Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco
Francisco Caldeira e Castelo Branco (1566–1619) was a Portuguese Captain-major, founder of the city of Belém, capital of Pará (Brazil), on January 12, 1616.
Francisco Castelo Branco | |
|---|---|
| Captain-major of Rio Grande | |
| In office 1612–1614 | |
| Monarch | Philip II of Portugal |
| Captain-major of Bahia | |
| In office 1615–1618 | |
| Monarch | Philip II of Portugal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1566 Castelo Branco, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 1619 (aged 53) Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Citizenship | Kingdom of Portugal |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Portuguese Empire |
| Battles/wars | Dutch-Portuguese War |
Biography
He was born in the Portuguese town of Castelo Branco, in 1566. Was Captain-major of the Captaincy the Rio Grande (now the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte), from 1612 to 1614, and the captaincy of Pará, from 1615 to 1618. While serving in the garrison of Pernambuco, was sent as commander of an expedition to rescue the Portuguese troops who, under the command of Jerónimo de Albuquerque Maranhão, fought against the French in Maranhão.
In 1615, after the defeat of the French, he was given the rank of Capitão-Mor by Alexandre de Moura and given orders to discover and conquer Pará.[1]
On January 12, Francisco Caldeira arrived in Guajará bay, called by the Tupinambás, "Guaçu Paraná", where he built a wooden fort, covered with straw, which he called "Presépio" (now "Forte do Castelo"). In the colony that was formed by the fort, he gave the name "Happy Lusitania" – the embryo of the future city of Belém.
His initial colonization was peaceful and without opposition from the natives, with Francisco Caldeira being well received and aided by them.[1]
In 1618, Antonio Cabral, nephew of Francisco Caldeira, stabbed to death the captain Alvaro Neto. Due to the murder, the captains Paulo da Rocha and Thadeus dos Passos, friends of Neto, pressure Francisco Caldeira, who orders the imprisonment of Antonio Cabral. [1]
However, claiming that his nephew would be necessary for coming conflict against the natives, Francisco Caldeira sets him free a few days later and orders that the two captains be jailed, who take refuge in a convent, ending with one of the convent members wounded. In the morning of the next day, the population rises against Francisco Caldeira and surrounds his home, without resisting, Francisco Caldeira is jailed and deposed, with Baltasar Rodrigues de Melo taking his position.[1]
After he was deposed, Francisco Caldeira is sent to Lisbon, where he died in a prison in 1619.
References
- Abreu, J. Capistrano de (1963). Capítulos de história colonial (1500–1800). Brasília: UNB.
- Cruz, Ernesto (1973). História de Belém. Belém: Universidade Federal do Pará.
- Lisboa, João Francisco (1864). Jornal de Timon (v. 3): Apontamentos, noticias e observações para servirem a história do Maranhão [Journal of Timon (v. 3): Points, news and observations to serve the history of Maranhão]. São Luis, Maranhão: Typ. B. de Mattos. Retrieved February 3, 2022.