Governorate General of Rio de Janeiro

The Governorate General of Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese: Governo-Geral do Rio de Janeiro) was a colonial administration of the Portuguese Empire.

Governorate General of Rio de Janeiro
Governo-Geral do Rio de Janeiro
1572–1578
1607–1613
Flag
Flag
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Brazil in 1572
Brazil in 1572
StatusColonial State of the Portuguese Empire
CapitalRio de Janeiro
Common languagesPortuguese
Religion
Roman Catholicism
GovernmentMonarchy
Monarch 
• 1572–1578
Sebastian I
• 1607–1613
Philip II
Governor General 
• 1572–1574
Cristóvão de Barros
• 1608–1613
Afonso de Albuquerque
History 
• Established
1572
• Disestablished
1613
CurrencyPortuguese Real
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Governorate General of Brazil
Governorate General of Brazil

History

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In 1534, John III of Portugal started granting land rights to colonize Portuguese territory in South America, they were the Captaincy Colonies of Brazil. These fifteen autonomous and separate colonies were, for the most part, a failure administratively, and thus economically.

In 1549, in order to solve the governance problem of his South American colonies, John III established the Governorate General of Brazil.[1] The governorate united the fifteen colonies into a single colony, but each captaincy would continue to exist as a provincial administrative unit of the governorate.

In 1572, in order to establish a stronger and more capable military presence in the continent, the governorate was dismantled into two separate colonies, the Governorate General of Bahia, which encompassed the northern part, and the Governorate General of Rio de Janeiro, which took the south.

In 1578, the governorate was reestablished from the governorates of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. This second Governorate General of Brazil would be once again partitioned into the two separate colonies, in 1607.

Finally in 1613, the Governorate General of Rio de Janeiro and the Governorate General of Bahia merged to form the third, and final, Governorate General of Brazil.

References

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