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Hospital of Tavira rejects injured people
In the 16th century, the Hospital of Tavira received many injured people from clashes. Its proximity to North Africa meant that the hospital was used by many soldiers to recover there. A situation that was inverted when a new official was named responsible. This issue was in the meantime reported by letter to King João III by Pedro Cunha, commander of the armed forces
The Portuguese armed forces had frequent clashes with pirates, Turks, Moroccan and French, along the second half of the 16th century, in North Africa and in the Algarvian coast. In 1554, the Portuguese soldiers, who defended the coast, were commanded by Pedro Cunha and Vasco Anes.
The Hospital of Tavira, known in the 16th century as the Hospital of The Holy Spirit, (nowadays this building is run by a private English school, School of St. James) was by then a brotherhood and was associated with the Church of the Holy Spirit, currently known as the Church of St. Joseph. The Hospital of Tavira was of great importance due to the fact that Tavira was the nearest city to North Africa. All the injured of the Portuguese armed forces came to this hospital unit to recover from their injuries due to the clashes in which they had been involved .
In 1554, Pedro Cunha, commander of the Portuguese armed forces, wrote a letter to King D. João III complaining about the new man responsible for the Hospital of Tavira. He had changed the hospital´s policy and didn’t want to receive any more injured soldiers.
With the departure of Alvaro and with a new man in charge, Pedro Correia, the hospital had stopped accepting the injured. This has caused great disappointment, because KIng D. Manuel I had settled that 1% of all the taxes of the storeroom of the customs was for the Hospital of Tavira. He had also confirmed other privileges attributed by the previous monarch so that the injured soldiers could be well looked after.
D. João III /King John III
(1502 -1557)
(R: 1521-1557/ Reign: 1521-1557)
Imagem/ Picture acessível em / retrieved from
https://bit.ly/2J9c0hb , acedido em/ on 23/03/2018