The Távora Affair – An Assassination Attempt…

The Távora Affair – An Assassination Attempt and Political Upheaval (1758–1759)

In the aftermath of the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, King José I of Portugal had abandoned the ruins of the Ribeira Palace, choosing instead to reside in a sprawling complex of tents and barracks in Ajuda, on the outskirts of Lisbon. This temporary royal encampment, though unconventional, had become the center of Portuguese political and social life, where the high nobility gathered and Prime Minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo governed with an iron hand.

Tensions Between the Prime Minister and the Nobility

While King José I placed his trust in Sebastião de Melo, recognizing his competence in rebuilding Portugal, the Portuguese aristocracy deeply resented him. Born the son of a country squire, the prime minister was viewed as an ambitious commoner, unworthy of his elevated position. Clashes between de Melo and the nobility were frequent, particularly with Leonor of Távora, Marchioness of Távora, who led one of Portugal’s most powerful noble houses.

The Távora family, closely allied with the houses of Aveiro, Cadaval, and Alorna, saw de Melo as an uneducated upstart unfit to rule. Leonor of Távora was politically influential and deeply devout, maintaining strong ties to the Jesuits, particularly to Father Gabriel Malagrida, her personal confessor and a key figure in Portugal’s conservative Catholic circles.

The King's Private Life and the Tavóras

Despite his happy marriage to Mariana Victoria of Bourbon, Princess of Spain, with whom he had four daughters, King José I had a well-known mistress, Teresa Leonor de Távora—the wife of Luís Bernardo, heir to the Távora family. This affair further strained relations between the king and the Távora household, as Leonor of Távora saw the liaison as a dishonor to her noble lineage.

The Assassination Attempt – September 3, 1758

On the night of September 3, 1758, King José I was returning from an evening with his mistress, traveling discreetly in an unmarked carriage along an isolated road on the outskirts of Lisbon. The secondary route was rarely traveled, chosen to avoid public scrutiny.

As the royal carriage approached Ajuda, two or three armed men ambushed it, firing upon the occupants.

• The king was shot in the arm, but survived.
• The driver was badly wounded, yet managed to escape and bring the king back to Ajuda.

Sebastião de Melo’s Ruthless Response

The attempted regicide was kept secret, and de Melo immediately took control of the investigation.

• The prime minister concealed the attack from the public and even from many members of the court.
• A swift inquiry was launched, and within days, two men were arrested and tortured.
• Under duress, the prisoners confessed, implicating the Távora family in a conspiracy to assassinate the king and place the Duke of Aveiro on the throne.

Even before the attack became publicly known, de Melo ordered their execution. The two men were hanged the next day, sending a chilling signal that no mercy would be shown to traitors.

This was only the beginning. The attempted assassination of King José I would spark one of the most infamous political purges in Portuguese history, culminating in the Távora Affair, a brutal crackdown on the nobility and the Jesuits, orchestrated by Sebastião de Melo in his ruthless quest for absolute control.