List of colonial heads of Portuguese India

The government of Portuguese 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...

started in 1505, six years after the discovery of the sea route to India by 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...

, with the nomination of the first Viceroy 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...

, then settled at Kochi. Until 1752, the name "India" included all Portuguese possessions in the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

, from southern Africa

Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...

to Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

, governed - either by a Viceroy or Governor - from its headquarters, established in 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...

since 1510. In 1752 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...

got its own government and in 1844 the Portuguese Government of India stopped administering the territory of Macau

Macau

Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

, Solor

Solor

Solor is a volcanic island located off the eastern tip of Flores island in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, in the Solor Archipelago. The island supports a small population that has been whaling for hundreds of years. They speak the languages of Adonara and Lamaholot. There are at least five...

and Timor

Timor

Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...

, being then confined to Malabar.

The following is a list of rulers during the history of Portuguese India as a viceroyalty or governorship.

Official Title\|	Office-Holder\|	Mandate Begin\|	Mandate End\|	Notes
Viceroy (nom.)	D. Tristão da Cunha Tristão da Cunha Tristão da Cunha was a Portuguese explorer and naval commander. In 1514 he served as ambassador from king Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X leading a luxurious embassy presenting in Rome the new conquests of Portugal...	1504	1505	First to be nominated viceroy, never assumed office
Viceroy	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...	12 Sep 1505	Nov 1509	conquered Kilwa Kilwa Sultanate The Kilwa Sultanate was a Medieval sultanate, centered at Kilwa , whose authority, at its height, stretched over the entire length of the Swahili Coast. It was founded in the 10th century by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi... , erected forts in Anjediva Fort Anjediva Fort Anjediva, built on the Anjadip Island, off the coast of the Indian state of Karnataka but under the administrative jurisdiction of the Indian state of Goa, was once under Portuguese rule. It has also in its vicinity an ancient church on the island called the Church of Our Lady of Springs built... , Cochin, Cannanore Kannur Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in... , refused to cede office until after Diu Battle of Diu The Battle of Diu sometimes referred as the Second Battle of Chaul was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, near the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Kozhikode... , died at Table Bay, on return voyage, March, 1510
Governor and High Captain(*)	D. Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque[p][n] was a Portuguese fidalgo, or nobleman, an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second governor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean...	4 Nov 1509	Sep 1515	conquered 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... , Malacca Malacca Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south... and Hormuz Ormus The Kingdom of Ormus was a 10th to 17th century kingdom located within the Persian Gulf and extending as far as the Strait of Hormuz... , died off Goa, Dec. 1515
Governor	Lopo Soares de Albergaria Lopo Soares de Albergaria Lopo Soares de Albergaria was the third Governor of Portuguese India, having reached India in 1515 to supersede governor Afonso de Albuquerque....	8 Sep 1515	Sep 1518	erected forts in Colombo Colombo Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo... (Ceylon) and Quilon Quilon Quilon may refer to,* Venad, a former state on Malabar Coast, India* Kollam , Kerala state, India* Kollam district, Kerala state... returned to Portugal
Governor	Diogo Lopes de Sequeira Diogo Lopes de Sequeira Diogo Lopes de Sequeira was a Portuguese fidalgo, sent to analyze the trade potential in Madagascar and Malacca, he arrived at Malacca on 11 September, 1509. He left the next year when he discovered that Sultan Mahmud Shah, the local leader, was devising his assassination...	8 Sep 1518	Jan 1522	Albuquerque's old lieutenant, erected fort at Chaul Chaul Chaul is a former city of Portuguese India, now in ruins. It is located 60 km south of Mumbai, in Raigad District of Maharashtra state in western India.... , returned to Portugal
Governor	D. Duarte de Menezes Duarte de Menezes Dom Duarte de Menezes , was a 16th C. Portuguese nobleman and colonial officer, governor of Tangier from 1508 to 1521 and 1536 to 1539 and governor of Portuguese India from 1522 to 1524.- Background :...	22 Jan 1522	Sep 1524	former captain of Tangier Tangier Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel... , dismissed and returned to Portugal
Viceroy	D. 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...	5 Sep 1524	Dec 1524	old discoverer of Indies route, died at Cochin, Dec 1524
Governor	D. Henrique de Menezes	17 Jan 1525	Feb 1526	died at Cannanore, Feb 1526
Governor	Lopo Vaz de Sampaio Lopo Vaz de Sampaio Lopo Vaz de Sampaio was an administrator of the Portuguese Empire. He was also the captain of Vasco da Gama, a famous Portuguese explorer. During 1528-29, Lopo Vaz de Sampaio seized the fort of Mahim from the Gujarat Sultanate, when the King was at war with Nizam-ul-mulk, the emperor of Chaul, a...	Feb. 1526	Nov 1529	arrested, returned to Portugal as prisoner
Governor	Nuno da Cunha Nuno da Cunha Nuno da Cunha was a governor of Portuguese possessions in India from 1528 to 1538.He was the son of Antónia Pais and Tristão da Cunha, the famous Portuguese navigator, admiral and ambassador to Pope Leo X....	18 Nov 1529	Sep 1538	son of Tristão da Cunha Tristão da Cunha Tristão da Cunha was a Portuguese explorer and naval commander. In 1514 he served as ambassador from king Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X leading a luxurious embassy presenting in Rome the new conquests of Portugal... , conquered northern province (Bassein, Bombay, Diu, Daman) died at sea on return to Portugal, Mar 1539
Viceroy	D. Garcia de Noronha	14 Sep 1538	Apr 1540	Another old Albuquerque liutenant, died in Cochin, Apr 1540
Governor	D. Estêvão da Gama	3 Apr 1540	May 1542	son of 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... , Captain of Malacca Malacca Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south... f.1538, returned to Portugal
Governor	Martim Afonso de Sousa Martim Afonso de Sousa Martim Afonso de Sousa was a Portuguese fidalgo and explorer.Born in Vila Viçosa, he was commander of the first official Portuguese expedition into mainland Brazil...	8 May 1542	1545	donatary-captain of São Vicente f.1534, returned to Portugal
Governor	D. João de Castro João de Castro Dom João de Castro was a Portuguese naval officer and fourth viceroy of Portuguese India. He was called Castro Forte by poet Luís de Camões. Castro was the son of Álvaro de Castro, civil governor of Lisbon...	10 Sep 1545	1548	Nephew of Garcia de Noronha , promoted to Viceroy in early 1548
Viceroy	D. João de Castro	1548	Jun 1548	died at Goa, Jun 1548
Governor	Garcia de Sá	6 June 1548	Jun 1549	acquired Bardez Bardez Bardez is the name of a region and taluka in North Goa. The name is credited to the Brahmin immigrants who migrated to the Konkan via Magadha in Gangetic India from Aryavarta, in the north-western part of the Indian sub-continent. Bardez or more properly Bara desh means "twelve countries"... and Salcette Salcette Salcette , is a taluka of South Goa District in the Indian state of Goa. Its administrative and economic headquarters is Margao. It is largely coterminous with a region called Sashti , which comprised, by local tradition, sixty-six villages, hence the name. However, it also includes the taluka of... , died at Goa, Jun 1549
Governor	Jorge Cabral	13 Jun 1549	Nov 1550	interim governor, returned to Portugal
Viceroy	D. Afonso de Noronha	Nov 1550	Sep 1554	former governor of Ceuta Ceuta Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish... , 1540–49, returned to Portugal
Viceroy	Pedro Mascarenhas Pedro Mascarenhas Pedro Mascarenhas was a Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator. He was the first European to discover the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in 1512...	23 Sep 1554	Jun 1555	old discoverer of Indian Ocean islands, died at Goa, Jun 1555
Governor	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...	16 Jun 1555	Sep 1558	returned to Portugal
Viceroy	D. Constantino de Braganza	8 Sep 1558	Sep 1561	returned to Portugal
Viceroy	D. Francisco Coutinho	7 Sep 1561	Feb 1564	died at Goa, Feb 1564
Governor	João de Mendonça	19 Feb 1564	Sep 1564	returned to Portugal
Viceroy	António de Noronha	3 Sep 1564	Sep 1568	died at sea on return to Portugal
Viceroy	Luís de Ataíde	10 Sep 1568	Sep 1571	returned to Portugal
Governor	António de Noronha	6 Sep 1571	Dec 1573	[returned to Portugal]
Governor	António Moniz Barreto	9 Dec 1573	Sep 1576	[returned to Portugal]
Governor	Diogo de Menezes	Sep 1576	Aug 1578	[returned to Portugal]
Viceroy	Luís de Ataíde (second time)	31 Aug 1578	Mar 1581	[died at Goa, Mar 1581]
Governor	Fernão Teles de Menezes	1581	1591
Viceroy	Matias de Albuquerque	1591	1597
Viceroy	D. Francisco da Gama, conde da Vidigueira	1597	1600
Viceroy	Aires de Saldanha	1600	1605
Viceroy	Martim Afonso de Castro Martim Afonso de Castro Martim Afonso de Castro was a Portuguese Viceroy of India. He commanded the Portuguese Navy in the Battle of Cape Rachado, fought over the present day Malaccan exclave of Tanjung Tuan in 1606....	1605	Jun 1607	[died at Malacca, Jun 1607]
Governor	Fr. Aleixo de Meneses, Archbp of Goa	Jun 1607	1609
Governor	André Furtado de Mendonça	1609
Viceroy	Rui Lourenço de Távora	1609	1612
Viceroy	D. Jerónimo de Azevedo Jerónimo de Azevedo Dom Jerónimo de Azevedo was a Portuguese fidalgo and Viceroy of India . His full name was Jerónimo de Azevedo de Ataíde Malafaia and he was the 8th son of Dom Manuel de Azevedo, Comendador of São João de Alpendurada and brother of Blessed Inácio de Azevedo...	1612	1617
Viceroy	D. João Coutinho	1617	1619
Governor	Fernão de Albuquerque	1619	1622
Viceroy	D. Francisco da Gama (second time)	1622	1628
Viceroy	Fr. Luís de Brito e Meneses, Bishop of Meliapore	1628	Jul 1629	[died at Cochim, Jul 1629]
Governing Council	1. Nuno Álvares Botelho 2. D. Lourenço da Cunha 3. Gonçalo Pinto da Fonseca	1629
Viceroy	Miguel de Noronha, conde de Linhares	1629	1635
Viceroy	Pero da Silva	1635	Jun 1639	[died at Goa, Jun 1639]
Governor	António Teles de Meneses	1639	1640
Viceroy	João da Silva Telo e Meneses, conde de Aveiras	1640	1644	[returned to Portugal]
Viceroy	Filipe de Mascarenhas	1644	1651
Viceroy	João da Silva Telo e Meneses, conde de Aveiras (second time)	1651		[died at Mozambique, en route to India]
Governing Council	1. Fr. Francisco dos Mártires (Archbp of Goa) 2. Francisco de Melo e Castro 3. António de Sousa Coutinho	1651	1652
Viceroy	Vasco de Mascarenhas, Conde de Óbidos	1652	1655	[expelled in internal coup]
Usurper	Brás de Castro (usurper)	1655		[arrested by successor]
Governor	Rodrigo Lobo da Silveira, conde de Sarzedas	1655	Jan 1656	[died at Goa, Jan 1656]
Governing Council	1. Manuel Mascarenhas Homem 2. Francisco de Melo e Castro 3. António de Sousa Coutinho	Jan 1656	1661
Governing Council	1. Luís de Mendonça Furtado e Albuquerque 2. Manuel Mascarenhas Homem 3. D. Pedro de Lencastre	1661
Governing Council	1. Luís de Mendonça Furtado e Albuquerque, 2. António de Melo e Castro 3. D. Pedro de Lencastre	1661	1662
Viceroy	António de Melo e Castro	16 Dec 1662	1666
Viceroy	João Nunes da Cunha, Conde de São Vicente	1666	Nov 1668	[died at Goa, Nov 1668]
Governing Council	1. António de Melo e Castro, 2. Manuel Corte-Real de Sampaio 3. Luís de Miranda Henriques	Nov 1668	1671
Viceroy	Luís de Mendonça Furtado e Albuquerque	1671	1676	[died off Lisbon on return voyage]
Viceroy	D. Pedro de Almeida, Conde de Assumar	1676	1678	[died at Goa, 1678]
Interim Governor	António Brandão, Archbishop of Goa (sometime with António Pais de Sande)	1678	1681
Viceroy	Francisco de Távora, conde de Alvor	1681	1686
Governor	D. Rodrigo da Costa Rodrigo da Costa Rodrigo da Costa may refer to:Rodrigo Augusto Sartori Costa Brazilian footballer, nickname VillaRodrigo Baldasso da Costa Brazilian footballer*Rodrigo Barbosa Rodrigues Costa Brazilian footballer...	1686	1690
Governor	D. Miguel de Almeida	1690	Jan 1691	[died at Goa, Jan 1691]
Governing Council	1. Fernando Martins Mascarenhas Lencastre 2. Fr. Agostinho da Anunciação (Archbp of Goa)	Jan 1691	1692
Viceroy	Pedro António de Meneses Noronha de Albuquerque	1692	1697	[returned to Portugal]
Viceroy	Antônio Luís Gonçalves da Câmara Coutinho	1697	1701
Governing Council	1. Fr. Agostinho da Anunciação (Archp of Goa) 2. D. Vasco Lima Coutinho	1701	1702
Viceroy	Caetano de Melo e Castro	1702	1707
Viceroy	D. Rodrigo da Costa Rodrigo da Costa Rodrigo da Costa may refer to:Rodrigo Augusto Sartori Costa Brazilian footballer, nickname VillaRodrigo Baldasso da Costa Brazilian footballerRodrigo Barbosa Rodrigues Costa Brazilian footballer... (second time*, as Viceroy now)	1707	1712
Viceroy	Vasco Fernandes César de Meneses, Conde de Sabugosa	1712	1717	[returned to Portugal]
Governor	Fr. Sebastião de Andrade Pessanha, Archbp of Goa	Jan 1717	Oct 1717
Viceroy	Luís Carlos Inácio Xavier de Meneses, conde de Ericeira	Oct 1717	1720
Viceroy	Francisco José de Sampaio e Castro	1720	Jul 1723	[died at Goa, Jul 1723]
Interim Governor	Cristóvão de Melo	Jul 1723
Governing Council	1. Cristóvão de Melo 2. Fr. Inácio de Santa Teresa (Archbp of Goa) 3. Cristóvão Luís de Andrade	1723	1725
Viceroy	João de Saldanha da Gama	1725	1732	[returned to Portugal]
Governing Council	1. Cristóvão de Melo 2. Fr. Inácio de Santa Teresa (Archbp of Goa) 3. Tomé Gomes Moreira	1732
Viceroy	Pedro de Mascarenhas, conde de Sandomil	1732	1740	[returned to Portugal]
Viceroy	Luís Carlos Inácio Xavier de Meneses, conde de Ericeira (second time)	1740	1742	[Died at Goa, 1742]
Governing Council	1. Francisco de Vasconcelos 2. Lourenço de Noronha 3. Luís Caetano de Almeida	1742	1744
Viceroy	Pedro Miguel de Almeida Portugal e Vasconcelos, conde de Assumar, marquis de Alorna	1744	1750
Viceroy	Francisco de Assis de Távora, marquis of Tavora	Sep 1750	1754	[returned to Portugal, executed in 1759]
Viceroy	Luís Mascarenhas, conde de Alva	1754	Jun 1756	[Died at Goa, Jun 1756]
Governing Council	1. António Taveira da Neiva Brum da Silveira (Archbp of Goa) 2. João de Mesquista Matos Teixeira 3. Filipe de Valadares	1756	1757
Viceroy	Manuel de Saldanha e Albuquerque, conde da Ega	, 1758	1765	[returned to Portugal]
Council	1. António Taveira da Neiva Brum da Silveira (Archbp of Goa) 2. João Baptista Vaz Pereira 3. D. João José de Melo	1765	1768
Governor	João José de Melo	1768	1771	[Promoted to Captain-General, 1771 (**)]
Governor and Captain-General	João José de Melo	1771	Jan 1774	[died at Goa, Jan 1774]

(*) - In 1508, King Manuel I of Portugal partitioned the Indian Ocean into two "High Captaincies" - (1) Capitão-Mor dos mares da Ethiopia, Arabia e Persia (centered at Socotra

Socotra

Socotra , also spelt Soqotra, is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through...

) covering the east African and Arabian-Persian coasts, from 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:...

to Diu; (2) Capitão-Mor dos mares da India (centered at Cochin), covering the Indian coast from Diu down to Cape Comorin. Afonso de Albuquerque

Afonso de Albuquerque

Afonso de Albuquerque[p][n] was a Portuguese fidalgo, or nobleman, an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second governor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean...

was Captain-General of the latter. Jorge de Aguiar was made Captain-General of the former.

(**) - Title of Viceroy of Indies extinguished by royal letter in 1771, replaced by Capitão-Geral (Captain-General) of the Indies.

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