José do Telhado

7/19/2023

**Zé do Telhado: from bandit and murderer to romantic and chivalrous hero worthy of a movie.** Portugal has some romantic heroes, but few are as outstanding as Zé do Telhado, a bandit from the first half of the 19th century who, after being in the army and having fought in the Patuleia Revolt (where he saved the life of General Sá da Bandeira, who gave him the medal of the Tower-and-Sword, for bravery), returns home and puts himself at the head of a band of robbers, recruited for each job according to what was needed, while conserving his original profession, castrator. Despite the mental laziness that prevails in our society, a careful reading of the criminal process and the judgment of his bandit is enough to verify his harshness and brutality. He was a violent man, the product of