D. Rodrigo Anes de Sá Almeida e Meneses, 1st Marquis of Abrantes (19 October 1676 – 30 April 1733), before 1718 titled 3rd Marquis of Fontes and 7th Count of Penaguião, was a Portuguese nobleman and diplomat.
The Marquis of Abrantes enjoyed a significant international projection in the first half of the 18th century, first in the service of King Peter II but mainly in that of his son and successor King John V. While acting as the king's representative in the Papal Court, and afterwards in the Spanish Court, he was a major player in two significant events in the history of Portuguese diplomacy: the Embassy to Pope Clement XI in 1716, and the Exchange of the Princesses in 1729.
Early life
D. Rodrigo was the third-born and youngest son of D. Francisco de Sá e Meneses, 1st Marquis of Fontes and 4th Count of Penaguião (c.1640–1677) and his wife D. Joana Luísa de Lancastre. He was baptised by his uncle D. Luís de Sousa, Cardinal-Archbishop of Lisbon. After his father's death in 1677, the Dowager Marchioness took up the responsibility of overseeing the education of her children: she envisioned a career in Letters for D. Rodrigo, accordingly, she assigned to him the distinguished Latinist scholar Inácio da Silva as a teacher.
The Dowager Marchioness's plans changed drastically after her two eldest sons died; at age 12, in 1688, D. Rodrigo succeeded his brother as head of the illustrious and powerful of his forebears. In 1690, D. Joana had him married to the daughter of the Duke of Cadaval, D. Isabel Henriqueta de Lorena, who had originally been promised to D. Rodrigo's brother; four children were born of this union: D. Ana Maria Catarina Henrique de Lorena (1691–1761), D. Joaquim Francisco de Sá Almeida e Meneses, 2nd Marquis of Abrantes (1695–1756), D. Maria Sofia de Lancastre (1696–1758), and D. Luísa Maria de Faro (1697–1697). The marriage was cut short by D. Isabel's illness and death on 26 November 1699.
After his widowerhood, the Marquis of Fontes became more directly involved in the service of the King. During the War of the Spanish Succession, as Peter II of Portugal allied himself with the English and the Germans to prevent a dynastic union between France and Spain under Philip, Duke of Anjou, the Marquis of Fontes served as mestre de camp of the Old Tercio of Setúbal from 1703 to 1706. While in command of this infantry unit, the Marquis had them in new military uniforms at his own expense, generously fed his men, and opted to lodge himself in monasteries to which he would then leave substantial tithes.
Embassy to Pope Clement XI
The Marquis of Fontes was selected to carry out the important task of ambassador extraordinary of John V of Portugal to the Holy See, as befitting his long familial tradition of diplomatic service. This was an exceptionally important mission, since the reign of John V was characterised by sustained cultural activity, generally seen as the apex of Absolutism and Baroque culture in the Portuguese Empire, promoting the image of the monarch as a protector of the arts and sciences, while at the same time presenting the country's imperial ideal.
The Marquis of Fontes left for Genoa on 9 January 1712, aboard the carrack La Madonna delle Vigne, commanded by Giovanni Lorenzo Viviani, accompanied by his family and protegés such as the young painter Vieira Lusitano. After a turbulent and stormy voyage (especially while crossing the Gulf of Lion, which motivated a landing in Cagliari in Sardinia, from where passengers and crew made a brief barefoot procession to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fair Winds where the Marquis left a gold ingot worth 500 thousand réis as votive offering), they reached their destination on 30 March. They stayed in Genoa for over a month and a half, and embarked to Livorno on 17 May, where they arrived the following day. Travelling the rest of the route by land, they arrived in Rome on 21 May 1712, in time to attend, the following day, the Canonisation Mass of Saints Catherine of Bologna, Pope Pius V, Andrew Avellino, and Felix of Cantalice. The Marquis first stayed with the Portuguese envoy in Rome, André de Melo e Castro, but afterwards rented a house in Piazza Colonna.