This ancient surname of ABREU, which is from Portugal, was originally from the Germanic personal name of Avredo, composed of the elements ALB (elf) and RED (counsel). The name was borne by a 7th century Hispanic bishop, and is a variant of the name Alfred. Portugese surnames share many of the features of Spanish surnames, in particular Arabic and Visigothic influence. A notable feature of Portugese surnames is the class of religious names referring to festivals of the church or attributes of the Virgin Mary. One respect in which Portugese names differ from those of the rest of the Iberian peninsular, is that some were adopted at a comparatively late date and honour saints who did not give rise to surnames in other languages. Portugese names typically have the ending 'eiro'. The name owed its popularity as a given name in England chiefly to the fame of Alfred the Great (849-899) who was the Anglo-Saxon King of Wessex born at Wantage in Berkshire the fifth and youngest son of King Aethelwuls. At the age of four he was taken to Rome to be confirmed by Pope Leo lV and soon afterwards visited the Frankish court of Charles lst, the Bald, with his father. He succeeded his brother Aethelred l as King in l87l when Viking invaders were occupying the northern east of England, and Wessex was under constant attack. Early in l878 the Danish Army burst into Wessex and drove Alfred into hiding in the marshes of Somerset. He recovered sufficiently to defeat the Danes decisively at the Battle of Edington in Wiltshire. He captured London in 886. He promoted education and learning, fostered all the arts and inspired the production of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. He died in October 899 and was buried in Winchester. The associated coat of arms is recorded in Rietstaps Armorial General. Registered in Portugal. In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe. |
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