Sancho de Tovar e Silva

Sancho de Tovar e Silva, jure uxoris Lord of the Honra of Molelos (1551 – April 13, 1629) was a Portuguese nobleman and military man most notable for having been among the few companions of King Sebastian of Portugal who survived the disastrous Battle of Alcácer Quibir.

Sancho de Tovar e Silva was born to an old noble house of Castilian origin, dating back to the first centuries of the Iberian Reconquista.

In 1578, together with most of the courtesan nobility, he accompanied the 24-year-old king Sebastian in his attempted Moroccan crusade, having been one of the few aristocrats to survive the encounter that opposed the Portuguese army to that of the sultan Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I on the morning of August 4.

He was, nevertheless, severely injured: according to 18th century genealogist Felgueiras Gayo, he returned covered in wounds, and contemporary authors record that he lost his right arm or hand in the battle.

In 1622 Sancho was appointed governor of Diu on behalf of Philip III of Portugal in and later held the honorary position of Almirante-mór (Chief Admiral) of the Portuguese navy.