Prelude

In 1498, Portuguese ships under Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...

 visited Mozambique Island and several other towns on the East African coast. In 1500, Sancho de Tovar

Sancho de Tovar

Sancho de Tovar, 6th Lord of Cevico, Caracena and Boca de Huérgano was a Portuguese nobleman of Castilian birth, best known as a navigator and explorer during the Portuguese age of discoveries. He was the sub-captain of the fleet that discovered Brazil in 1500, and was later appointed Governor of...

 was the first Portuguese captain to sight (but not land) in Sofala

Sofala

Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Monomotapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique.-History:...

. On a return voyage

4th Portuguese India Armada (Gama, 1502)

The Fourth India Armada was assembled in 1502 on the order of King Manuel I of Portugal and placed under the command of D. Vasco da Gama. It was Gama's second trip to India...

 in 1502, Vasco da Gama established a Portuguese factory

Factory (trading post)

Factory was the English term for the trading posts system originally established by Europeans in foreign territories, first within different states of medieval Europe, and later in their colonial possessions...

 on Mozambique Island and finally visited Sofala, signing a commercial treaty with the ruling sheikh Isuf of Sofala.

In September 1505, Pêro de Anaia

Pêro de Anaia

Pêro de Anaia or Pedro d'Anaya or Anhaya or da Nhaya or da Naia was a Castilian-Portuguese 16th C...

 signed a new treaty with sheikh Isuf allowing the establishment of a Portuguese factory and fortress (Fort São Caetano

Fort São Caetano

Fort São Caetano is a fort that was built in the 16th century in the present town of Sofala, Mozambique. The fort precisely dates from 1505. Pêro de Anaia assumed the title of Captain-General of Sofala and made Sofala the first Portuguese colony in the region....

) in Sofala. Pêro de Anaia assumed the title of capitão-mor (captain-major) of the fort in Sofala, thus inaugurating the first colonial government in Portuguese East Africa

Portuguese East Africa

Mozambique or Portuguese East Africa was the common name by which the Portuguese Empire's territorial expansion in East Africa was known across different periods of time...

. In 1507, Sofala captain Vasco Gomes de Abreu established a second Portuguese fort on Mozambique Island, and the colonial title was better known by the expanded 'Captain-Major of Sofala and Mozambique'.

Until 1752, the Capitaincy of Sofala-Mozambique was under the oversight of the Viceroy of Portuguese India.

List of Colonial Heads of Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

Term	Incumbent	Notes>
Captaincy of Sofala Sofala Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Monomotapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique.-History:...  under Viceroy of India Portuguese India The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...	Portuguese Administration
September, 1505 to March 1506	Pêro de Anaia Pêro de Anaia Pêro de Anaia or Pedro d'Anaya or Anhaya or da Nhaya or da Naia was a Castilian-Portuguese 16th C... , Captain-Major	Died in office.
March 1506 to December 1506	Manuel Fernandes Manuel Fernandes Manuel Fernandes may refer to:*Manuel Fernandes , rower who represented Portugal at the 1996 Summer Olympics*Manuel Fernandes , former Portuguese football forward during the late 70s and 80s, later a manager...  de Meireles, Acting Captain-Major	Factor. Elected to temporarily replace Anaia.
December 1506 to 8 September 1507	Nuno Vaz Pereira, Captain-Major	Appointed by D. Francisco de Almeida Francisco de Almeida Dom Francisco de Almeida , also known as "the Great Dom Francisco" , was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the Moors and in the conquest of Granada in 1492... , viceroy of India.
Captaincy of Sofala Sofala Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Monomotapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique.-History:...  and Moçambique under Viceroy of India Portuguese India The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
8 September 1507 to February 1508	Vasco Gomes de Abreu, Captain-Major	Died in office.
February 1508 to August 1509	Rui de Brito Patalim, acting Captain-Major
August 1509 to 24 June 1512	António de Saldanha António de Saldanha António de Saldanha was a Castilian-Portuguese 16th century captain. He was the first European to set anchor in what is now called Table Bay, South Africa, and made the first recorded ascent of Table Mountain.- Background :... , Captain-Major
24 June 1512 to June 1515	Simão de Miranda de Azevedo, Captain-Major
June 1512 to July 1515	Sancho de Tovar Sancho de Tovar Sancho de Tovar, 6th Lord of Cevico, Caracena and Boca de Huérgano was a Portuguese nobleman of Castilian birth, best known as a navigator and explorer during the Portuguese age of discoveries. He was the sub-captain of the fleet that discovered Brazil in 1500, and was later appointed Governor of... , acting Captain-Major	1st Term
July 1515 to June 1518	Cristóvão de Távora Cristóvão de Távora Cristóvão de Távora was a Portuguese colonial administrator. He was granted the captaincy of the Fortress of Sofala in Mozambique from 1508 until 1514.He was then Captain of Mozambique from 31 July 1515 to 1 July 1518.... , Captain-Major
June 1518 to July 1521	Sancho de Tovar Sancho de Tovar Sancho de Tovar, 6th Lord of Cevico, Caracena and Boca de Huérgano was a Portuguese nobleman of Castilian birth, best known as a navigator and explorer during the Portuguese age of discoveries. He was the sub-captain of the fleet that discovered Brazil in 1500, and was later appointed Governor of... , Captain-Major	2nd Term
July 1521 to 1525	Diogo de Sepúlveda, Captain-Major
1525 to 1528	Lopo de Almeida, Captain-Major
1528 to 1531	António da Silveira de Meneses, Captain-Major
1531 to 1538	Vicente Pegado, Captain-Major
1538 to 1541	Alexio Chicorro, Captain-Major
1541 to 1548	João de Sepúlveda, Captain-Major
1548 to 1551	Fernão de Sousa de Távora, Captain-Major
1551 to 1553	Diogo de Mesquita, Captain-Major
1553 to 1557	Diogo de Sousa, Captain-Major
1557 to 1560	Sebastião de Sá, Captain-Major
1560 to 1564	Pantaleão de Sá, Captain-Major
1564 to 1567	Jerónimo Barreto, Captain-Major
1567 to 1569	Pedro Barreto Rolim, Captain-Major
Captaincy-general of Moçambique
1569 to June 1573	Francisco Barreto Francisco Barreto Francisco Barreto was a Portuguese soldier and explorer. An officer in Morocco during his early life, Barreto sailed to Portuguese India and was eventually appointed viceroy of the colony. After his return to Lisbon, he was tasked with an expedition to southeast Africa in search of legendary gold... , Captain-General
June 1573 to 1577	Vasco Fernandes Homem, acting Captain-General
1577 to 1577	Fernando Monroi, acting Captain-General
1577 to 1577	Simão de Silveira, acting Captain-General
1577 to 1582	Pedro de Castro, Captain-General
1582 to 1586	Nunho Pereira, Captain-General
1586 to 1589	Jorge Telo de Meneses, Captain-General
1589 to 1590	Lourenço de Brito, Captain-General
1590 to 1595	Pedro de Sousa, Captain-General
1595 to 1598	Nunho da Cunha Ataíde, Captain-General
1598 to 1601	Álvaro Abranches, Captain-General
1601 to 1604	Vasco de Mascarenhas, Captain-General
1604 to 1607	Sebastião de Macedo, Captain-General
1607 to 1609	Estévão de Ataíde, Captain-General
Colony of Moçambique, Sofala Sofala Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Monomotapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique.-History:... , Ríos de Cuama, and Monomatapa under Goa Goa Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
1609 to 1611	Nunho Álvares Pereira, Governor	1st Term
1611 to 1612	Estévão de Ataíde, Governor
1612 to 1612	Diogo Simoes de Madeira, acting Governor
1612 to 1614	João de Azevedo, Governor
1614 to 1618	Rui de Melo Sampaio, Governor
1618 to 1623	Nunho Álvares Pereira, Governor	2nd Term
1623 to 1624	Lopo de Almeida, Governor
1624 to 1627	Diogo de Sousa de Meneses, Governor	1st Term
1627 to 1631	Nunho Álvares Pereira, Governor	3rd Term
1631 to 1632	Cristóvão de Brito e Vasconcelos, acting Governor
1632 to 1633	Diogo de Sousa de Meneses, Governor	2nd Term
1633 to 1634	Filipe de Mascarenhas, Governor
1634 to 1639	Lourenço de Souto-Maior, Governor
1639 to 1640	Diogo de Vasconcelos Diogo de Vasconcelos Diogo de Vasconcelos is a city in the microregion of Ouro Preto in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais... , Governor
1640 to 1641	António de Brito Pacheco, Governor
1641 to 1642	Francisco da Silveira, Governor
1642 to 1646	Júlio Moniz da Silva, Governor
1646 to 1648	Fernão Dias Baião, Governor
1648 to 1651	Álvaro de Sousa de Távora, Governor
1651 to 1652	Francisco de Mascarenhas Francisco de Mascarenhas Francisco de Mascarenhas was the 1st count of Vila da Horta, the 1st count of Santa Cruz and the 13th vice-regent of Portuguese controlled India from 1581 until 1584, captain of donatary of the islands of Flores and Corvo.... , Governor
1652 to 1657	Francisco de Lima, Governor
1657 to 1661	Manuel Corte-Real de Sampaio, Governor
1661 to 1664	Manuel de Mascarenhas, Governor
1664 to 1667	António de Melo e Castro, Governor
1667 to 1670	Inácio Sarmento de Carvalho, Governor
1670 to 1673	João de Sousa Freire, Governor	1st Term
1673 to 1674	Simpao Gomes da Silva, Governor
1674 to 1674	André Pinto da Fonseca, Governor
1674 to 1676	Manuel da Silva, acting Governor
1676 to 1682	João de Sousa Freire, Governor	2nd Term
1682 to 1686	Caetano de Melo e Castro, Governor
1686 to 1689	Miguel de Almeida, Governor
1689 to 1692	Manuel dos Santo Pinto, Governor
1692 to 1693	Tomé de Sousa Correia, Governor
1693 to 1694	Francisco Correia de Mesquita, acting Governor
1694 to 1695	Estévão Jose da Costa, Governor
1695 to 1696	Francisco da Costa, Governor
1696 to 1699	Luís de Melo Sampaio, Governor
1699 to 1703	Jácome de Morias Sarmento, Governor
1703 to 1706	João Fernandes de Almeida, Governor	1st Term
1706 to 1708	Luís de Brito Freire, Governor
1708 to 1712	Luís Gonçalves da Câmara, Governor
1712 to 1714	João Fernandes de Almeida, Governor	2nd Term
1714 to 1716	Francisco de Mascarenhas Francisco de Mascarenhas Francisco de Mascarenhas was the 1st count of Vila da Horta, the 1st count of Santa Cruz and the 13th vice-regent of Portuguese controlled India from 1581 until 1584, captain of donatary of the islands of Flores and Corvo.... , Governor
1716 to 1719	Francisco de Souto-Maior, Governor
1719 to 1722	Francisco de Alarcão e Souto-Maoir, Governor
1722 to 1723	Álvaro Caetano de Melo e Castro, Governor
1723 to 1726	António João Sequeira e Faria, Governor
1726 to 1730	António Cardim Fróis, Governor
1730 to 1733	António Casco de Melo, Governor
1733 to 1736	José Barbosa Leal, Governor
1736 to 1740	Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida , from Lisbon, was the foremost Portuguese satirical poet of the 18th century. Beginning at age 20, Tolentino studied law for three years at the University of Coimbra; he then ended those studies to teach rhetoric. He was sent to Lisbon in 1776 to fill a post, and was... , Governor
1740 to 1743	Lourenço de Noronha, Governor
1743 to 1746	Pedro do Rêgo Barreto da Gama e Castro, Governor
1746 to 1750	Caetano Correia da Sá, Governor
1750 to 1752	Francisco de Melo e Castro, Governor
Colony of Moçambique, the Zambezi Zambezi The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...  and Sofala Sofala Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Monomotapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique.-History:...
1752 to March 1758	Francisco de Melo e Castro, Governor
March 1758 to April 1758	João Manuel de Melo, Governor
April 1758 to 28 May 1759	David Marques Pereira, Governor
28 May 1759 to January 1763	Pedro de Saldanha e Albuquerque, Governor	1st Term
6 January 1763 to 1765	João Pereira da Silva Barba, Governor
1765 to June 1779	Baltasar Manuel Pereira do Lago, Governor
June 1779 to 1780	Provisional Administration, Governor
1780 to 1781	José de Vasconcelos e Almeida, Governor
1781 to 4 January 1782	Vicente Caetano da Maria e Vasconcelos, acting Governor
4 January 1782 to 21 August 1782	Pedro de Saldanha e Albuquerque, Governor	2nd Term
21 August 1782 to 1786	Provisional Administration
1786 to 1793	António de Melo e Castro, Governor
1793 to 1797	Diogo de Sousa Coutinho, Governor
1797 to September 1801	Francisco Guedes de Carvalho Meneses da Costa, Governor
September 1801 to August 1805	Isidro de Sousa e Sá, Governor
August 1805 to December 1807	Francisco de Paula de Albuquerque do Amaral Cardoso, Governor
December 1807 to 14 August 1809	Provisional Administration
14 August 1809 to August 1812	António Manuel de Melo e Castro de Mendonça, Governor
August 1812 to February 1817	Marcos Caetano de Abreu e Meneses, Governor
February 1817 to September 1818	José Francisco de Paula Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Governor
September 1818 to November 1819	Provisional Administration
November 1819 to June 1821	João da Costa M. Brito-Sanches, Governor
June 1821 to June 1824	Provisional Administration
June 1824 to January 1825	João Manuel da Silva, Governor
January 1825 to August 1829	Sebãstiao Xavier Botelho, Governor
August 1829 to January 1832	Paulo José Miguel de Brito, Governor
January 1832 to March 1834	Provisional Administration
March 1834 to March 1836	José Gregório Pagado, Governor
Moçambique Colony/(Portuguese East Africa Portuguese East Africa Mozambique or Portuguese East Africa was the common name by which the Portuguese Empire's territorial expansion in East Africa was known across different periods of time... )
March 1836 to March 1837	Provisional Administration
March 1837 to October 1837	António José de Melo, Governor-General
October 1837 to March 1838	João Carlos Augusto de Oeynhausen e Gravenburg, marquês de Aracaty, Governor-General
March 1838 to 25 March 1840	Juiz A. de Ramalho de Sá, President of the Governing Council
25 March 1840 to May 1841	Joaquim Pereira Marinho, Governor-General
May 1841 to 15 February 1843	João da Costa Xavier, Governor-General
15 February 1843 to May 1847	Rodrigo Luciano de Abreu e Lima, Governor-General
May 1847 to October 1851	Domingos Fortunato de Vale, Governor-General
October 1851 to April 1854	Joaquim Pinto de Magalhães, Governor-General
April 1854 to September 1857	Vasco Guedes de Carvalho e Meneses, acting Governor-General
September 1857 to February 1864	João Tavares d'Almeida, Governor-General
February 1864 to April 1864	Candido M. Montes, President of Governing Council
April 1864 to October 1867	M. António do Canto e Castro, Governor-General
October 1867 to September 1868	António Augusto de Almeida Portugal Correia de Lacerda, Governor-General
September 1868 to February 1869	M.N.P. de Ataíde e Azevedo, President of Governing Council
February 1869 to April 1869	António Tavares de Almeida, Governor-General
April 1869 to December 1869	Fernão da Costa Leal, Governor-General
December 1869 to June 1870	Juiz E.K. da Fonseca e Gouveia, President of Governing Council
June 1870 to August 1870	Inácio A. Alves, acting Governor-General
August 1870 to December 1873	José Rodrigues Coelho do Amaral, Governor-General
December 1873 to August 1874	Juiz J.M. Crispiniano da Fonseca, President of Governing Council
August 1874 to December 1877	José Guedes de Carvalho e Meneses, Governor-General
December 1877 to January 1880	Francisco Maria da Cunha, Governor-General
January 1880 to August 1881	Augusto César Rodrigues Sarmento, acting Governor-General
August 1881 to February 1882	Carlos Eugénio Correia da Silva, visconde de Paco d'Arcos, Governor-General
February 1882 to April 1882	J. d'Almeida d'Avila, acting Governor-General
April 1882 to April 1885	Agostinho Coelho, Governor-General
April 1885 to July 1885	D. Henrique Real da Silva, President of Governing Council
July 1885 to March 1889	Augusto Vidal de Castilho Barreto e Noronha, Governor-General
March 1889 to July 1889	José Joaquim d'Almeida, acting Governor-General
July 1889 to July 1890	José Antonio de Brissac das Neves Ferreira, Governor-General
July 1890 to 2 July 1891	Joaquim José Machado, Governor-General	1st Term
2 July 1891 to May 1893	Raphael Jácome Lopes de Andrade, Governor-General
May 1893 to 13 January 1894	Francisco Teixeira da Silva, Governor-General
January 1894 to July 1894	J. Correia e Lanca, acting Governor-General	1st Term
July 1894 to January 1895	Fernão de Magalhães e Meneses, Governor-General
January 1895 to December 1895	António José Enes -Commissioner, Governor-General
January 1896 to March 1896	J. Correia e Lanca, acting Governor-General	2nd Term
March 1896 to November 1897	Joaquim Mousinho de Albuquerque, Governor-General
November 1897 to August 1898	Baltasar Friere Cabral, acting Governor-General
August 1898 to December 1898	Carlos Alberto Schultz Xavier, Governor-General
December 1898 to March 1900	Álvaro António Ferreira, Governor-General
March 1900 to May 1900	Júlio José, marqués da Costa, Governor-General
May 1900 to October 1900	Joaquim José Machado, Governor-General	2nd Term
October 1900 to December 1902	Manuel Rafael Gorjão, Governor-General
December 1902 to February 1905	Thomás António García Rosado, Governor-General
February 1905 to October 1906	João António de Azevedo Coutinho Fragoso de Sequeira, Governor-General
October 1906 to November 1910	Alfredo Augusto Freire de Andrade, Governor-General
November 1910 to May 1911	José de Freitas Ribeiro, acting Governor-General
May 1911 to February 1912	José Francisco de Azevedo e Silva, Governor-General
February 1912 to March 1913	Alfredo Afonso Mendeses de Magalhães, Governor-General
March 1913 to April 1914	Augusto Ferreira dos Santos, Governor-General
April 1914 to May 1915	Joaquim José Machado, Governor-General	3rd Term
May 1915 to October 1915	Alfredo Baptista Coelho, Governor-General
October 1915 to April 1918	Álvaro Xavier de Castro, Governor-General
April 1918 to April 1919	Pedro Francisco Massano do Amorim, Governor-General
April 1919 to March 1921	Manuel Juiz Moreira da Fonseca, acting Governor-General	1st Term
March 1921 to September 1923	Manuel de Brito Camacho Manuel de Brito Camacho Manuel de Brito Camacho a military officer, writer, publicist and politician, who among other positions, was Minister of Public Works, Commerce and Industry and Republican High Commissioner to Mozambique... , High Commissioner and Governor-General
September 1923 to November 1924	Manuel Juiz Moreira da Fonseca, acting High Commissioner and Governor-General	2nd Term
November 1924 to May 1926	Víctor Hugo de Azevedo Coutinho, High Commissioner and Governor-General
May 1926 to November 1926	Artur Ivens Ferraz Artur Ivens Ferraz General Artur Ivens Ferraz General Artur Ivens Ferraz General Artur Ivens Ferraz (Lisbon, 1 December 1870–Lisbon, 16 January 1933; , was a Portuguese military officer and politician. He served in the Portuguese Expeditionary Force during the Portuguese participation in World War I, in France.... , acting High Commissioner and Governor-General
November 1926 to April 1938	José Ricardo Pereira Cabral, High Commissioner and Governor-General
April 1938 to 1941	José Nicolau Nunes de Oliveira, High Commissioner and Governor-General
1941 to 1946	João Tristão de Bettencourt, High Commissioner and Governor-General
May 1947 to December 1948	Luis de Sousa e Vasconcelos e Funchal, High Commissioner and Governor-General
December 1948 to 11 June 1951	Gabriel Mauricio Teixeira, High Commissioner and Governor-General
Overseas Province of Portugal
11 June 1951 to 1958	Gabriel Mauricio Teixeira, High Commissioner and Governor-General
1958 to 1961	Pedro Correia de Barros, High Commissioner and Governor-General
1961 to 1964	Manuel Maria Sarmento Rodrigues, High Commissioner and Governor-General
1964 to 1968	José Augusto da Costa Almeida, High Commissioner and Governor-General
12 July 1968 to 1970	Baltazar Rebelo de Sousa, High Commissioner and Governor-General
1970 to 1972	Eduardo Arantes e Oliveira, High Commissioner and Governor-General
1972 to 27 April 1974	Manuel Pimentel Pereira dos Santos, High Commissioner and Governor-General
27 April 1974 to 11 June 1974	David Teixeira Ferreira, acting High Commissioner and Governor-General
11 June 1974 to 17 August 1974	Henrique Soares de Melo, High Commissioner and Governor-General
19 August 1974 to 12 September 1974	Jorge Ferro Ribeiro, acting High Commissioner and Governor-General
12 September 1974 to 20 September 1974	Vítor Crespo Vítor Crespo Victor Pereira Crespo is a Portuguese politician and parliamentary.-Career:Crespo was born in Leiria, Milagres... , High Commissioner and Governor-General
local administration
20 September 1974 to 25 June 1975	Vítor Crespo Vítor Crespo Victor Pereira Crespo is a Portuguese politician and parliamentary.-Career:Crespo was born in Leiria, Milagres... , High Commissioner and Governor-General
25 June 1975	Independence as Republic of Mozambique

For continuation after independence, see: Presidents of Mozambique