List of colonial governors of Mozambique
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Prelude
In 1498 Portuguese ships under Vasco da Gama visited Mozambique Island and several other towns on the East African coast. In 1500, Sancho de Tovar was the first Portuguese captain to sight (but not land) in Sofala. On a return voyage in 1502, Vasco da Gama established a Portuguese factory on Mozambique Island and finally visited Sofala, signing a commercial treaty with the ruling sheikh Isuf of Sofala.
In September 1505 Pêro de Anaia signed a new treaty with sheikh Isuf allowing the establishment of a Portuguese factory and fortress (Fort São Caetano) in Sofala. Pêro de Anaia assumed the title of capitão-mor (captain-major) of the fort in Sofala, thus inaugurating the first colonial government in Portuguese East Africa. In 1507, Sofala captain Vasco Gomes de Abreu established a second Portuguese fort on Mozambique Island, and the colonial title was better known by the expanded 'Captain-Major of Sofala and Mozambique'.
Until 1752 the Capitaincy of Sofala-Mozambique was under the oversight of the Viceroy of Portuguese India.
List of Colonial Heads of Mozambique
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
| Term | Incumbent | Notes
|
|---|---|---|
| Captaincy of Sofala under Viceroy of India | Portuguese Administration | |
| September, 1505 to March 1506 | Pêro de Anaia, Captain-Major | Died in office. |
| March 1506 to December 1506 | Manuel Fernandes de Meireles, acting Captain-Major | Factor. Elected to temporarily replace Anaia. |
| December 1506 to 8 September 1507 | Nuno Vaz Pereira, Captain-Major | Appointed by D. Francisco de Almeida, viceroy of India. |
| Captaincy of Sofala and Moçambique under Viceroy of India | ||
| 8 September 1507 to February 1508 | Vasco Gomes de Abreu, Captain-Major | Died in office. |
| February 1508 to August 1509 | Rui de Brito Patalim, acting Captain-Major | |
| August 1509 to 24 June 1512 | António de Saldanha, Captain-Major | |
| 24 June 1512 to June 1515 | Simão de Miranda de Azevedo, Captain-Major | |
| June 1512 to July 1515 | Sancho de Tovar, acting Captain-Major | 1st Term |
| July 1515 to June 1518 | Cristóvão de Távora, Captain-Major | |
| June 1518 to July 1521 | Sancho de Tovar, Captain-Major | 2nd Term |
| July 1521 to 1525 | Diogo de Sepúlveda, Captain-Major | |
| 1525 to 1528 | Lopo de Almeida, Captain-Major | |
| 1528 to 1531 | António da Silveira de Meneses, Captain-Major | |
| 1531 to 1538 | Vicente Pegado, Captain-Major | |
| 1538 to 1541 | Alexio Chicorro, Captain-Major | |
| 1541 to 1548 | João de Sepúlveda, Captain-Major | |
| 1548 to 1551 | Fernão de Sousa de Távora, Captain-Major | |
| 1551 to 1553 | Diogo de Mesquita, Captain-Major | |
| 1553 to 1557 | Diogo de Sousa, Captain-Major | |
| 1557 to 1560 | Sebastião de Sá, Captain-Major | |
| 1560 to 1564 | Pantaleão de Sá, Captain-Major | |
| 1564 to 1567 | Jerónimo Barreto, Captain-Major | |
| 1567 to 1569 | Pedro Barreto Rolim, Captain-Major | |
| Captaincy-general of Moçambique | ||
| 1569 to June 1573 | Francisco Barreto, Captain-General | |
| June 1573 to 1577 | Vasco Fernandes Homem, acting Captain-General | |
| 1577 to 1577 | Fernando Monroi, acting Captain-General | |
| 1577 to 1577 | Simão de Silveira, acting Captain-General | |
| 1577 to 1582 | Pedro de Castro, Captain-General | |
| 1582 to 1586 | Nuno Pereira, Captain-General | |
| 1586 to 1589 | Jorge Telo de Meneses, Captain-General | |
| 1589 to 1590 | Lourenço de Brito, Captain-General | |
| 1590 to 1595 | Pedro de Sousa, Captain-General | |
| 1595 to 1598 | Nuno da Cunha Ataíde, Captain-General | |
| 1598 to 1601 | Álvaro Abranches, Captain-General | |
| 1601 to 1604 | Vasco de Mascarenhas, Captain-General | |
| 1604 to 1607 | Sebastião de Macedo, Captain-General | |
| 1607 to 1609 | Estêvão de Ataíde, Captain-General | |
| Colony of Moçambique, Sofala, Ríos de Cuama, and Monomatapa under Goa | ||
| 1609 to 1611 | Nuno Álvares Pereira, Governor | 1st Term |
| 1611 to 1612 | Estévão de Ataíde, Governor | |
| 1612 to 1612 | Diogo Simões de Madeira, acting Governor | |
| 1612 to 1614 | João de Azevedo, Governor | |
| 1614 to 1618 | Rui de Melo Sampaio, Governor | |
| 1618 to 1623 | Nuno Álvares Pereira, Governor | 2nd Term |
| 1623 to 1624 | Lopo de Almeida, Governor | |
| 1624 to 1627 | Diogo de Sousa de Meneses, Governor | 1st Term |
| 1627 to 1631 | Nuno Álvares Pereira, Governor | 3rd Term |
| 1631 to 1632 | Cristóvão de Brito e Vasconcelos, acting Governor | |
| 1632 to 1633 | Diogo de Sousa de Meneses, Governor | 2nd Term |
| 1633 to 1634 | Filipe de Mascarenhas, Governor | |
| 1634 to 1639 | Lourenço de Souto-Maior, Governor | |
| 1639 to 1640 | Diogo de Vasconcelos, Governor | |
| 1640 to 1641 | António de Brito Pacheco, Governor | |
| 1641 to 1642 | Francisco da Silveira, Governor | |
| 1642 to 1646 | Júlio Moniz da Silva, Governor | |
| 1646 to 1648 | Fernão Dias Baião, Governor | |
| 1648 to 1651 | Álvaro de Sousa de Távora, Governor | |
| 1651 to 1652 | Francisco de Mascarenhas, Governor | |
| 1652 to 1657 | Francisco de Lima, Governor | |
| 1657 to 1661 | Manuel Corte-Real de Sampaio, Governor | |
| 1661 to 1664 | Manuel de Mascarenhas, Governor | |
| 1664 to 1667 | António de Melo e Castro, Governor | |
| 1667 to 1670 | Inácio Sarmento de Carvalho, Governor | |
| 1670 to 1673 | João de Sousa Freire, Governor | 1st Term |
| 1673 to 1674 | Simão Gomes da Silva, Governor | |
| 1674 to 1674 | André Pinto da Fonseca, Governor | |
| 1674 to 1676 | Manuel da Silva, acting Governor | |
| 1676 to 1682 | João de Sousa Freire, Governor | 2nd Term |
| 1682 to 1686 | Caetano de Melo e Castro, Governor | |
| 1686 to 1689 | Miguel de Almeida, Governor | |
| 1689 to 1692 | Manuel dos Santos Pinto, Governor | |
| 1692 to 1693 | Tomé de Sousa Correia, Governor | |
| 1693 to 1694 | Francisco Correia de Mesquita, acting Governor | |
| 1694 to 1695 | Estêvão José da Costa, Governor | |
| 1695 to 1696 | Francisco da Costa, Governor | |
| 1696 to 1699 | Luís de Melo Sampaio, Governor | |
| 1699 to 1703 | Jácome de Morais Sarmento, Governor | |
| 1703 to 1706 | João Fernandes de Almeida, Governor | 1st Term |
| 1706 to 1708 | Luís de Brito Freire, Governor | |
| 1708 to 1712 | Luís Gonçalves da Câmara, Governor | |
| 1712 to 1714 | João Fernandes de Almeida, Governor | 2nd Term |
| 1714 to 1716 | Francisco de Mascarenhas, Governor | |
| 1716 to 1719 | Francisco de Souto-Maior, Governor | |
| 1719 to 1722 | Francisco de Alarcão e Souto-Maior, Governor | |
| 1722 to 1723 | Álvaro Caetano de Melo e Castro, Governor | |
| 1723 to 1726 | António João Sequeira e Faria, Governor | |
| 1726 to 1730 | António Cardim Fróis, Governor | |
| 1730 to 1733 | António Casco de Melo, Governor | |
| 1733 to 1736 | José Barbosa Leal, Governor | |
| 1736 to 1740 | Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida, Governor | |
| 1740 to 1743 | Lourenço de Noronha, Governor | |
| 1743 to 1746 | Pedro do Rêgo Barreto da Gama e Castro, Governor | |
| 1746 to 1750 | Caetano Correia da Sá, Governor | |
| 1750 to 1752 | Francisco de Melo e Castro, Governor | |
| Colony of Moçambique, the Zambezi and Sofala | ||
| 1752 to March 1758 | Francisco de Melo e Castro, Governor | |
| March 1758 to April 1758 | João Manuel de Melo, Governor | |
| April 1758 to 28 May 1759 | David Marques Pereira, Governor | |
| 28 May 1759 to January 1763 | Pedro de Saldanha e Albuquerque, Governor | 1st Term |
| 6 January 1763 to 1765 | João Pereira da Silva Barba, Governor | |
| 1765 to June 1779 | Baltasar Manuel Pereira do Lago, Governor | |
| June 1779 to 1780 | Provisional Administration, Governor | |
| 1780 to 1781 | José de Vasconcelos e Almeida, Governor | |
| 1781 to 4 January 1782 | Vicente Caetano da Maria e Vasconcelos, acting Governor | |
| 4 January 1782 to 21 August 1782 | Pedro de Saldanha e Albuquerque, Governor | 2nd Term |
| 21 August 1782 to 1786 | Provisional Administration | |
| 1786 to 1793 | António de Melo e Castro, Governor | |
| 1793 to 1797 | Diogo de Sousa Coutinho, Governor | |
| 1797 to September 1801 | Francisco Guedes de Carvalho Meneses da Costa, Governor | |
| September 1801 to August 1805 | Isidro de Sousa e Sá, Governor | |
| August 1805 to December 1807 | Francisco de Paula de Albuquerque do Amaral Cardoso, Governor | |
| December 1807 to 14 August 1809 | Provisional Administration | |
| 14 August 1809 to August 1812 | António Manuel de Melo e Castro de Mendonça, Governor | |
| August 1812 to February 1817 | Marcos Caetano de Abreu e Meneses, Governor | |
| February 1817 to September 1818 | José Francisco de Paula Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Governor | |
| September 1818 to November 1819 | Provisional Administration | |
| November 1819 to June 1821 | João da Costa M. Brito-Sanches, Governor | |
| June 1821 to June 1824 | Provisional Administration | |
| June 1824 to January 1825 | João Manuel da Silva, Governor | |
| January 1825 to August 1829 | Sebastião Xavier Botelho, Governor | |
| August 1829 to January 1832 | Paulo José Miguel de Brito, Governor | |
| January 1832 to March 1834 | Provisional Administration | |
| March 1834 to March 1836 | José Gregório Pegado, Governor | |
| Moçambique Colony/(Portuguese East Africa) | ||
| March 1836 to March 1837 | Provisional Administration | |
| March 1837 to October 1837 | António José de Melo, Governor-General | |
| October 1837 to March 1838 | João Carlos Augusto de Oeynhausen e Gravenburg, marquês de Aracaty, Governor-General | |
| March 1838 to 25 March 1840 | Juiz A. de Ramalho de Sá, President of the Governing Council | |
| 25 March 1840 to May 1841 | Joaquim Pereira Marinho, Governor-General | |
| May 1841 to 15 February 1843 | João da Costa Xavier, Governor-General | |
| 15 February 1843 to May 1847 | Rodrigo Luciano de Abreu e Lima, Governor-General | |
| May 1847 to October 1851 | Domingos Fortunato de Vale, Governor-General | |
| October 1851 to April 1854 | Joaquim Pinto de Magalhães, Governor-General | |
| April 1854 to September 1857 | Vasco Guedes de Carvalho e Meneses, acting Governor-General | |
| September 1857 to February 1864 | João Tavares d'Almeida, Governor-General | |
| February 1864 to April 1864 | Cândido M. Montes, President of Governing Council | |
| April 1864 to October 1867 | M. António do Canto e Castro, Governor-General | |
| October 1867 to September 1868 | António Augusto de Almeida Portugal Correia de Lacerda, Governor-General | |
| September 1868 to February 1869 | M.N.P. de Ataíde e Azevedo, President of Governing Council | |
| February 1869 to April 1869 | António Tavares de Almeida, Governor-General | |
| April 1869 to December 1869 | Fernão da Costa Leal, Governor-General | |
| December 1869 to June 1870 | Juiz E. K. da Fonseca e Gouveia, President of Governing Council | |
| June 1870 to August 1870 | Inácio A. Alves, acting Governor-General | |
| August 1870 to December 1873 | José Rodrigues Coelho do Amaral, Governor-General | |
| December 1873 to August 1874 | Juiz J. M. Crispiniano da Fonseca, President of Governing Council | |
| August 1874 to December 1877 | José Guedes de Carvalho e Meneses, Governor-General | |
| December 1877 to January 1880 | Francisco Maria da Cunha, Governor-General | |
| January 1880 to August 1881 | Augusto César Rodrigues Sarmento, acting Governor-General | |
| August 1881 to February 1882 | Carlos Eugénio Correia da Silva, visconde de Paço d'Arcos, Governor-General | |
| February 1882 to April 1882 | J. d'Almeida d'Avila, acting Governor-General | |
| April 1882 to April 1885 | Agostinho Coelho, Governor-General | |
| April 1885 to July 1885 | D. Henrique Real da Silva, President of Governing Council | |
| July 1885 to March 1889 | Augusto Vidal de Castilho Barreto e Noronha, Governor-General | |
| March 1889 to July 1889 | José Joaquim d'Almeida, acting Governor-General | |
| July 1889 to July 1890 | José António de Brissac das Neves Ferreira, Governor-General | |
| July 1890 to 2 July 1891 | Joaquim José Machado, Governor-General | 1st Term |
| 2 July 1891 to May 1893 | Raphael Jácome Lopes de Andrade, Governor-General | |
| May 1893 to 13 January 1894 | Francisco Teixeira da Silva, Governor-General | |
| January 1894 to July 1894 | J. Correia e Lança, acting Governor-General | 1st Term |
| July 1894 to January 1895 | Fernão de Magalhães e Meneses, Governor-General | |
| January 1895 to December 1895 | António José Enes -Commissioner, Governor-General | |
| January 1896 to March 1896 | J. Correia e Lança, acting Governor-General | 2nd Term |
| March 1896 to November 1897 | Joaquim Mousinho de Albuquerque, Governor-General | |
| November 1897 to August 1898 | Baltasar Freire Cabral, acting Governor-General | |
| August 1898 to December 1898 | Carlos Alberto Schultz Xavier, Governor-General | |
| December 1898 to March 1900 | Álvaro António Ferreira, Governor-General | |
| March 1900 to May 1900 | Júlio José, marqués da Costa, Governor-General | |
| May 1900 to October 1900 | Joaquim José Machado, Governor-General | 2nd Term |
| October 1900 to December 1902 | Manuel Rafael Gorjão, Governor-General | |
| December 1902 to February 1905 | Tomás António Garcia Rosado, Governor-General | |
| February 1905 to October 1906 | João António de Azevedo Coutinho Fragoso de Sequeira, Governor-General | |
| October 1906 to November 1910 | Alfredo Augusto Freire de Andrade, Governor-General | |
| November 1910 to May 1911 | José de Freitas Ribeiro, acting Governor-General | |
| May 1911 to February 1912 | José Francisco de Azevedo e Silva, Governor-General | |
| February 1912 to March 1913 | Alfredo Afonso Meneses de Magalhães, Governor-General | |
| March 1913 to April 1914 | Augusto Ferreira dos Santos, Governor-General | |
| April 1914 to May 1915 | Joaquim José Machado, Governor-General | 3rd Term |
| May 1915 to October 1915 | Alfredo Baptista Coelho, Governor-General | |
| October 1915 to April 1918 | Álvaro Xavier de Castro, Governor-General | |
| April 1918 to April 1919 | Pedro Francisco Massano do Amorim, Governor-General | |
| April 1919 to March 1921 | Manuel Juiz Moreira da Fonseca, acting Governor-General | 1st Term |
| March 1921 to September 1923 | Manuel de Brito Camacho, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| September 1923 to November 1924 | Manuel Juiz Moreira da Fonseca, acting High Commissioner and Governor-General | 2nd Term |
| November 1924 to May 1926 | Víctor Hugo de Azevedo Coutinho, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| May 1926 to November 1926 | Artur Ivens Ferraz, acting High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| November 1926 to April 1938 | José Ricardo Pereira Cabral, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| April 1938 to 1941 | José Nicolau Nunes de Oliveira, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 1941 to 1946 | João Tristão de Bettencourt, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| May 1947 to December 1948 | Luís de Sousa e Vasconcelos e Funchal, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| December 1948 to 11 June 1951 | Gabriel Mauricio Teixeira, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| Overseas Province of Portugal | ||
| 11 June 1951 to 1958 | Gabriel Maurício Teixeira, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 1958 to 1961 | Pedro Correia de Barros, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 1961 to 1964 | Manuel Maria Sarmento Rodrigues, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 1964 to 1968 | José Augusto da Costa Almeida, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 12 July 1968 to 1970 | Baltazar Rebelo de Sousa, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 1970 to 1972 | Eduardo Arantes e Oliveira, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 1972 to 27 April 1974 | Manuel Pimentel Pereira dos Santos, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 27 April 1974 to 11 June 1974 | David Teixeira Ferreira, acting High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 11 June 1974 to 17 August 1974 | Henrique Soares de Melo, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 19 August 1974 to 12 September 1974 | Jorge Ferro Ribeiro, acting High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 12 September 1974 to 20 September 1974 | Vítor Crespo, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| local administration | ||
| 20 September 1974 to 25 June 1975 | Vítor Crespo, High Commissioner and Governor-General | |
| 25 June 1975 | Independence as Republic of Mozambique |
For continuation after independence, see: Presidents of Mozambique