Person

Martim Afonso de Sousa

c. 1500–1571 · 16th century

Martim Afonso de Sousa was a Portuguese nobleman and naval commander who led the first official colonising expedition to Brazil in 1530 to 1533. In 1532 he founded São Vicente, the first permanent Portuguese town in Brazil, and was granted the captaincy of São Vicente. He later served as governor of Portuguese India from 1542 to 1545.

Martim Afonso de Sousa
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Captaincy of São Vicente

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Martim Afonso de Sousa. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/martim-afonso-de-sousa
MLA
“Martim Afonso de Sousa.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/martim-afonso-de-sousa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Martim Afonso de Sousa.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/martim-afonso-de-sousa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Martim Afonso de Sousa’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/martim-afonso-de-sousa (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻