Francisco Maria Esteves Pereira was born in Miranda do Douro on 9 August 1854. His exceptional intellect became evident during his student years. He completed his Preparatory Studies at the Polytechnic School, later enrolling at the Escola do Exército [Army School], where he completed a degree in engineering. At the former, he received awards in four subjects, and at the latter, he was also distinguished during all three years of the programme. He pursued a military career in the Engineering branch, achieving the rank of colonel. His professional activities as an army officer were extensive, and he oversaw numerous projects in his field of expertise.

Esteves Pereira also distinguished himself in the field of history, a discipline he pursued during his leisure time, showing a particular interest in Orientalism, a subject that began to captivate him in 1888 when he was 34 years of age . He was proficient in numerous languages, both classical and modern, but his preference naturally leaned toward Oriental languages. He studied Sanskrit with Monsignor Dalgado, a professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon , and frequently corresponded with his peers abroad in Latin or Greek. Among modern languages, he was fluent in French, English, and German and had an understanding of Scandinavian and Russian languages. Among Oriental languages, he was well-versed in Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and Cyrillic. However, the language in which he truly specialised was Ge’ez, or Ethiopic, which he likely taught himself, as there is no record of him having a teacher. According to a great-nephew of Esteves Pereira, his interest in this last language originated in a tavern near the Escola Prática de Engenharia [Practical School of Engineering] in Tancos, where there were dishes inscribed with Ge’ez characters.

He delivered the eulogy for Jaime Moniz, whom he succeeded as a member of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, in the History Class. There, he presented various papers , many of which formed the basis of his published works. Within the Academy, he also oversaw the publication of several works of dramatic literature, as well as historical sources, such as the Livro de Montaria [Book of Hunting ] by King João I(1918) and the Crónica da Tomada de Ceuta [Chronicle of the Capture of Ceuta] by Zurara, the latter published on the fourth centenary of the conquest of that city in North Africa. As a testament to his respect for the Academy, he donated his bibliographic collection to the institution.

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