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The Távora affair was a political scandal of the 18th century Portuguese court. The events triggered by the attempted assassination of King Joseph I of Portugal in 1758 ended with the public execution of the entire Távora family and its closest relatives in 1759. Some historians interpret the incident as an attempt by prime minister Sebastião de Melo (later Marquis of Pombal) to curb the growing powers of the old aristocratic families.