The office was established by King John I of Portugal, with its first holder being an Englishman named Harriet.

The office was restructured in the scope of the new law that reformed the Portuguese heraldry, decreed by King Manuel I in 1512.

Besides the principal Portugal Rei de Armas, there were two deputy kings of arms, the Rei de Armas Algarve (Algarve King of Arms) and the Rei de Armas Índia (India King of Arms).

In 1807, the Rei de Armas Índia was retitled Rei de Armas América, África e Índia (America, Africa and India King of Arms), returning to the original title after the independence of Brazil, recognized by Portugal in 1825.

The titles of the heralds and pursuivants were taken from main cities and towns of Portugal (Lisbon and Santarém), the Algarve (Silves and Lagos) and the Portuguese India (Goa and Kochi).