Cortes Gerais

General Courts Cortes Gerais
Type
Type	Unicameral (1822-1826) Bicameral (1826-1910)
Houses	Chamber of Peers Chamber of Deputies
History
Founded	1822
Disbanded	1910
Leadership
First President of the Chamber of Peers	Nuno Caetano Álvares Pereira de Melo, 6th Duke of Cadaval
Last President of the Chamber of Peers	Gonçalo Pereira da Silva de Sousa e Menezes, 3rd Count of Bertiandos
First President of the Chamber of Deputies	Father Francisco de São Luís Saraiva
Last President of the Chamber of Deputies	José Capelo Franco Frazão, 1st Count of Penha Garcia
Seats	90 Peers of the Realm 148 Deputies of the Nation
Meeting place
São Bento Palace Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal

The Cortes Gerais (Portuguese: General Courts; pre-1911: Cortes Geraes^[1]) were the legislature of the Kingdom of Portugal during the Constitutional Monarchy period.^[2] The Cortes were established by provision of the 1822 Portuguese Constitution as a unicameral parliament.^[2] However, the Constitutional Charter of 1826 reformed the Cortes as a bicameral legislature, with the Chamber of Most Worthy Peers of the Kingdom as its upper house and the Chamber of Gentlemen Deputies of the Portuguese Nation as its lower house.^[2]

The name of the legislature originates from the traditional Portuguese Cortes, the parliament convening the three estates during the absolute monarchy.

The uniform of Peers of the Realm while the Chamber of Most Worthy Peers was in session; 1860.

References