Os Grandes Portugueses

Os Grandes Portugueses (English: The Greatest Portuguese) was a public poll contest organized by the Portuguese public broadcasting station RTP and hosted by Maria Elisa. Based on BBC's 100 Greatest Britons, it featured individual documentaries advocating the top ten candidates. The final vote took place on 25 March 2007, the winner being António de Oliveira Salazar, Portugal's Prime Minister from 1932 to 1968.

Os Grandes Portugueses
GenreDocumentary
Developed byRádio e Televisão de Portugal
Presented byMaria Elisa
Country of originPortugal
Original languagePortuguese
No. of episodes24
Production
Production companyRádio e Televisão de Portugal
Release
Original networkRTP 1
Original release15 October 2006 (2006-10-15) 
25 March 2007 (2007-03-25)

Format

The series started in October 2006, with each episode featuring small groups of candidates considered amongst the Greatest Portuguese. Based on voting results, the list of 10 most voted-for personalities were revealed on 14 January 2007, in alphabetical order. All of the 10 finalists were deceased. The ten finalists were then featured in individual documentary episodes, followed by a second round of voting within these top ten. On 25 March the voting results for the final 10, and the full list of 100, was announced.

Summary of results

There are 19 women in the final list of the top 100 Greatest Portuguese, with singer and actress Amália Rodrigues rating the highest, at number 14. The list included 33 then-living persons, with former president and prime minister Mário Soares rating the highest, at number 12. A total of 66 on the list (including the 33 then-living) are predominantly 20th century figures. Of the 100 candidates presented in the opening programs, the only (likely) fictional person was Brites de Almeida, a baker who legend says killed six Castilian soldiers during the 1335 Battle of Aljubarrota, a battle in which Portuguese independence was confirmed; she appeared at number 51 when the final list was released.

The Top-10

Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar, whose episode was presented by Jaime Nogueira Pinto, polled the most (41%); his lifelong communist political opponent Álvaro Cunhal was second (19%), and the diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes third (13%).

A simultaneous opinion poll conducted by Marktest showed that, given the choice of the finalists, Salazar was the favourite of only 11%.[1] RTP itself commissioned a simultaneous poll, conducted by Eurosondagem, which ranked Salazar 7th, with 6.6% of the vote, and Afonso I 1st with 21%.[2] The difference of these statistically conducted polls to the final result of the Os Grandes Portugueses program suggest that the voting for the program, consisting of voluntary telephone calls, may have been skewed by repeat voters in general or organized groups of repeat voters with vested interests.

NameShare of
Top 10 votes
BirthDeathOccupation
António de Oliveira Salazar 41.0% 1889 1970 President of the Council of Ministers for 36 years during the authoritarian period of the Estado Novo
Álvaro Cunhal 19.1% 1913 2005 Communist leader during the Estado Novo regime and during the post-Carnation Revolution political scene
Aristides de Sousa Mendes Aristides de Sousa Mendes 13.0% 1885 1954 Diplomat who fought against his own government for the safety of Jews living in Europe, during World War II, saving thousands of people.
Afonso I of Portugal Afonso I 12.4% 1109 1185 Founder and first king of Portugal
Luís de Camões Luís de Camões 4.0% 1524 1580 Epic and lyrical poet, author of the national epic Os Lusíadas
John II of Portugal John II 3.0% 1455 1495 Thirteenth king of Portugal and restorer of the Atlantic Ocean and African-coast explorations
Henry the Navigator Henry the Navigator 2.7% 1394 1460 Infante and fomenter of the Portuguese discoveries
Fernando Pessoa 2.4% 1888 1935 Modernist poet and writer widely known for the employment of multiple heteronyms
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquês de Pombal Marquês de Pombal 1.7% 1699 1782 Minister of Kingdom of José I and responsible for the reconstruction of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake
Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama 0.7% 1469 1524 First explorer to discover the sea route from Europe to India

The other 90

Position Name Lived
11Salgueiro Maia1944–1992soldier, a key figure in the Carnation Revolution of 1974
12Mário Soares1924–2017former President of the Republic
13Saint Anthony of Lisbon1195–1231saint
14Amália Rodrigues1920–1999fado singer
15Eusébio1942–2014football player
16Francisco Sá Carneiro1934–1980politician
17Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costaborn 1937president of Futebol Clube do Porto
18Nuno Álvares Pereira1360–1431strategist and general
19João Ferreira Annes de Almeida1628–1691missionary
20José Mourinhoborn 1963football team manager
21Agostinho da Silva1906–1994philosopher
22Eça de Queiroz1845–1900realist writer
23Egas Moniz1874–1955doctor, first Portuguese to win a Nobel Prize
24Denis of Portugal1261–13256th king of Portugal
25Fernando Nobreborn 1951president of the AMI foundation
26José Hermano Saraiva1919–2012historian, TV host
27Aníbal Cavaco Silvaborn 1939President of the Portuguese Republic, former Prime Minister
28Humberto Delgado1906–1965military officer and politician
29Zeca Afonso1929–1987singer-songwriter
30Luís Figoborn 1972football player
31Marcelo Caetano1906–1980politician and professor
32Pedro Nunes1502–1578scientist and mathematician
33Father António Vieira1608–1697writer and preacher
34Florbela Espanca1894–1930poet
35Ferdinand Magellanc. 1480–1521navigator
36Maria de Lurdes Pintasilgo1930–2004the only female prime-minister of Portugal
37John I of Portugal1357–143310th king of Portugal
38Sophia de Mello Breyner1919–2004writer and poet
39Antonia Ferreira1811–1896businesswoman
40Father Américo1887–1953philanthroper
41António Damásioborn 1944scientist
42Afonso de Albuquerque1462–1515military strategist and governor of India
43Manuel I of Portugal1469–152114th king of Portugal
44José Saramago1922–2010*Nobel-laureate writer
45Elizabeth of Portugal1271–1336The Saint Queen, queen consort of Portugal
46Catarina Eufémia1928–1954popular heroine
47Carlos Paredes1925–2004Portuguese guitarra player and composer
48José Sócratesborn 1957former Prime Minister of Portugal
49Pedro Álvares Cabral1467–1520navigator who discovered Brazil
50Ruy de Carvalhoborn 1927actor
51Brites de Almeida, The Baker of Aljubarrota14th centurypopular heroine
52Alberto João Jardimborn 1943president of the Autonomous Region of Madeira
53Almada Negreiros1893–1970modern painter and writer
54Vasco Gonçalves1921–2005military officer and politician
55Álvaro Siza Vieiraborn 1933architect
56Belmiro de Azevedo1938–2017businessman
57Sousa Martins1843–1897doctor
58Maria do Carmo Seabraborn 1955former minister of Education
59Father António Andrade1580–1624missionary explorer
60Charles I of Portugal1860–190832nd king of Portugal
61Marizaborn 1973fado singer
62Eleanor of Portugal1458–1525queen consort of Portugal
63Rosa Motaborn 1958athlete
64António Teixeira Rebelo1748–1825founder of the military school
65Afonso III of Portugal1210–12795th king of Portugal
66Vítor Baíaborn 1969football goalkeeper
67Bartolomeu Diasc. 1450–1500navigator
68Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho1936–2021military officer and politician
69Cristiano Ronaldoborn 1985football player
70Herman Joséborn 1954actor and comedian
71Mary II of Portugal1819–1853queen of Portugal
72Carlos Lopesborn 1947athlete
73Afonso Costa1871–1937politician
74Fontes Pereira de Melo1819–1887politician
75Gago Coutinho1869–1959geographer – first to cross the South Atlantic by plane
76Ricardo de Araújo Pereiraborn 1974comedian
77Manuel Sobrinho Simõesborn 1947doctor and scientist
78Bocage1765–1805poet
79Hélio Pestanaborn 1985actor, teenage idol
80Jorge Sampaio1939–2021former President of the Portuguese Republic
81António Champalimaud1918–2004businessman
82António Lobo Antunesborn 1942writer
83Gil Vicentec. 1465–1536playwright
84Maria Helena Vieira da Silva1908–1992painter
85Miguel Torga1907–1995writer
86Natália Correia1923–1993poet and writer
87Edgar Cardoso1913–2000engineer
88Fernão Mendes Pintoc. 1510–1583explorer and writer
89Sister Lúcia1907–2005nun
90Alfredo da Silva1871–1942industrialist
91Pedro Hispanoc. 1205–1277Pope John XXI
92Damião de Góis1502–1574humanist writer and humanist
93John IV of Portugal1604–165620th king of Portugal
94Joaquim Agostinho1943–1984cyclist
95Adelaide Cabete1867–1935doctor
96Almeida Garrett1799–1854romanticist writer
97António Gentil Martinsborn 1930doctor
98António Variações1944–1984singer-songwriter
99Paula Rego1935-2022painter
100Maria João Piresborn 1944pianist

Os Piores Portugueses

The SIC Notícias programme Eixo do Mal (Axis of Evil) held a parallel vote for Os Piores Portugueses (The Worst Portuguese), also won by António de Oliveira Salazar.

Other editions

Other countries have produced similar shows; see Greatest Britons spin-offs

References

  1. "O melhor Português de sempre". Marktest.com. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  2. "SondagemGrandesPortugueses.pdf" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
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