The Torment and Death of the Prisoners who Attempted To Murder The King of Portugal

While returning from a secret rendez-vous with his lover, King Joseph I of Portugal was attacked and injured in the outskirts of Lisbon. A frantic search, led by the Minister Sebastião José de Mello, began to find the culprits

In less than two days, two suspects had been forced to confess and the Távora family was painted as the authors of this botched attempt.

On January 13 1759, the members of the Távora family were tortured and executed on behalf of His Majesty. The trial gained a reputation as one of the cruelest and most violent trails against the perpetrators.

The King ordered a raised platform to be built and he forced all court members to bear witness to the horrifying torture of the conspirators.

The gallows were mounted in Belém and there the Marquis Francisco de Asís de Távora and his wife Doña Leonor were stoned to death, along with their children José María and Luís Bernardo.

The Duke of Aveiro, José de Mascarenhas, was also executed, as well as his valet, Juan Miguel and his guard, Manuel Alvares Ferreira. The Count of Atouguia, Jerónimo de Ataíde also met his fate in this raised gallows.

In the end, their bodies were burned and their ashes scattered on the Tagus river.

The event was engraved in these pamphlets for posterity and they served as a reminder for future generations of nobles that regardless of their bloodlines and lineage, they could meet the same fate if they threatened the life of the King.