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Former Captaincy of Brazil From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Capitania of Grão-Pará, in English Captaincy of Grão-Pará (region initially called pa'ra, from Tupi-Guarani: "river-sea") was one of the administrative units of Colonial Brazil (in Portuguese America), created in 1621 along with the State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão,[1] from the evolution of the Conquista do Pará (or Empire of Amazonas)[2][3] a Portuguese colonial territory created in 1616 by Alexandre de Moura[1] in the Captaincy of Maranhão.[2][3]
Captaincy of Grão-Pará Capitania do Grão-Pará | |
---|---|
Capital | Belém, Pará |
Official languages | Portuguese |
Religion | Catholicism |
Government | Absolute monarchy |
Legislature | Cortes (politics) |
History | |
• Established | 1621 |
• Changed to Province | 28 February 1821 |
Currency | Réis |
Today part of | Brazil |
The etymology of the name of the former administrative unit derives from the Pará river, whose name comes from the Tupi-Guarani "pa'ra", meaning "river the size of the sea" or "large river", due to its great sea-like extension, which cuts through the region and was believed to be a direct extension of the Amazon River.[4]
The Captaincy of Grão-Pará has its origin in the context of the conquest of the Amazon River and Eastern Amazonia in 1580, a period of conflict with foreign forces vying for the so-called "drugs of the sertão" (spices from the area).[1][5][6] The region was first called the Conquista do Pará, also known as the Empire of the Amazonas,[1][5][6] having as "capital" the colonial villa Feliz Lusitânia (in homage to Portugal).[7][8] The oldest document that makes mention of the term "capitania", to denominate the region of the conquest is posterior to the year 1620. Legitimating the territory as a captaincy occurred in parallel to the creation of the State of Maranhão, in the year 1621.[9]
Year | Event |
---|---|
1534 |
|
1572 |
|
1615 |
|
1616 |
|
1621 |
|
1637 |
|
1639 |
|
1654 | |
1680 |
|
1718 |
|
1751 | |
1755 |
|
1772 |
Thus, Portuguese America came to comprise three autonomous administrative units. |
1774 |
|
1780 |
|
1783 |
|
1822 |
|
1823 |
|
1832 |
|
1835 |
|
1850 | |
1879 |
|
1889 |
|
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