About Nuno Álvares Pereir Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. (Portuguese pronunciation: ˈnunu ˈaɫvɐɾɨʃ pɨˈɾɐjɾɐ; July 24, 1360 – April 1, 1431), also spelled Nun'Álvares Pereira, was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a mystic, was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1918 and was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.