Simão da Silva Ferraz de Lima e Castro

Simão da Silva Ferraz de Lima e Castro (Porto, 13 May 1795 – Brussels, 16 January 1857), 1st Baron of Rendufe and 1st Count of Rendufe, was a Portuguese diplomat and politician.

Early life Son of Tomás da Silva Ferraz, Young Nobleman of the Royal House, Commander of the Order of Christ, 1st President of the Senate of the Porto Council from October 26, 1822 to 4 of June 1823, being the first to be elected in the liberal regime, and his wife Ana Amélia de Lima e Castro, younger brother of Agostinho Tomás and Maria Urbana and older brother of Tomás António.

He graduated in Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, in 1821 he was appointed Magistrate of the Neighborhood of Rossio, in Lisbon.

Vilafrancada

In 1823 he spoke out in favor of Vilafrancada, which earned him the appointment of Intendant-General of the Police of the Court and Kingdom and elevation to His Most Faithful Majesty's Council. With Liberal tendencies, he was accused by his supporters of having made an agreement with the enemies of the representative system but, in the performance of his role as Intendant-General, he helped many Liberals who were persecuted by the extreme right-wing party that surrounded Queen D. Carlota Joaquina de Bourbon and the then Infante D. Miguel.

Abrilada

When D. Miguel's coup d'état took place, in April 1824, da Silva Ferraz, who was aware of what was being plotted, went, accompanied by the 1st Baron da Portela, through the mutinous barracks of Lisbon but, when he went to the Bemposta Palace to inform D. João VI of Portugal of what was happening, he found it already surrounded by D. Miguel's forces. Anticipating the need to remain in homage until the Sovereign resumed his prerogatives, he went to the General Intendency, in order to destroy all the political papers there so that they should not fall into the hands of the enemy, and sought refuge in the house of the Minister of Russia, who was then in São Pedro de Alcântara. One of the most exalted Miguelists, Alquilador Troca, perfidiously offered him asylum at his home, but as soon as the Intendant-General entered his house, he rushed to report the case to D. Miguel, who immediately had him arrested and taken to the Queluz Palace. There he was tied to the trunk of a tree and subjected to a simulacrum of shooting (discharge without bullets), preceded and followed by all sorts of pressure to get him to confess what had happened between the King, the Ministers of foreign Nations and himself in anticipation of the Infante's coup d'état. Having revealed nothing, he was sent to a dungeon in the Fort of São Julião da Barra, where he remained until D. João VI of Portugal returned to Bemposta. He was reinstated in public service, with the high position of Advisor to the Privy Council, with the status of Knight nobleman of the Royal House and awarded the title of 1st Baron of Rendufe, a title granted to him by Decree of D. João VI of Portugal of October 25, 1824.

Beginning of Liberalism In 1834, after returning and having supporting the constitutional party, he was elected Deputy to the Cortes of 1834, for the Province of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. At the session of the Chamber of Deputies, on August 26, 1834, he raised the issue of the protests made by D. Miguel I of Portugal, in exile, on June 20 of the same year, against the stipulations of the Évoramonte Concession. In the session held the following day, he proposed the application of the death penalty to the deposed Sovereign, if he returned to the Country, in accordance with the Law previously promulgated by the Courts against crimes of treason to the nation. He was named Peer of the Realm by Decree of October 1, 1835.

Honours +CountryAppointmentKingdom of PortugalPeer and Grandee of the realmKingdom of PortugalHis Most Faithful Majesty's Council.Kingdom of PortugalGrand Cross of the Order of ChristKingdom of PortugalGrand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate ConceptionKingdom of PrussiaGrand Cross of the Order of the Red EagleKingdom of SaxonyGrand Cross of the Saxon Order of MeritDutchy of Saxe-Coburg and GothaGrand Cross of the Saxe Ernstine House OrderGrand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-EisenachGrand Cross of the Order of the White FalconGrand Duchy of HesseGrand Cross of the Order of LudwigDuchy of BrunswickGrand Cross of the Order of Henry the LionDuchy of Anhalt-DessauGrand Cross of the Order of Albert the BearGrand Duchy of BadenGrand Cross of the Order of the Zähringer LionKingdom of WürttembergGrand Cross of the Order of FriedrichGrand Duchy of OldenburgGrand Cross of the Oldenburg House and Merit OrderGrand Duchy of Hesse and by RhineGrand Cross of the House Order of the Golden LionKingdom of BavariaKnight Commander of the Order of St MichaelKingdom of SpainGrand Cross of the Order of Charles IIIKingdom of SpainGrand Cross of the Order of Isabella the CatholicOttoman EmpireGrand Cordon (?) of the Order of Glory