Manuel António Vassalo e Silva
Encyclopedia
Manuel António Vassalo e Silva (Torres Novas
, 8 November 1899 - Lisbon
, 11 August 1985), was the 128th and last Governor-General
of Portuguese India
.
of Portuguese India
to replace Paulo Bénard Guedes
, of which office he would be the last holder.
When the Republic of India
sought to annex the territories of Goa
, Daman (from which had been previously separated in 1954 and annexed by India in 1961 the enclave of Dadra and Nagar Haveli) and Diu from Portuguese control in December 1961, Manuel Vassalo e Silva, recognizing the futility of facing a superior enemy, disobeyed direct orders from the Portuguese President of the Council of Ministers António Salazar to fight to the death and offered to surrender without a fight. After that he fell into disgrace at the eyes of Salazar, who never accepted the fait accompli of the annexation.
Vassalo e Silva was greeted with a hostile reception when he returned to Portugal. He was subsequently court martialed for failing to follow orders, expelled from the military and was sent into exile. He returned to Portugal only in 1974, after the fall of the regime, and was given back his military status. He was later able to conduct a state visit to Goa, where he was given a warm reception.
Recently it was said by the Goan-Portuguese politician Narana Coissoró
that Salazar sent him a cyanide
capsule for use in case of defeat.
Torres Novas
Torres Novas is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 270.0 km² and a total population of 37,155 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 17 parishes, and is located in the district of Santarém. The city of Torres Novas has about 15,000 inhabitants. This city has a castle...
, 8 November 1899 - Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, 11 August 1985), was the 128th and last Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
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...
.
Background
He was the only son of Manuel Caetano da Silva (1870–1926) and wife Maria da Encarnação Vassalo (1869–1922) and brother of Maria da Conceição, married with issue, Joana and Aurora.Governor of Portuguese India
In 1958 he was nominated the 128th Governor-GeneralGovernor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
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...
to replace Paulo Bénard Guedes
Paulo Bénard Guedes
Paulo Bénard Guedes was the 127th Governor-General of Portuguese India.Paulo Bénard Guedes was born in Lisbon in 1892...
, of which office he would be the last holder.
When the Republic of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
sought to annex the territories of 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...
, Daman (from which had been previously separated in 1954 and annexed by India in 1961 the enclave of Dadra and Nagar Haveli) and Diu from Portuguese control in December 1961, Manuel Vassalo e Silva, recognizing the futility of facing a superior enemy, disobeyed direct orders from the Portuguese President of the Council of Ministers António Salazar to fight to the death and offered to surrender without a fight. After that he fell into disgrace at the eyes of Salazar, who never accepted the fait accompli of the annexation.
Vassalo e Silva was greeted with a hostile reception when he returned to Portugal. He was subsequently court martialed for failing to follow orders, expelled from the military and was sent into exile. He returned to Portugal only in 1974, after the fall of the regime, and was given back his military status. He was later able to conduct a state visit to Goa, where he was given a warm reception.
Recently it was said by the Goan-Portuguese politician Narana Coissoró
Narana Coissoró
Narana Sinai Coissoró , is a Portuguese lawyer and politician of the right-wing Democratic and Social Center / People's Party ....
that Salazar sent him a cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
capsule for use in case of defeat.
Family
He was married to Fernanda Pereira e Silva Monteiro and had a son and two daughters:- Fernando Manuel Pereira Monteiro Vassalo e Silva (LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, December 6, 1925 – Lisbon, June 9, 2006), married to Maria Amélia Franco Veiga (Lisbon, March 20, 1932 – March 17, 2004), daughter of António Veiga and wife Rosa Maria Garcia Franco, and had issue, seven children, two married and had issue - Maria Fernanda Pereira Monteiro Vassalo e Silva, married to Rui António da Cunha Bernardino, and had issue, eight children, six married and had issue
- Maria da Luz Pereira Monteiro Vassalo e Silva, married to António Faias Sors Lagrifa, born in LuandaLuandaLuanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
, and had issue (their son Jorge Manuel Vassalo Sors Lagrifa (May 7, 1948 – February 6, 2005) was the second husband without issue of Ana Cristina da Gama Caeiro da Mota Veiga, born in Lisbon, Santos o Velho, on June 4, 1950, daughter of António da Mota VeigaAntónio da Mota VeigaAntónio Jorge Martins da Mota Veiga was a Portuguese politician and former Minister and law professor.-Background:...
and wife Maria Emília da Gama Caeiro, formerly married and divorced from Marcelo Rebelo de SousaMarcelo Rebelo de SousaMarcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa, ComSE, GCIH is a Portuguese politician and former Minister and Member of Parliament, law professor, former journalist, political analyst and pundit.-Background:...
)