Fernão de Loronha
Fernão de Noronha, or spoofing of Fernão de Loronha ( his real name ) or Fernando de Noronha (* 15th century; † 16th century ), was a Portuguese Jew converted to Catholicism ( Marrano ), one of the first big brazil wood dealers in the straight newly discovered parts of Brazil was.
The wealthy entrepreneur, businessman and shipowner Noronha, born in Asturias, was representative of the banking house of Jacob Fugger on the Iberian Peninsula. Along with other " New Christians " ( conversos ), Portuguese merchants, he received permission to use the natural resources of Brazil (then Terra de Santa Cruz, the country of St. Cross) for three years to exploit and 1503 he received from the crown a contract for the exploitation of Brasil wood, a valuable in dyeing wood. The Consortium funded the expedition Gonçalo Coelho in 1503, who discovered this beautiful island on July 24, which was much later bear the name of Fernando de Noronha. 1506 led Noronha and his partners Quintais 20,000 ( 1.2 tons ) brazilwood from the new countries that were sold in Lisbon with 400 or 500 percent profit. 1511 he participated with Bartolomeu Marchioni, Benedito Morelli and Francisco Martins on the equipment of Bretoa who returned on 22 July with a cargo of 5000 strains Brasil wood, exotic animals and 40 slaves, mainly women, to Portugal.
As a result of the contract and the expedition Gonçalo Coelho forgave King D. Manuel I (1495-1521) 1504, the first " capitania do mar " no litoral ( overseas fief ) to Fernão de Noronha: the island of São João da Quaresma, today Fernando de Noronha.
In 1532 he was knighted by João III ( 1521-1557 ) to Fidalgo de cota de armas, a kind of knight.
Some write Fernão de Noronha, the change of Christian name Ilha de Vera Cruz (Island of the True Cross ) and Terra de Santa Cruz (Land of the Holy Cross ) in Brazil. However, there is no historical basis for such an assumption, and it is based on antisemitic [ nota 1]. What happened was the name change as a result of trade with Brazil wood, for the Fernão de Noronha was only one of the tenants.