Chief Chronicler of the Kingdom of Portugal

Chief Chronicler of the Kingdom (Cronista-Mor do Reino) was a courtly position in the Kingdom of Portugal, formally instituted in 1434 by King Edward I. The Chief Chronicler was the official authority on Portuguese historiography, and the post was soon associated to the post of Keeper of the Royal Archives, already centralised in an autonomous way in the 1370s — a singularity in late medieval history in both its precocious creation and organisation.

The first to occupy the position was Fernão Lopes, in 1434. The last occupant was writer and politician Almeida Garrett, who was sacked in 1841, after fiercely criticising António José de Ávila (who was then Minister of the Exchequer), and no one was appointed to replace him. The following year, Minister of the Kingdom Costa Cabral issued a decree extinguishing the position of Chief Chronicler and transferring its responsibilities to the Keeper of the Royal Archives.

List of Chief Chroniclers of the Kingdom

 * The following list is sorted by date of appointment:


 * 1) 1434 – Fernão Lopes
 * 2) 1459 – Gomes Eanes de Zurara
 * 3) 1484 – Vasco Fernandes de Lucena
 * 4) 1497 – Rui de Pina
 * 5) 1525 – Fernão de Pina
 * 6) 1550 – D. António Pinheiro
 * 7) 1599 – Francisco de Andrade
 * 8) 1614 – Fr. Bernardo de Brito
 * 9) 1618 – João Baptista Lavanha
 * 10) 1625 – D. Manuel de Meneses
 * 11) 1630 – Fr. António Brandão
 * 12) 1644 – Fr. Francisco Brandão
 * 13) 1682 – Fr. Rafael de Jesus
 * 14) 1695 – José de Faria
 * 15) 1709 – Fr. Bernardo de Castelo Branco
 * 16) 1726 – Fr. Frei Manuel dos Santos
 * 17) 1740 – Fr. Manuel da Rocha
 * 18) 1745 – Fr. António Botelho
 * 19) 1747 – Fr. José da Costa
 * 20) 1755 – Fr. António Caldeira
 * 21) 1784 – Fr. António da Mota
 * 22) 1807 – Fr. João Huet
 * 23) 1822 – João Bernardo da Rocha Loureiro
 * 24) 1823 – Fr. Cláudio da Conceição
 * 25) 1835 – João Bernardo da Rocha Loureiro
 * 26) 1838 – João Baptista de Almeida Garrett