Dom António José de Sousa Manoel e Meneses Severim de Noronha (March 18, 1792, Lisbon - April 26, 1860), 7th Count of Vila Flor, 1st Marquis of Vila Flor and 1st Duke of Terceira, was a Portuguese military officer, statesman and a leader of the Constitutionalist side in the Liberal Wars, as well as a Prime Minister of Portugal.
He was born on 18 March 1792, son of António de Sousa Manuel de Menezes Severim de Noronha, 6th Count of Vila Flor. He held the island of Terceira, in the Azores, for the rightful Queen Maria II of Portugal, when her uncle Miguel of Portugal usurped the Portuguese throne in 1828.
He was the leader of the army of Pedro IV of Portugal, former Emperor of Brazil and King of Portugal, father of Queen Maria II, in his attempt to defeat the usurper, and with him endured the siege of Oporto, 1832/1833. After the Battle of Ponte Ferreira on July 23, 1832, he offered to resign his command but was confirmed and created Duke of Terceira.
In July 1833, having been transported with half his army to the Algarve by Admiral Charles Napier, he was victorious at the Battle of Almada which caused the Miguelites to abandon Lisbon, and with the Duke of Saldanha was in charge of the concluding campaign against Miguel's forces, and dealt them their final defeat at the Battle of Asseiceira.
After liberal triumph, in 1834, he was four times Prime Minister of Portugal: from April to September 1836, from 1842 to 1846, for a few days in April-May 1851, and from March 1859 to his death on April 26, 1860.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by José Jorge Loureiro |
Prime Minister of Portugal (President of the Council of Ministers) 1836 |
Succeeded by Count of Lumiares |
| Preceded by António Bernardo da Costa Cabral, Count of Tomar |
Prime Minister of Portugal (President of the Council of Ministers) 1851 |
Succeeded by Duke of Saldanha |
| Preceded by Duke of Saldanha |
Prime Minister of Portugal (President of the Council of Ministers) 1859–1860 |
Succeeded by Joaquim António de Aguiar |
| Portuguese nobility | ||
| Preceded by New Title |
Duke of Terceira 1832–1860 |
Succeeded by Maria Luísa de Almeida Manoel de Vilhena, 2nd Duchess of Terceira |
| Preceded by New Title |
Marquis of Vila Flor 1833–1860 |
Succeeded by Maria Luísa de Almeida Manoel de Vilhena, 2nd Duchess of Terceira |