Bartolomeu Perestrello

Bartolomeu Perestrello
Bartolomeu Perestrello
Born	c. 1395; Portuguese
Occupation(s)	Explorer, colonial administrator
Spouses	Margarida Martins; Branca Dias; Brites Furtado de Mendonça; Isabel Moniz;
Children	various, including Filipa

Bartolomeu Perestrello (Portuguese pronunciation:

Porto Santo (c. 1395 – 1457) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that is claimed to have discovered and populated Porto Santo Island (1419) together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira.^[1] The account of his participation in the discovery is disputed by some historians.^{[citation needed}

]

Biography

He was a son of Micer

nobleman from Piacenza

, and second wife Bertolina Bracciforti. Nobleman and

Order of Saint James (Santiago), he was granted in 1446, as a hereditary fief (capitania), the island of Porto Santo

and, together with his fellow fleet commanders, started the colonization of the islands.

One of his daughters,

Porto Santo

.

A legend attributes the responsibility for the poor vegetation of Porto Santo to him. On his first disembarkation in the island he brought one pregnant doe-rabbit that escaped and its progeny overran the island in a few years. In fact, the island was poor in water, and what seemed to be a good enterprise for him became the cause of his family financial ruin.

Family

He married four times, firstly to Margarida Martins, without known issue, secondly with Branca Dias, fathering Branca Dias Perestrello, lady-in-waiting to

Archbishop of Lisbon (1424–1452), by whom she had issue, including D. Pedro de Noronha, Lord Chamberlain to King John II of Portugal. Thirdly in 1446 to Brites Furtado de Mendonça, (aunt of King John II's mistress Ana de Mendonça) and had issue including Izeu Perestrelo, wife of Pedro Correia, First Captain of Graciosa Island in the Azores

and one of King John II's twenty-five bodyguards. His fourth marriage to Isabel Moniz also had issue, including Filipa, one of the 12 Comendadoras of Santiago, who married Columbus, Violante who married Miguel Molyarte and lived in Seville, Spain and Bartolomeu Perestrelo II, Third Captain of Porto Santo.

He was the brother of Rafael Perestrello, head of the Perestrellos of Torres Vedras. He also had two sisters: Catarina Perestrello, married to Aires Anes de Beja, Escrivão da Puridade (a Secretary) of John I of Portugal.

References

^ Doria, Francisco Antonio (2002). De Gênova ao Brasil, I (PDF) (in Portuguese). Bartolomeu Perestrello, descobridor em 1419 da ilha de Porto Santo
^ de Madariaga, Salvador (1952). Vida del muy magnífico señor Don Cristóbal Colón (in Spanish) (5th ed.). Mexico: Editorial Hermes. p. 125. Y así Christovão Colombo casó con Filipa Moniz Perestrello.

Bartolomeu Perestrello

Biography

Family

See also

References

Further reading