Aníbal António Cavaco Silva, GCC is the President of the Portuguese Republic, having won the Portuguese presidential election on January 22, 2006. Cavaco Silva was sworn in on March 9, 2006. He was previously Prime Minister of Portugal from November 6, 1985 to October 28, 1995. His tenure of ten years was the longest of any democratically elected Prime Minister in Portuguese history, …

Denis, called the Farmer ("o Lavrador"), was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, Dinis succeeded his father in 1279. As heir to the throne Infante Dinis was summoned by his father (Afonso III) to share government responsibilities. At the time of his accession to the throne, Portugal was again in diplomatic conflicts with the Catholic church.

Estêvão da Gama was a rich Portuguese nobleman of the 15th century. Est~Evão da Gama was "Alcaide Mor" (Governor) of Sines and Silves, Officer of King Afonso V of Portugal, Comendador of Cercal, a member of the Household of Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Guarda, and a master of the Order of Santiago. By his wife, Isabel Sodré (of English origin, with links to the household of Prince Diogo, Duke of Viseu, son of King Edward I of Portugal, …

Garcia de Resende (1470-1536) was a Portuguese poet and editor. He served John II as a page and private secretary, and later became a knight in the Order of Christ. Resende built a chapel in the monastery of Espinheiro near Evora, the pantheon of the Alemtejo nobility, where he was buried. He compiled "Cancioneiro Geral", probably starting in 1483, though not printed until 1516, …

Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares GColTE, GCC, GColL, KE, Portuguese politician, was born in Lisbon, and graduated in history, philosophy and law from the University of Lisbon. He became a university lecturer in 1957, but his activities in opposition to the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar led to repeated arrests. He was active in resistance groups such as the Movement for Anti-Fascist National Unity and the Movement for Democratic Unity.

Jaime José de Matos da Gama, <small>GCC, GCIH, GCL, GCMG</small&gt; (born Fajã de Baixo, Azores, June 8 1947) is a Portuguese politician. He graduated in Philosophy at University of Lisbon. He was involved in the opposition to the fascist "Estado Novo" (New State) regime, since his youth, and was first arrested, aged only 18, due to an article published in the local press. He was a member of the socialist CEUD in the campaign for the 1969 legislative elections, …

Mateus Fernandes, also called Mateus Fernandes the Elder, was a Portuguese architect, known from his works in Manueline style at the Monastery of Batalha, Portugal. He became master of works at the monastery of Batalha in 1490 or slightly earlier, during the reign of king John II of Portugal. Before this date, nothing is known of his private life, as he has left no records to consult other than his architectural marvels.

Karīm al-Hussaynī, Āgā Khān IV KBE CC GCC -- (born December 13, 1936) is the current (49th) Imām of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. He has been in this position, and held the title of Aga Khan, since July 11, 1957. The Ismailis are ethnically and culturally diverse and reside in over 25 countries around the world. A modern Muslim leader, the Aga Khan is responsible for the interpretation of the faith for his followers and as part of the office of the Imamate, …

Angelo de Mojana di Cologna was the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1962 to 1988. He is the most recent recipient of the highest Papal Order of Chivalry, the Order of Christ, which was given to him in 1987 to honour him on the 25th anniversary of his election.

José Manuel Durão Barroso, GCC (born in Lisbon, March 23, 1956) is a Portuguese politician and the 11th President of the European Commission. He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 6 April 2002 until 29 June 2004, when he resigned to become President-designate of the European Commission. The appointment was formally endorsed by the European Parliament on July 22, and he was due to take over officially from Romano Prodi on 1 November 2004.

Diogo Pinto de Freitas do Amaral, GCC, GCSE, GCIH, usually referred to as either Freitas do Amaral or simply Freitas, is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 12 March 2005 to 1 July 2006. He also served briefly as Prime Minister in an interim capacity in the early 1980s. In 1974, some months after the Carnation Revolution, …

Francisco Manuel Lumbrales de Sá Carneiro, GCTE, GCC, GCL, was Prime Minister of Portugal for eleven months in 1980. A lawyer by training, he became a member of the puppet National Assembly, where he became one of the leaders of the "Liberal Wing", which attempted to work for the gradual transformation of António de Oliveira Salazar's dictatorship into a normal Western European democracy. In May 1974, a month after the Carnation Revolution, …

Augustin François César Prouvençal de Saint-Hilaire, French botanist and traveler, was born at Orleans on October 4, 1799. He began to publish memoirs on botanical subjects at an early age. In 1816-1822 and again in 1830, he traveled in South America, especially in south and central Brazil, and the results of his study of the rich flora of the regions through which he passed appeared in several books and numerous articles in scientific journals.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes, <small>GCC, OL</small>; (July 19, 1885-April 3, 1954), pron. (full name: Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches) was a Portuguese diplomat who fought against his own government for the safety of Jews living in Europe in the early years of World War II. Between June 16 and 23, 1940, he frantically issued Portuguese visas, free of charge, to over 30,000 refugees seeking to escape the Nazi terror, 12,000 of whom were Jews.

António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, GCC is a Portuguese politician, a former prime minister and president of the Socialist International. Currently he is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. António Guterres was born and raised in Portugal's capital, Lisbon. As a young child he already showed the abilities which would later garner him the award for Best High School Student for the year of 1965.

João de Deus Pinheiro, <small>GCC</small>, born 11 July 1945 in Lisbon, is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party-People's Party coalition; part of the European People's Party-European Democrats group. He was Minister for Education 1985-1997, Minister for Foreign Affairs 1987-1992; in that role he was one of the EU negotiators in Brioni Agreement that ended ten day war in Slovenia in 1991.

Álvaro II Nimi a Nkanga was king of Kongo from 1587 to 1614. He was one of Kongo's most powerful and important kings, who succeeded his father Álvaro I, but not until resolving a dispute with his brother. Both sides brought armies to São Salvador but to avoid bloodshed they agreed to single combat, won by Álvaro. Álvaro faced serious problems with other nobles besides his brother, and in 1590-91 was wracked by a serious, though poorly documented, civil war.

Carlos Alberto do Vale Gomes Carvalhas, <small>GCC</small> (born in São Pedro do Sul, November 9, 1941) is a Portuguese politician and former Secretary-General of the Portuguese Communist Party (1992-2004), succeeding the historical leader Álvaro Cunhal. He was a candidate to the Portuguese presidency in 1991, where he received 635,373 votes (12,92%). On 5 October 2004, he announced his intention to resign. He was replaced by Jerónimo de Sousa on 27 November 2004, …

Francisco Higino Craveiro Lopes, GCTE, GCSE, CavA, CavC, decorated wih the Order of the Bath and the Royal Victorian Chain born in Lisbon on 12 April 1894, was a Portuguese politician and military man, having been the 13th President of the Portuguese Republic, between 1951 and 1958. He was the son of João Carlos Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese army general and general governor of the Portuguese Indies and of Júlia Clotilde Salinas Cristiano.

Ana Maria Gomes, <small>GCC</small> (born February 9, 1954 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Socialist Party; part of the Party of European Socialists.

Algernon Hawkins Thogond Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore PC, GCMG, (12 August 1852 - 3 March 1930) was a British politician and colonial governor. Born at Sixmount House, near Edinburgh, he was the eldest son of the 8th Earl and his wife Louisa Madaleine, née Hawkins. Lord Kintore was educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, Cambridge and married Lady Sydney Charlotte Montagu, second daughter of the 6th Duke of Manchester on 14 August 1873.

Francisco José Pereira Pinto de Balsemão, GCC, (b.September 1 1937), is a former Prime Minister of Portugal, who served from 1981 to 1983. His mother was a granddaughter in male line of an adulterine son of King Pedro IV of Portugal. Being a graduate in law from the University of Lisbon, Pinto's pre-political career was in newspaper publishing.

Elisa Ferreira, <small>GCC</small> (born October 17, 1955 in Porto) is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Socialist Party; part of the Party of European Socialists.

Vítor Manuel Ribeiro Constâncio, <small>GCC, GCIH</small&gt; (born Lisbon, October 12, 1943) is a Portuguese economist and politician. He was secretary-general of the Socialist Party from 1986 to 1989. He lost the legislative elections of 19 July 1987, but remained in office. He resigned the following year, being replaced by Jorge Sampaio. He has been governor of the Banco de Portugal, the Portuguese central bank, since 2000.

Alfredo Jorge Nobre da Costa, GCC (1923-April 1, 1996), commonly known just by Nobre da Costa, pron.. was a Portuguese engineer and politician. A moderate independent center-left politician, he was chosen by President António Ramalho Eanes to lead a government that would finish the four-year legislative term, which had been initiated in the Portuguese legislative election, 1976.

Adelino da Palma Carlos, GCC, GCIH, GOL, pron., (Faro, May 3, 1905- Lisbon, October 27, 1992) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician. He was an opponent of the fascist regime of the Estado Novo (New State) of António de Oliveira Salazar (and later Marcelo Caetano) since his youth, and, being a liberal, rather than a socialist, was chosen by President António de Spínola, as the first prime-minister, after the April 25, 1974 revolution.

Maria de Lourdes Ruivo da Silva de Matos Pintasilgo, GCC, GCIH (pron. IPA ; (full name "Maria de Lurdes Ruivo da Silva Matos Pintasilgo") (January 18, 1930-July 10, 2004) was the first woman (and the only, to date) to serve as Prime Minister of Portugal. A left-wing Catholic, she was close to the Socialist Party and was Minister of Social Affairs and then Ambassador to UNESCO before briefly serving as Prime Minister in 1979-1980.

Francisco Seixas da Costa, <small>GCC, OIH</small&gt; (Vila Real, 1948) is a Portuguese diplomat and former politician. He is the current Portuguese ambassador to Brazil.

Carlos Alberto da Mota Pinto, GCC, GCIP, pron., (Pombal, 25 July 1936-Coimbra, 7 May 1985) was a Portuguese professor and politician. We was graduated in Law and doctor of Judicial Sciences by the University of Coimbra. He was also a professor at the Portuguese Catholic University and several foreign universities. Still today, his doctrine is very influential in the Portuguese legal community, mainly in what comes to Civil Law.

John I, 6th Duke of Braganza <small>KGF</small> (1543-Vila Viçosa 1583). In 1563 he married Catherine, Princess of Portugal, his cousin and daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Guimarães and Isabel of Braganza (John's aunt). After the disaster of the Battle of Alcazarquivir, where heirless King Sebastian of Portugal died, the aged Cardinal Henry of Portugal had become King. Because Henry was old and was not allowed to have legitimate children, …

"His Eminence" José Cardinal Saraiva Martins, CMF, GCC (born January 6, 1932) is a Portuguese prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, currently serving as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Born in Gagos de Jarmelo in Guarda, Portugal, to Antonio and Maria (née da Natividade Martins) Saraiva, he joined the Congregation of the Missionar Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and professed his vows on August 22, 1950.

António Luciano Pacheco de Sousa Franco, <small>GCC, GCSE</small&gt; (1942–2004) was a Portuguese economist and politician. He joined the Popular Democratic Party, who adopted the name of Social-Democratic Party, in 1976. In 1978, he was the interim leader of the party, due to Francisco Sá Carneiro absence. He latter left the party and was Finance Minister at Maria de Lurdes Pintasilgo government, in 1979.