António de Conti, King D. Afonso VI favourite

Abstract

The few years of royal rule by the one who the Count of Castelo Melhor called "Victorious" occupy only a few pages in our history books. According to most historians, Dom Afonso VI excelled less at the military victories over the enemies or at the changes made by the Prime-minister than at the extravagance of a King deemed incapable. Therefore, we have sought to endow this King with the splendour he deserves. In this context, and to achieve a fairer and precise view of the relevant period, this paper focuses on the figure of António de Conti: how he is introduced to the court and his role next to King Dom Afonso VI.