Nobles

Almost all the nobles in the Macanese Families database are from Portuguese nobility: in hierarchical order, dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts, barons, members of royal houses. One family can trace its ancestry to a king of Portugal.

The Royal House of Portugal has the following ranks:

• Noble Knight of the 1st Order of the Royal Household
• Noble Equerry of the 1st Order of the Royal Household
• Noble Groom of the 1st Order of the Royal Household
• Noble Chaplain (for the clerics)
• Noble Knight of the 2nd Order of the Royal Household
• Noble Equerry of the 2nd Order of the Royal Household
• Noble Groom of the Royal Chamber of the Royal Household

National Honours

Here we list Macanese (and their spouses and ancestors) who have received a National Honour by appointment to one or more National Orders at the level of Member of the British Empire or higher. (The list is incomplete: it has yet to include many military medals and Papal Honours.)

There are grades within each Order; for example, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire has 5 grades. In Portugal's Order of Christ (and several other orders) the grades, in descending order of rank, are:

• Grand Cross
• Grand Officer
• Commander
• Officer
• Knight

Each country has its various Orders and medals listed in an order of precedence; for example, in the British system, a Commander of the Bath (CB) is higher than a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

The following is the order of precedence for the ancient military Orders of Portugal:

• Ordem Militar da Torre e Espada, de Valor e Mérito
• Ordem Militar de Avis
• Ordem Militar de Cristo
• Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago da Espada

When in the restricted website, click on a name to be taken to that person's page.