Friar Bernardo de Brito was born Baltasar de Brito e Andrade, in the fortified village of Almeida in 1569. His father, Pedro Cardoso de Andrade, was a distinguished army captain who fought in Italy and Flanders who was killed in action during the Siege of Antwerp; his mother was Maria de Brito e Andrade, the sister of Rui de Andrade Freire, "alcaide" of the Castle of Almeida and "fronteiro" of Terras de Riba-Côa.