Martim Afonso de Sousa

Martim Afonso de Sousa ( * 1500 in Vila Viçosa, Portugal, † July 21, 1564 or 1571 in Lisbon ) was a Portuguese navigator, colonizer and first governor of Brazil.

On behalf of King John III. he led from 1530 to 1533, a fleet of five ships and 500 crew to Brazil. There, he managed to defeat located in Pernambuco French pirates and timber merchant and distribute. He then traveled with his fleet further south and founded on January 22, 1532 in what is now the state of São Paulo to São Vicente, the first European settlement in Brazil. 1533, after his return home, Martim Afonso de Sousa received in recognition of his services for life the Captaincy of São Vicente, one of the twelve districts, was divided into Brazil. In 1534 he was sent to India. There he intervened in the wars between the rulers of Cochin and Calicut. There, too, he was successful and was able to defend and expand the Portuguese possessions. From 1542 to 1545 he was governor of the Indian possessions. 1545/46 he returned to Portugal, where he was a member of the State Council. In 1542, he was sent back to India, stayed there for three years and led - according to general opinion - a corrupt and ineffective management.