D.João II

Manuela Rosa Coelho Mendonça de Matos Fernandes was born in São Cristóvão, Évora district, on February 12, 1948. She completed her secondary education in Évora and graduated in History from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon. She then worked as an Assistant Professor of Medieval History at the same University, having defended her doctoral thesis in January 1990. She obtained the highest possible grade in this examination: unanimous approval with distinction and honors. She then continued her academic career at the same University and is currently retired. Simultaneously, between 1990 and 1996, she was Deputy Director-General of the National Archives of Torre do Tombo. She is currently President of the Portuguese Academy of History. A specialist in the Portuguese late Middle Ages, she has published numerous studies covering the 14th to 16th centuries. Her work also stands out in the field of Luso-Castilian and Ibero-American relations.