Captaincies of Brazil
Prior to the grants in Brazil, the captaincy system had been successfully used in territories claimed by Portugal—-notably including Madeira, the Azores, and other Atlantic islands.For reasons varying from abandonment, defeat by aboriginal tribes, occupation of Northeast Brazil by the Dutch West India Company, and death of the donatário (lord proprietor) without an heir, all of the proprietorships (captaincies) eventually reverted to or were repurchased by the crown.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Following the successful expedition of Martim Afonso de Sousa in 1530, in order to exploit the trade in brazilwood discovered on the Atlantic coast, as well as explore rumors of vast riches in silver and gold in the interior, the Portuguese Crown determined to establish permanent colonies in their claim on the new continent.The Portuguese realized that they had no human or financial resources to invest in a large and distant colony, and decided to enlist private entrepreneurs, called donatários.[8] The first captaincies were drawn in strips parallel to the equator, commencing at the Atlantic coast and terminating in the west at the Tordesillas Line (where Spanish territory began).[8] Each captaincy was to be of fifty leagues "height" (measured north-south), but in practice, boundaries were marked by pairs of rivers, a plethora of which emptied into the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of the continent.[10] The history of the captaincies is turbulent, reflecting the needs of the Kings of Portugal, a small European country, to colonize and govern an enormous expanse of South America.
ColoniesPortuguese EmpirePortugueseRoman CatholicismGovernmentMonarchyMonarchJohn IIIPortuguese RealISO 3166 codeGovernorate General of Brazilcaptaincies of the Portuguese Empireadministrative divisionshereditary fiefscolonyTerra de Santa CruzBrazilnoblemancaptain GeneralPortuguese monarchyMadeiraAzoresPernambucoSão VicenteSão PauloNortheast BrazilDutch West India CompanydonatárioGovernorates Generalprovinces of BrazilHistory of BrazilMiller AtlasPre-CabralineKuhikuguMarajoara cultureColonial BrazilTreaty of TordesillasPedro Álvares Cabral's voyageEuropean discoveryLetter of Pero Vaz de CaminhaSugar cycleSlaverySlave tradeState of BrazilFrance AntarctiqueBandeirantesJesuit missionsQuilombo dos PalmaresFrance EquinoxialeDutch invasionsDutch BrazilGold cycleWar of the EmboabasMascate WarVila Rica RevoltSpanish–Portuguese War (1735–1737)Treaty of MadridGuaraní WarSpanish–Portuguese War (1776–1777)Minas Gerais ConspiracyTransfer of the Portuguese court to BrazilInvasion of the Banda OrientalUnited Kingdom with PortugalPernambuco RevoltConquest of French GuianaConquest of the Banda OrientalConstituent Cortes of 1820IndependenceDia do FicoWar of IndependenceRecognition of IndependenceEmpire of BrazilReign of Pedro I1823 Constituent AssemblyNight of Agony1824 ConstitutionConfederation of the EquatorCisplatine WarAbdication of Pedro IRegency PeriodApril Revolt1834 Additional ActMalê RevoltCabanagemRagamuffin WarBalaiadaDeclaration of majority of Pedro IIReign of Pedro IILiberal rebellions of 1842Praieira revoltCoffee cycleEusébio de Queirós LawPlatine WarChristie AffairUruguayan WarParaguayan WarReligious IssueRevolt of the MuckersGrande SecaMilitary QuestionAbolition of SlaveryPost–abolition of slaveryOld RepublicProclamation of the Republic1891 ConstitutionEncilhamentoNavy RevoltsFederalist RevolutionBelle ÉpoqueCoffee with milk politicsCoronelismAmazon rubber boomWar of CanudosAnnexation of AcreVaccine RevoltTaubaté AgreementNaval arms raceRevolt of the LashContestado WarWorld War ILieutenant revoltsVargas EraRevolution of 1930Constitutionalist Revolution1934 ConstitutionCommunist uprising of 1935