D.(*) Luís da Cunha (25 January 1662 in Lisbon – 9 October 1749 in Paris) was a Portuguese diplomat who served under D. João V of Portugal as part of His Most Faithful Majesty's Council. He was also Judge of the Royal Household, Envoy Extraordinary of Portuguese Cortes to London, Madrid and Paris, and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Congress of Utrecht, as well as part of the Portuguese Royal Academy of History.
D. Luis da Cunha was considered an "Estrangeirado", a Portuguese that has been influenced greatly by foreign ideas. (Wikipedia)
(*) Dom, a portuguese equivalent of the british "Sir"
January 25, 1662 - Santa Catarina, Lisbon, Portugal - Luís da Cunha is born
October 1, 1678 - Coimbra - At 16, Luís da Cunha enrolls in the "Instituta". Begins the course of Canons in 1679.
January 20, 1684 - Coimbra - Luís da Cunha graduates as a Bachelor
June 29, 1685 - Coimbra - Luís da Cunha obtains his university degree, aged 23
August 6, 1686 - Lisbon - King Peter II gives him his first position as "Chief Judge of the Relation of Porto" =(START)
August 30, 1686 - Porto - Arrival in Porto to take his first position
October 7, 1688 - Porto - King Peter II appoints Luís da Cunha for Extravagant Chief Judge of the House of Supplication
October 13, 1688 - Lisbon - Moves to the House of Supplication
March 2, 1694 - Lisbon - King Pedro II gives him the position of Provider of D.Afonso IV's chapels
November 14, 1695 - Lisbon - Luís da Cunha is named Envoy Extraordinary to the english court in London, to succeed the Viscount of Fonte Arcada. Receives an annuity for services rendered in the Relation of Porto and House of Supplication and also for taking the habit of the Order of Christ
March 30, 1696 - Lisbon - Receives the letter of Habit of the Order of Christ and he is given the permit of Knighthood and "profession"
October 15(?), 1696 - Lisbon - D. Luís da Cunha departs to London, with credentials and secret instructions signed on 2-10-1696
April 16, 1697 - Paris - Passage through Paris on his way to London - Sends letter to the State Secretary Mendo de Fóios Pereira
April 27, 1697 - London - Sends his first letter to Lisbon
October 12, 1697 - London - Letter to Lisbon - The english ambassador, John Methwen, pressures the portuguese King
March 25, 1704 - London - Letter to Lisbon - About financial loans
April 8, 1704 - London - Letter to Lisbon - About financial loans
August 19, 1704 - London - Letter to Lisbon - About financial loans
March 1(?), 1705 - London - Letter to Roque Monteiro Paím, about loans to sustain the war (of the Spanish Succession) - Amsterdam jews would lend most of it
March 12, 1709 - London - Letter to the Inquisitor-General, speaking about the Count of Ericeira
September 24, 1709 - London - Letter to the Inquisitor-General, speaking about the political game and the possibility of going to the Netherlands
November 26, 1709 - London - D. Luís da Cunha receives orders to proceed to The Hague, after the earlier ambassador passed away
April 15, 1710 - London - Pay increase - King John V grants him the position of Chief Judge of the Royal Palace and supernumerary petitions
August 9, 1710 - London - Pay increase
September 9, 1710 - London - The King awards D. Luís da Cunha with further 300,000 "reais"
December 1, 1711 - London - D. Luís da Cunha receives orders from the King to attend the Congress of Utrecht
March 30(?), 1712 - London - Departs to The Hague
April 5, 1712 - The Hague - D. Luís da Cunha arrives in The Hague
April 11, 1713 - Utrecht - The main treaties of the Congress of Utrecht are signed - Peace between France and Portugal
October 2, 1714 - The Hague - Letter to Diogo Mendonça Corte Real, State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, presenting his "Memoirs" to the King
October 10, 1714 - London - Luís da Cunha present in the Coronation of King George I, as ambassador of Portugal
February 6, 1715 - Utrecht - Peace Treaty between Portugal and Spain is signed
March 9, 1715 - The Hague - D. Luis da Cunha receives a letter from King John V praising him for his role in the negotiations in Utrecht
April 2, 1715 - Utrecht - The peace Treaty between Portugal and Spain, ratified by both kings is traded between delegations
January 23, 1716 - The Hague - Letter to the Count of Assumar
May 2, 1716 - The Hague - D. Luís da Cunha departs to London, via Calais, to congratulate the new British King, George I
May 16(?), 1716 - London - D. Luís da Cunha arrives in London
September 15, 1716 - London - Departs to the spas at Aix-la-Chapelle
October 11, 1716 - Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) - Arrives in Aix-la-Chapelle
November 26, 1716 - Aix-la-Chapelle - D. Luís da Cunha departs from Aix-la-Chapelle
December 1(?), 1716 - Deventer - En route to Hannover
December 5(?), 1716 - Osnabrück - En route to Hannover
December 7, 1716 - Hannover - Welcomed in the Court of Hannover with big deference - Stays for 3 weeks - Letter describing the terrible floods in Westphalia
December 31, 1716 - The Hague - D. Luís da Cunha returns to The Hague
April 29, 1717 - The Hague - Letter to the Count of Assumar
December(?) 1(?), 1717 - The Hague - Winter spent in The Hague
April 25, 1719 - The Hague - D. Luís da Cunha departs to Madrid, to force Spain to fulfill the Teatry of Utrecht
April 26(?), 1719 - Bergen-op-Zoom - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors (by Sea)
April 27(?), 1719 - Antwerp - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
April 28(?), 1719 - Brussels - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
April 29(?), 1719 - Mons - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
April 30(?), 1719 - Valenciennes - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
May 1(?), 1719 - Cambrai - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
May 2(?), 1719 - Péronne - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
May 3(?), 1719 - Paris - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
May 6(?), 1719 - Bordeaux - En route to Madrid - Meeting with the Duke of Berwick
May 8(?), 1719 - Bayonne - En route to Madrid - where he receives compliments and military honors
May 15, 1719 - Madrid - Letter to Diogo de Mendonça
June 2, 1719 - Madrid - Audience with Cardinal Alberoni - Letter to the Count of Assumar
June 16, 1719 - Madrid - Letter to Diogo de Mendonça - Suggestion of marriages between portuguese and spanish princesses and princes
August 9, 1719 - Madrid - Audience with Cardinal Alberoni
December 1, 1719 - Madrid - Letter to the King, about Alberoni's intention not to obey the Treaty of Utrecht - Due to its weakness, D. Luís da Cunha suggests military intervention in Spain. Suggestion of Revision to the 1703 Treaty of Methuen
December 19, 1719 - Madrid - Luís da Cunha receives a letter from King John V, praising his role
May 1(?), 1720 - Madrid - Named to attend the Congress of Cambrai
October 12, 1720 - Madrid - D. Luís da Cunha departs to Cambrai
October 16(?), 1720 - Pamplona - En route to Cambrai - Meeting with the Viceroy of Navarre, Prince of Castiglione
October 22(?), 1720 - Pyrenees Mountains - 58-year old Luís da Cunha crosses the Pyrenees on horseback
November 16(?), 1720 - Orléans - En route to Cambrai - Meeting with his predecessor, the Count of Ribeira
November 23, 1720 - Paris - D. Luís da Cunha arrives in Paris
December 26, 1720 - Paris - Audience with the Duke of Orléans
March 9, 1721 - Paris - Letter to the King, warning him that the french King's geographer was calling into question the limits of Brazil
October 1, 1722 - Cambrai - Luís da Cunha's house in Cambrai burns down
July 5, 1723 - Cambrai - D. Luís da Cunha and the Count of Tarouca receive orders to return to Lisbon
September 6, 1723 - Paris(?) - Letter to Diogo Mendonça Corte Real, warning him that Merveilleux, recently arrived in Lisbon, was a french spy
November 30, 1724 - Paris - Recommendation letter to Francisco Mendes de Góis
March 3, 1725 - Paris - D. Luís da Cunha departs from Paris to The Hague
March 5(?), 1725 - Senlis, 55km N of Paris - Stop at Senlis. Cunha receives foreign Ministers
May 13, 1725 - Paris - Returns to Paris
May 23, 1725 - Paris - Departs from Paris
May 28, 1725 - Senlis - Arrives in Senlis
June 6, 1725 - Senlis - Departs to Paris
October 15, 1725 - Paris - Departs to Brussels
October 23, 1725 - Brussels - Arrives in Brussels
October 28, 1725 - Brussels - Receives a letter from José da Cunha Brochado, about the ratification of "Most Happy matrimonies" of the Prince D. José and the Princess of Spain, D. Maria Ana Vitória
January 4, 1726 - Brussels - Letter to the King asking for permittion to stay in Brussels for the Winter to recover from his illness
January 11, 1726 - Brussels - letter about the Economic Crisis in France
April 13, 1727 - Brussels - Letter to Mendes de Góis
December 30, 1727 - Paris - Letter to Mendes de Góis
April 16, 1728 - Brussels - Celebration of the double marriage of the Prince of Brazil with Mariana Vitória de Bourbon and of the Prince of Asturias with D. Maria Bárbara de Braçanga, at the Hotel Egmont
April 23, 1728 - Brussels - Letter to the King, reporting the festivities
April 29, 1728 - Brussels - Cunha complains of not being able to bear the costs of the Grand and Petit Hôtels
July 4, 1728 - The Hague - Arrival in The Hague. Letter to his lender Lejay
November 25, 1728 - The Hague - Letter suggesting to avoid that jews and "new-christians" don't exit the country to avoid the loss of Capital
April 23, 1729 - Ryswyck - Letter to Marco António de Azevedo Coutinho
June 29, 1730 - Ryswyck(?) - Letter to Cardinal Da Motta about a list of Medicine/Modern Philosophy books to buy for the King
May 21, 1735 - The Hague(?) - Appointed for Paris, with a praise by King John V
July 10, 1735 - The Hague - "Necessity to concentrate troops on the border with Spain to allow the Defence of Portugal in case of a conflict"
October 7, 1735 - The Hague - Letter to Cardinal Da Motta, about António de Azevedo Coutinho
June 5, 1736 - The Hague - Letter to António de Azevedo Coutinho
October 9(?), 1736 - The Hague - Departs to Paris
October 13, 1736 - Brussels - En route to Paris
October 16, 1736 - Senlis - En route to Paris
December 5, 1736 - Paris - Letter to Cardinal Da Motta
February 20, 1737 - Paris - Letter to Cardinal Da Motta about the death of his cousin, D. António Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Order of Malta
March 17, 1738 - Paris - Letter to Cardinal Da Motta asking him to send his nephew as secretary
July 14, 1738 - Paris - Another Letter to Cardinal Da Motta asking him to send his nephew as secretary
July 28, 1738 - Paris - Letter to Cardinal Da Motta, about the Economy of the Country
December 14, 1739 - Paris - Letter to Cardinal da Motta, about the conflict between Britain and Spain in the Americas
April 23, 1740 - Paris - Letter to Cardinal da Motta and Alexandre de Gusmão
May 2, 1740 - Paris - Letter to Marco António de Azevedo Coutinho, about the successes of Spain against Britain
November 1, 1740 - Paris - Letter to Marco António de Azevedo Coutinho, about the proclamation of the Duchess of Tuscany as Queen of Hungary and Bohemia
February 13, 1741 - Paris - Letter to Marco António de Azevedo Coutinho, about Frederick II of Prussia
May 8, 1741 - Paris - Letter to Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo (future prime-minister and Marquis of Pombal) about the problem of Hungary and the need to proceed negotiations with Prussia
July 3, 1741 - Paris - Letter to Marco António de Azevedo Coutinho, about Spain, France and Britain
August 10, 1744 - Paris - Cunha proposes that all european powers should ally against the Marathas in India
November 2, 1744 - Paris - The Ambassador informs the King that there's soldiers and sailors that went to serve Great Britain and France in India, for being better payed
June 20, 1746 - Paris - Advice to the King to fortify the borders and hire more troops, in case negotiations with Spain fail.
 |
| Old-aged Luís da Cunha |
July 28, 1746 - In a letter to his daughter, the Queen of Spain, King John V praises D. Luís da Cunha above all
December 25, 1746 - Paris - Letter to Marco António de Azevedo Coutinho, about Peace between Nations
November 21, 1747 - Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) - D. Luis da Cunha receives the instructions under which he should act in Aquisgrana (Aachen)
March 17, 1749 - Paris - Receives orders from the King to sack "Madame Salvador Pereira", a jewish dutch woman of portuguese heritage, and Ricardo David, from his house. A letter that much saddens Luís da Cunha
April 6, 1749 - Paris - Letter to King John V, obeying the suggestions from Lisbon and complaining about his enemies' actions
October 9, 1749 - Paris - D. Luís da Cunha dies, aged 87 =(END)
Bibliography
CLUNY, Isabel, "D. Luís da Cunha e a ideia de diplomacia em Portugal", Lisbon, Livros Horizonte, 1999 (ISBN: 972-24-1072-5)
SILVA, Abílio Diniz (ed.), "D. Luís da Cunha - Instruções políticas", Lisboa, Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, 2001 (ISBN: 972-787-062-7).
July 22, 1943 - Redkina Gap - German frontline re-established. In Voroshilovsk recovering from a slinter wound in his hand, Sepp finds a russian sniper rifle and asks to train with it
July 18(?), 1944 - Bistritz, Romania - Arrives to Bistritz - hears rumours of Romania ready to defect
