Captaincy of Pernambuco
Encyclopedia
The captaincy of Pernambuco was one of the subdivisions of Brazil
during the colonial period. At the time of the Independence of Brazil it had become a province and, after the Proclamation of the Republic of Brazil, with the promulgation of the Brazilian Constitution of 1891, it became the "state of Pernambuco
.
At the time of colonial Brazil
, the only ones who prospered were the captaincy of Pernambuco and the captaincy of São Vicente, thanks to growing sugar cane.
It included the territories of existing states of Pernambuco, Paraiba
, Alagoas
, Rio Grande do Norte
, Ceará
and the western portion of Bahia
(east of the São Francisco River) having thus its southern border with Minas Gerais
.
on March 10, 1534, the donee of Pernambuco was Duarte Coelho Pereira
, who was distinguished gentleman in the Portuguese campaigns in India. The captaincy stretched between the Igaraçu River
and the São Francisco River
, including:
"Sixty miles of land (...) which will begin in the São Francisco (...) and eventually into the river that surrounds the entire round in Itamaracá, which now again put river name of Santa Cruz (...) and you will get Duarte Coelho said the land south of the band, and the said river where Cristóvão Jacques made the first home of my factory and fifty paces of the said house at the factory into the river along the beach to put a pattern of my weapons, and said standard will launch a line to the west shore of the said house and land to the south line of said be Duarte Coelho, and said the pattern down the river to the bar and sea, will be with him anyway Duarte Coelho said half of the river Santa Cruz do Sul for the band and so enter the said land demarcation and it said all of Rio São Francisco River and half of Santa Cruz for the demarcation aforesaid, by which he will streams usefulness to his neighbors, on one side and the other and there on the border demarcation of the said several islands, and I hold it to be said of Duarte Coelho, and attach it to his captaincy and the islands until such ten leagues to the sea in front of that demarcation line for the East, which line will extend the middle of the bar told the Santa Cruz River, cutting off of the coast, and enter the same width as the hinterland and land rolls in, so, as they can get and is my conquest. (...). " (Grant Letter)
The southern half of the bar channel Itamaracá, that the sovereign called "river" of Santa Cruz, up to 50 steps beyond the site where the original factory existed Cristóvão Jacques
, demarcated the boundary north, south, the boundary of the captaincy was the River, across its width and length, including all its islands at the mouth to its source. The territory of the captaincy inflected for the Southwest, to follow the course of the river, reaching its sources in the current state of Minas Gerais. To the north, the king established the route of a line to the west, inland, to the boundaries of achievement, defined by the Treaty of Tordesillas
, ie land located beyond 370 miles west of the Cape Verde
islands. The boundaries of the captaincy covering the entire current state of Alagoas and ended the South, the São Francisco River, bordering the current state of Minas Gerais. Thanks to the possession of this important river, along its entire length and width, Pernambuco growing up in southwest orientation, much exceeding in width in the 60 established leagues in the letter of donation. In observation of Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen had the captaincy reach 12,000 square leagues, becoming the largest land area among all that the king distributed.
Upon receiving the donation, Duarte Coelho Pereira went to Brazil with his wife, children and many relatives. When he got to his lot, set on a beautiful hill, building a fort (Castelo Duarte Pereira), a chapel and houses for themselves and for the settlers, would be the embryo of Olinda
, constituted village in 1537. Pioneers in the land were his own ingenuity, that of Salvador, Bahia
, and that of his brother-in-law, in Beberibe.
Everything was organized to make the registration and donation of land, distribution of justice, civil records, defense against the Indians and Caetés Tabajaras. When he died in Lisbon in 1554, he bequeathed to his children, a flourishing captaincy. His brother, Jerónimo de Albuquerque, in correspondence with the Crown, asked for permission to import African slaves.
In Olinda, administrative headquarters of the captaincy, settled the civil and ecclesiastical authorities, the Jesuit College, the main monasteries and small dock Varadouro. In the late sixteenth century, about 700 families lived there, not counting those who lived on the plantations, which housed 20 to 30 residents. The small port of Olinda was negligible, with no depth to receive large vessels crossing the Atlantic Ocean. In turn, Recife
, a town named by the first donee of "Arrecife ships," according to the Charter Act passed on March 12, 1537, became the main port of the captaincy.
. This wealth, source of income inequality between rich and poor, somanda the great concentration of land, made of Pernambuco the scene of several conflicts – such as that which existed between landlords and the ingenuity of Pernambuco, Olinda and Recife Portuguese traders, pejoratively called from peddlers. The Peddlers' War
occurred from 1710 to 1712. The mill owners in debt to the traders due to the falling international price of sugar, do not accept the emancipation of Recife, which would worsen their situation with the Portuguese. In 1710, Recife was attacked by troops from landowners. The governor appointed, Sebastião de Castro Caldas Barbosa fled. The peddlers fought back, raiding Olinda in 1711. The appointment of a new governor, Félix José Mendonça, and the intervention of troops sent from Bahia ended the war. The commercial bourgeoisie was supported by the metropolis and Recife retained its autonomy.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
during the colonial period. At the time of the Independence of Brazil it had become a province and, after the Proclamation of the Republic of Brazil, with the promulgation of the Brazilian Constitution of 1891, it became the "state of Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
.
Colonial Brazil
In the history of Brazil, Colonial Brazil, officially the Viceroyalty of Brazil comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to kingdom alongside Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.During the over 300 years...
, the only ones who prospered were the captaincy of Pernambuco and the captaincy of São Vicente, thanks to growing sugar cane.
It included the territories of existing states of Pernambuco, Paraiba
Paraíba
Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
, Alagoas
Alagoas
Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...
, Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
, Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
and the western portion of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
(east of the São Francisco River) having thus its southern border with Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
.
History
According to the charter grant passed by D. João IIIJohn III of Portugal
John III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile...
on March 10, 1534, the donee of Pernambuco was Duarte Coelho Pereira
Duarte Coelho Pereira
Duarte Coelho was a nobleman, military leader, and Portuguese colonial administrator. He was the first grantee of the captaincy of Pernambuco and founder of Olinda.- Biography :...
, who was distinguished gentleman in the Portuguese campaigns in India. The captaincy stretched between the Igaraçu River
Igaraçu River
The Igaraçu River is located in the city of Parnaíba in the north of the state of Piauí in Brazil .The river has sections classified as Environmental Protection Area by ICMBio.- External links :*...
and the São Francisco River
São Francisco River
The São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil...
, including:
"Sixty miles of land (...) which will begin in the São Francisco (...) and eventually into the river that surrounds the entire round in Itamaracá, which now again put river name of Santa Cruz (...) and you will get Duarte Coelho said the land south of the band, and the said river where Cristóvão Jacques made the first home of my factory and fifty paces of the said house at the factory into the river along the beach to put a pattern of my weapons, and said standard will launch a line to the west shore of the said house and land to the south line of said be Duarte Coelho, and said the pattern down the river to the bar and sea, will be with him anyway Duarte Coelho said half of the river Santa Cruz do Sul for the band and so enter the said land demarcation and it said all of Rio São Francisco River and half of Santa Cruz for the demarcation aforesaid, by which he will streams usefulness to his neighbors, on one side and the other and there on the border demarcation of the said several islands, and I hold it to be said of Duarte Coelho, and attach it to his captaincy and the islands until such ten leagues to the sea in front of that demarcation line for the East, which line will extend the middle of the bar told the Santa Cruz River, cutting off of the coast, and enter the same width as the hinterland and land rolls in, so, as they can get and is my conquest. (...). " (Grant Letter)
Cristóvão Jacques
Cristóvão Jaques , also known as Cristóvão Valjaques Algarve, cerca 1480 - after 1530, was a Portuguese noble of Aragonese descent....
, demarcated the boundary north, south, the boundary of the captaincy was the River, across its width and length, including all its islands at the mouth to its source. The territory of the captaincy inflected for the Southwest, to follow the course of the river, reaching its sources in the current state of Minas Gerais. To the north, the king established the route of a line to the west, inland, to the boundaries of achievement, defined by the Treaty of Tordesillas
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas , signed at Tordesillas , , divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal along a meridian 370 leagueswest of the Cape Verde islands...
, ie land located beyond 370 miles west of the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
islands. The boundaries of the captaincy covering the entire current state of Alagoas and ended the South, the São Francisco River, bordering the current state of Minas Gerais. Thanks to the possession of this important river, along its entire length and width, Pernambuco growing up in southwest orientation, much exceeding in width in the 60 established leagues in the letter of donation. In observation of Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen had the captaincy reach 12,000 square leagues, becoming the largest land area among all that the king distributed.
Upon receiving the donation, Duarte Coelho Pereira went to Brazil with his wife, children and many relatives. When he got to his lot, set on a beautiful hill, building a fort (Castelo Duarte Pereira), a chapel and houses for themselves and for the settlers, would be the embryo of Olinda
Olinda
Olinda is a historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and south of Paulista...
, constituted village in 1537. Pioneers in the land were his own ingenuity, that of Salvador, Bahia
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, and that of his brother-in-law, in Beberibe.
Everything was organized to make the registration and donation of land, distribution of justice, civil records, defense against the Indians and Caetés Tabajaras. When he died in Lisbon in 1554, he bequeathed to his children, a flourishing captaincy. His brother, Jerónimo de Albuquerque, in correspondence with the Crown, asked for permission to import African slaves.
In Olinda, administrative headquarters of the captaincy, settled the civil and ecclesiastical authorities, the Jesuit College, the main monasteries and small dock Varadouro. In the late sixteenth century, about 700 families lived there, not counting those who lived on the plantations, which housed 20 to 30 residents. The small port of Olinda was negligible, with no depth to receive large vessels crossing the Atlantic Ocean. In turn, Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, a town named by the first donee of "Arrecife ships," according to the Charter Act passed on March 12, 1537, became the main port of the captaincy.
Sugar Economy
Sugar production has always played a prominent role in the economy of Pernambuco, and second because of the Dutch invasions in BrazilDutch Brazil
Dutch Brazil, also known as New Holland, was the northern portion of Brazil, ruled by the Dutch during the Dutch colonization of the Americas between 1630 and 1654...
. This wealth, source of income inequality between rich and poor, somanda the great concentration of land, made of Pernambuco the scene of several conflicts – such as that which existed between landlords and the ingenuity of Pernambuco, Olinda and Recife Portuguese traders, pejoratively called from peddlers. The Peddlers' War
Mascate War
Mascate War, The War of the Peddlers or Guerra dos Mascates was a conflict fought between rival groups of commerce in Olinda and Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil from 1710 to 1711....
occurred from 1710 to 1712. The mill owners in debt to the traders due to the falling international price of sugar, do not accept the emancipation of Recife, which would worsen their situation with the Portuguese. In 1710, Recife was attacked by troops from landowners. The governor appointed, Sebastião de Castro Caldas Barbosa fled. The peddlers fought back, raiding Olinda in 1711. The appointment of a new governor, Félix José Mendonça, and the intervention of troops sent from Bahia ended the war. The commercial bourgeoisie was supported by the metropolis and Recife retained its autonomy.