Captaincy of Maranhão
[2][3] European colonization in America effectively began in 1534, when King John III divided the territory into fourteen hereditary captaincies and gave them to twelve donatários, who could exploit the land's resources, but in exchange had to populate and protect the regions.In a letter addressed to Martim Afonso de Sousa in 1532, John III announced the decision to divide the Portuguese territory, beginning the donations in 1534.[4][5] There are three possible factors for the adoption of the captaincy system in Brazil: a response by the Portuguese monarchy to France's threat to its project of domination in America; the transfer of expenses with colonization from Portugal to the donatários, favoring the Crown in a situation of limited resources; and the conversion of the native population to Christianity, continuing the ideal of the Crusades.In November 1535, a fleet of ten ships, with 900 men and over a hundred horses, commanded by Aires da Cunha, experienced in the conquests of the Orient, set sail from the Tagus for Brazil.The large fleet headed first for Pernambuco, where Duarte Coelho welcomed the expeditionaries and provided them with information and interpreters, as well as a rowing boat to survey the coast, in order to prevent the ships from crashing into shallows or reaching deep anchorages.