Brites de Albuquerque

Brites de Albuquerque
Brites de Albuquerque
2nd and 4th Governor of Pernambuco
	In office; 1553–1560
Monarchs	Sebastian of Portugal; Henry, King of Portugal; Philip II of Spain
Lieutenant	Jeronimo de Albuquerque
Preceded by	Duarte Coelho de Albuquerque
Succeeded by	Jeronimo de Albuquerque
Personal details
Born	C. 1507; Kingdom of Portugal
Died	c. 1582; Captaincy of Pernambuco, Colonial Brazil
Spouse	Duarte Coelho (before 1535)
Parent(s)	Lopo de Albuquerque; Joana de Bulhão
Relatives	Jeronimo de Albuquerque (brother)

Brites de Albuquerque, aka Beatriz de Albuquerque, (c. 1507–1584^[1]) was a noble, a colonial administrator in the Portuguese colony of Brazil. She was the first woman to serve as governor in a colony in the New World.^[1]

Scion of the Albuquerques Dona Brites was daughter of Lopo de Albuquerque and Joana de Bulhão. a cousin of Afonso de Albuquerque and Garcia de Noronha both viceroys of India, and sister to Matias de Albuquerque, viceroy of India, all descendants of King Dom Dinis (1279–1325).^[2] She married Duarte Coelho donatario (Lord Proprietor) of Pernambuco and with him settled in the New World in 1535.^[2]^[3] Three children are known, Duarte Coelho de Albuquerque, second donatario, Jorge de Albuquerque Coelho, Third Donatario, and Inês de Moura.^[2]

Dona Brites, assisted by her brother

Jeronimo, governed Pernambuco three or four times, first during her husbands trip to Portugal in 1540–1541, again beginning during his final trip to Portugal in 1553, and continuing as governor and administrator of the estate during the minority and absence of their son Duarte, the heir, until 1560,^[4] again in 1572 (and 1573) as representative of her son Duarte, and probably continuously until 1582 but possibly once again from an unknown date until her death sometime before 1584.^[5]^[2]^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, História Geral do Brasil, Melhormentos, São Paulo, v. 1
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Francis A. Dutra. "Duarte Coelho Pereira, First Lord-Proprietor of Pernambuco: The Beginnings of a Dynasty", The Americas 29:4 (April 1973), pp. 415–441.
^ C. R. Boxer, "Jorge d' Albuquerque Coelho: A Luso-Brazilian Hero of the Sea, 1539–1602", Luso-Brazilian ReviewVol. 6, No. 1 (Summer, 1969), p. 3
^ David P. Henige, Colonial Governors from the Fifteenth Century to the Present, 1970, p. 254
^ Francisco Augusto Pereira da Costa, "Capitães-móres governadores loco-tenentes dos donatários de Pernambuco". Revista do Instituto Archeológico e Geographico Pernambucano, Recife, n. 50, 1897, pp. 59–61

Political offices
Preceded by Duarte Coelho	Governor of Pernambuco 1553–1560	Succeeded by Duarte Coelho de Albuquerque
Preceded by Duarte Coelho de Albuquerque	Governor of Pernambuco 1572–1584	Succeeded by Jeronimo de Albuquerque

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[Varnhagen-1] Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, História Geral do Brasil, Melhormentos, São Paulo, v. 1

[Dutra-2] Francis A. Dutra. "Duarte Coelho Pereira, First Lord-Proprietor of Pernambuco: The Beginnings of a Dynasty", The Americas 29:4 (April 1973), pp. 415–441.

[3] C. R. Boxer, "Jorge d' Albuquerque Coelho: A Luso-Brazilian Hero of the Sea, 1539–1602", Luso-Brazilian ReviewVol. 6, No. 1 (Summer, 1969), p. 3

[4] David P. Henige, Colonial Governors from the Fifteenth Century to the Present, 1970, p. 254

[5] Francisco Augusto Pereira da Costa, "Capitães-móres governadores loco-tenentes dos donatários de Pernambuco". Revista do Instituto Archeológico e Geographico Pernambucano, Recife, n. 50, 1897, pp. 59–61

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