Garcia de Noronha | |
|---|---|
Portrait of D. Garcia de Noronha in Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu, c. 1560. | |
| Viceroy of India | |
| In office 1538 – 3 April 1540 | |
| Monarch | John III |
| Preceded by | Nuno da Cunha |
| Succeeded by | Estêvão da Gama |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1479 |
| Died | 3 April 1540(1540-04-03) (aged 60–61) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | Portuguese Navy |
| Rank | Captain-major |
D.Garcia de Noronha (1479 inLisbon – 3 April 1540 inCochin) was a Portuguese nobleman. A great-great-grandson ofKing Ferdinand I of Portugal, he was the thirdviceroy and tenth governor ofPortuguese India.[1][2]

As far as his life is reconstructed, Garcia de Noronha comes from noble proportions. His father, Dom Fernando de Noronha, was a member of theCrown Council of Portugal asmayor of the palace. As a young nobleman he regularly frequented theroyal court. After the death of his father, he became a gentleman of the Board ofManuel I andJoão III, captain-general ofCartaxo, young nobleman andknight of the royal house.
He served in North Africa and went toIndia for the first time in 1511 as chief captain of a fleet of six ships. On that voyage, he is reported to have sighted the island ofSaint Helena, that his pilots entered onto their charts.[3][4] This last source claimed that this event was decisive in leading to the utilisation of the island as a regular stopover for rest and replenishment for ships en route from India to Europe. However, this seems doubtful because whenEstêvão da Gama arrived at St Helena expedition in 1503 his clerkThomé Lopes)[5][6][7] identified St Helena's geographic position with reasonable accuracy when he quoted its distance and direction with respect to locations such as Ascension, Cape Verde, São Tomé and the Cape of Good Hope. The island's location with respect to Ascension and the Cape of Good Hope was likewise known following the 1505 Portuguese expedition led byFrancisco de Almeida.[8]
He was married to Inês de Castro (a sister of D.João de Castro who was later to become the fourth viceroy of Portuguese India); with her he had four children. Moreover, he was a nephew ofAfonso de Albuquerque.
He was a successor to the governor-generalNuno da Cunha, nominated by a royal decree of 18 March 1538 asviceroy ofEstado da Índia by KingJohn III. The King gave him the title of viceroy, and not just governor-general, in order to impress theOttoman power that at the time threatened Portuguese possessions in Asia.[9]
On 6 April 1538 he landed in India. During his reign he promoted the settlement ofmissionaries onCelebes Islands andMacassar. He issued a temporary ban on the construction of mainlyHindu andBuddhisttemples within Portuguese India.
Dom Garcia died before the end of his mandate as viceroy on April 3, 1540, inCochin and is buried in the chancel of theCathedral of Goa.
InCascais (São Domingos de Rana) a street is named after him.[10]
e tornarao a caminhar pera India, com muyta gente morta e doente. E indo assy no seu caminho , na paragem de dezeseis graos virao huma ilha muyto pequena, e forao pera ella, e nom puderao chegar, porque lhe acalmou o vento, nem acharao fundo em sessenla braças, e sendo a tarde acodio o vento por cyma da ilha, com que a nom puderao tomar. Entao forao no seu caminho, e os pilotos puserao a ilha no ponto de suas cartas, e lhe puserao nome santa Elena, porque a virao em seu dia
Código Postal da Rua Dom Garcia de Noronha. Distrito de Lisboa Cascais São Domingos de Rana 2785-585[Postal Code of Rua Dom Garcia de Noronha, District of Lisbon, Cascais, São Domingos de Rana, 2785-585]