Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal

Portuguese noble, diplomat and statesman (1699–1782)

D. Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal and 1st Count of Oeiras (Sernancelhe, Viseu, 13 May 1699 – 8 May 1782, Pombal), known as the Marquis of Pombal (Portuguese: Marquês de Pombal [mɐɾˈkeʒ ðɨ põˈbal]), was a Portuguese statesman and diplomat. During the reign of King Joseph I from 1750 to 1777, Pombal served as the king's leading minister and would become the dominant political force in the Kingdom of Portugal and its overseas empire. The son of a country squire and nephew of a prominent cleric, Pombal studied at the University of Coimbra before briefly serving in the Portuguese Army.

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