Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches (c. 1390 – 20 May 1449) was a Portuguese knight and nobleman, with a long and illustrious career abroad in England.

He was invested by the English king, Henry VI as the 1st Count of Avranches (in Portuguese: Conde de Abranches) and made a Knight of the Garter.

[3] Dom Álvaro, one of the last to use the Portuguese title of rico homem, was the son of João Vaz de Almada (born around 1360) and his wife, Joana Anes.

[4] The Lordship of Almada they had acquired was expropriated during the 1383–1385 Crisis, although João Vaz's notable military service to John I of Portugal earned him partial reinstatement and rewards in other districts.

[5] Shortly after returning from England, Álvaro fought alongside his father at the conquest of Ceuta in 1415, and was knighted in the aftermath by the Portuguese royal prince Peter, Duke of Coimbra.

[6] In the late 1420s, Álvaro Vaz de Almada accompanied Peter, Duke of Coimbra on his famous tour of Europe, and fought alongside him against the Turks in Hungary on behalf of Emperor Sigismund.

Nonetheless, Almada distinguished himself in the encounter, and was given the honor (shared with the marshal, Vasco Fernandes Coutinho) of being the last man to leave the beach.

[9] In recognition of his efforts, the new regent Peter appointed Almada as a member of his royal council and alcaide-mor of the Castle of São Jorge in Lisbon in April, 1440.

On August 8, 1444, King Henry VI of England issued a royal letter ennobling Álvaro Vaz de Almada as the 1st Count of Avranches.

Avranches was one of the few remaining Plantagenet ruled towns in Normandy; the title was translated by Portuguese writers as the Conde de Abranches.

However, under the influence of Afonso of Barcelos-Braganza, the king immediately set about undoing all of Peter's regency acts and dismissing all his appointees, often accompanied by dubious legal proceedings to further dispossess them.

But Afonso of Barcelos-Braganza warned that Peter and Almada were intending to lay siege to Lisbon, and would likely use their connections to provoke an uprising within the city.

"), lowered his weapon and fell to the ground, spitting out his famous last words "now indulge yourselves, villains" ("Ora fartar villanagem", now a common Portuguese expression).

Only upon the repeated entreaties of João Vaz de Almada, did king Afonso V finally consent to allow him to bury his brother's corpse.