirans Lourenço José Moniz, João Henriques Moniz, Patrício Moniz, Jaime Moniz and João Maria Moniz (see those entries) belonged descends from Vasco Moniz or from the Francisco Moniz mentioned above.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 02Place
Places mentioned · 08
Abroad
- Algarve
Portugal. Home region of Francisco Moniz, the Elder.
The Algarve is a region of mainland Portugal that supplied many early Madeiran settlers, notably from Boliqueime, and probably cattle. Zarco guarded its coast as captain, and Bartolomeu Perestrelo died there. Simão Gonçalves da Câmara put in there on his aborted voyage to Spain.
- Caniço
Santa Cruz. Where Vasco Martins Moniz held his land grant.
Caniço is a parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz, lying on the boundary between the captaincies of Funchal and Machico. Its early settlers included Gaspar Rego, Vasco Fernandes Rego and Álvaro de Ornelas, whose family founded morgados there; its alcaide and judge were appointed by the Funchal senate. The parish includes the Garajau statue, the Jesuits' Socorro residence and the Quinta do Barão da Conceição.
- Faro
Portugal. Town of which Gonçalo Nunes Barreto was alcaide-mor.
Town of which Gonçalo Nunes Barreto was alcaide-mor.
- Machico
Town where Vasco Martins Moniz had his great house.
The parish of Machico was the landing place of the discoverers Zargo and Tristão Vaz and the seat of the captaincy of Machico; the parish was founded c. 1450. The Elucidário covers its clergy and stipends, chapels, historical events, mineral springs, localities, population and notable natives.
- Porto Moniz
Parish named after Francisco Moniz, who held land there.
North-western parish and municipality with a quay and a tolerable port that serves as a good landing when southerly winds close the south coast. It has one of the oldest Magdalene chapels in northern Madeira, whose feast falls on 22 July. It was the birthplace of Dr Manuel Gomes Jardim.
- Porto Santo
Island whose first donatary married Isabel Moniz.
An island of the archipelago, settled alongside Madeira and forming one of the three captaincies. It has always constituted a single parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, whose church was repeatedly sacked. The Elucidário records the Moorish pirate raid of 1617, its own Misericórdia and a rainwater channel built on this drought-prone island.
- Silves
Portugal. Town of which Henrique Moniz was alcaide-mor.
Town and former seat of the Algarve diocese in Portugal. The Elucidário records that Henrique Moniz was its alcaide-mor, and that Tristão Vaz and D. Jerónimo Barreto died there.
- Torrão
Portugal. Town where Vasco Martins Moniz died in 1510.
Town where Vasco Martins Moniz died in 1510.
People
People mentioned · 15-
Author, under the pseudonym Nicolau Florentino, of the pamphlet 'A mulher de Colombo', which praises Vasco Martins Moniz.
- Bartolomeu Perestrelod. 1457
First donatary of Porto Santo, husband of Isabel Moniz.
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The great navigator, married to Filipa Moniz.
- D. João Henriques Monizd. 1847
Distinguished Madeiran of the Moniz family with his own entry.
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Daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrelo and Isabel Moniz, and wife of Christopher Columbus.
- Francisco Moniz, o Velhod. 1533
Algarve-born settler with a land grant in the north-west of Madeira, who gave his name to Porto Moniz.
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Alcaide-mor of Faro and father of Inês de Meneses.
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Alcaide-mor of Silves and father of the settler Vasco Martins Moniz.
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Wife of Henrique Moniz and mother of Vasco Martins Moniz.
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Daughter of Vasco Moniz and wife of Bartolomeu Perestrelo, first donatary of Porto Santo.
+ 5 more
- Jaime Moniz1837–1917
Distinguished Madeiran of the Moniz family with his own entry.
- João Maria Moniz1822–1898
Distinguished Madeiran of the Moniz family with his own entry.
- Lourenço José Moniz1789–1857
Distinguished Madeiran of the Moniz family with his own entry.
- Patrício Moniz1820–1898
Distinguished Madeiran of the Moniz family with his own entry.
- Vasco Martins Monizd. 1510
Early settler and nobleman of the royal household who held a land grant at Caniço, lived in Machico, founded an entailed estate in 1489 and died at Torrão in 1510.