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 byBernardo Aleixo de Lemos e Faria
Succeeded byLázaro da Silva Ferreira and Manuel António Costa Ferreira (co-serving)
Member of the Goa Municipal Council
In office
May 24, 1782 – July 29, 1787
In office
January 10, 1770 – April 1, 1776
In office
April 17, 1757 – March 21, 1764
Personal details
Bornc. 1710
Goa, Portuguese India
DiedJuly 16, 1789(1789-07-16) (aged 78–79)
Portuguese Macau
Military service
Allegiance Portugal
Branch/servicePortuguese Navy
RankNaval 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]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "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.