Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Corte-Real
Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Corte-Real | |
|---|---|
 Oil painting thought to depict Corte-Real | |
| 57th Governor of Macau | |
| In office July 21, 1788 – July 18, 1789 | |
| Preceded by | Bernardo Aleixo de Lemos e Faria |
| Succeeded by | Lázaro da Silva Ferreira and Manuel António Costa Ferreira (co-serving) |
| Member of the Goa Municipal Council | |
| In office 1787 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1710 Goa, Portuguese India |
| Died | July 16, 1789 (aged 78–79) Portuguese Macau |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Portugal |
| Branch/service | Portuguese Navy |
| Rank | Naval Captain |
Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Corte-Real (c. 1710 – July 16, 1789) was a Portuguese naval officer, traveler, and colonial administrator, serving as the Governor of Macau from 1788 to 1789.[1][2] Born into nobility in Goa, he joined the Portuguese Navy in his youth, eventually holding prominent positions in colonial leadership towards the latter part of his life.
Background
[edit]Corte-Real was born in Goa, Portuguese India (present-day India), around 1710 into a noble family. His father's name was António; Antònio, a Catholic priest as well as a military officer, was the son of Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real, Portugal’s former Secretary of State. On the other hand, Francisco’s mother was said to have been part native Goan, in addition to her Portuguese ancestry.[3][2]
Colonial affairs
[edit]Goa
[edit]In about 1787, Corte-Real was ordered to arrest Father José Antonio Gonçalves or José Felippe Gonçalves, residents of the parish of Piedade, for the crime of lesa-majestade (treason). The accused were believed to be the leaders of a planned insurrection.[3]
Macau
[edit]On July 21, 1788, he was appointed Governor of Macau. At this point in time, Corte-Real was familiar with the place, having previously served as Infantry Captain in the Guia Fortress. His passage there was rough, and he, alongside his family, survived a shipwreck, boarding a nearby English vessel.[2]
During his term, he lost all of his possessions, incurring a debt to the Senate. Consequently, his wife and children returned to Goa in 1789, although Corte-Real himself would stay.[2]
Personal life
[edit]He was married and had children, as mentioned earlier.[2]
He died on July 16, 1789, in Macau—a surgeon had confirmed his death, determining that the cause of it was from a long-standing ailment he had been suffering from for quite some time.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Gomes, Artur Levy (1957). Esboço da história de Macau, 1511 a 1849 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Repartição Provincial dos Serviços de Economia e Estatística Geral (Secção de Propaganda e Turismo). pp. 295–297.
- ^ a b c d e "澳門總督花利亞卸任，李露就任澳門總督". www.macaumemory.mo. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
- ^ a b Rivara, Joaquim Heliodoro da Cunha (1875). A Conjuração de 1787 em Goa, e varias cousas desse tempo. Memoria historica (in Brazilian Portuguese). Imprensa Nacional. pp. 5–15.
- ^ "澳督李露在澳門富商西蒙•羅咱家中突然去世". www.macaumemory.mo. Retrieved 2024-10-05.