Távora affair
Political scandal of the 18th century Portuguese court / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Távoras affair was a political scandal of the 18th century Portuguese court. The events triggered by the attempted assassination of King Joseph I of Portugal in 1758 ended with the public execution of the entire Távora family, their closest relatives and some servants in 1759. Some historians interpret the incident as an attempt by prime minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo (later Marquis of Pombal) to curb the growing powers of the old aristocratic families.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2022) |
Even today, historians doubt whether the Távoras were actually involved in the plot or whether they were the victims of a coup set up by the Prime Minister. Queen Maria I, after removing Pombal, rehabilitated the name of the Távora family on 1781, following a review of the trial.[1]