Teixeira (Tristão)
Tristão Teixeira das Damas, eldest son of the discoverer Tristão Vaz and second captain-donatary of Machico, known as a courtly wit; he cleared himself of a grave accusation at court and is buried in Machico.
Tristão Teixeira, or Tristão Teixeira das Damas as the chronicles call him, was the eldest son of Tristão Vaz Teixeira and the second captain-donatary (capitão-donatário) of Machico. He must have been born in mainland Portugal, the Kingdom (reino, i.e. mainland Portugal), for Frutuoso says that the discoverer Tristão Vaz came to this island with his wife and children right at the beginning of the colonisation. He was called Tristão das Damas (‘Tristão of the Ladies’), says the historian of the islands, ‘because he was a great courtier and a great wit, composed many verses for the ladies, and was very eloquent in speech’.
The same chronicler says that a very grave accusation was made against Tristão Teixeira, which obliged the monarch to summon him to court, but that ‘after much trouble, spending much of his own, he nevertheless cleared himself very well and with great honour, clearing his good name’.
He died in Machico and lies there in the chapel of St John the Baptist (São João) in the parish church (volume II, page 284).
Tristão Teixeira is one of the main characters in the novel A Filha de Tristão das Damas by the Madeiran writer J. Reis Gomes.
In this article
Place
Places mentioned · 02
- Chapel of St John the Baptist
Machico. Chapel in Machico parish church where the subject is buried.
The Chapel of São João in Machico parish church was founded by Tristão Vaz Teixeira, who is buried there.
- Machico
Captaincy held by the subject, where he died and is buried.
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.
People
People mentioned · 04-
Second captain-donatary of Machico and eldest son of Tristão Vaz, nicknamed 'das Damas' for his courtly verses to ladies.
- Gaspar Frutuoso1522–1591
Chronicler of the Atlantic islands whose account is the main source on Tristão das Damas.
-
Madeiran writer, author of the novel A Filha de Tristão das Damas.
- Tristão Teixeirad. 1470
Discoverer of Madeira and first captain-donatary of Machico, father of the subject.