colony · South America

Colonial Brazil

1500 CE – 1815 CE · capital Salvador

Portugal's vast South American colony, built on sugar, gold and the labour of millions of enslaved Africans, from which modern Brazil grew.

Origins

Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the coast of Brazil in April 1500 and claimed it for Portugal under the Treaty of Tordesillas. Early decades were dominated by the trade in brazilwood. From 1534 the crown divided the coast into hereditary captaincies, and in 1549 Tomé de Sousa founded Salvador as the seat of the State of Brazil.

Rule and society

The colony was governed from Lisbon through governors-general and later viceroys, and the Jesuits ran missions among the indigenous peoples. Sugar plantations in Pernambuco and Bahia relied on enslaved Africans, and Brazil became the largest destination of the Atlantic slave trade. Bandeirantes from São Paulo pushed into the interior, and gold was found in Minas Gerais in the 1690s, moving the centre of gravity south. Rio de Janeiro became the capital in 1763.

Decline and legacy

In 1808 the Portuguese court fled Napoleon's invasion to Rio de Janeiro, opening Brazil's ports. In 1815 it was raised to the Kingdom of Brazil within a United Kingdom with Portugal, ending its colonial status.

Lineage

Colonial BrazilKingdom of Brazil 1815 CE – 1822 CE

Connections (20)

Colonial Brazil was a colony of Portuguese Empire1500 CE – 1815 CE
Colonial Brazil was a colony of Kingdom of Portugal1500 CE – 1815 CE
Captaincy of São Vicente was part of Colonial Brazil1534 CE – 1709 CE
Captaincy of Pernambuco was part of Colonial Brazil1534 CE – 1821 CE
Captaincy of Bahia was part of Colonial Brazil1534 CE – 1821 CE
Captaincy of Porto Seguro was part of Colonial Brazil1534 CE – 1759 CE
Captaincy of Ilhéus was part of Colonial Brazil1534 CE – 1761 CE
Captaincy of Espírito Santo was part of Colonial Brazil1535 CE – 1821 CE
State of Brazil was part of Colonial Brazil1549 CE – 1815 CE
France Antarctique was conquered by Colonial Brazil1560 CE – 1567 CE
Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro was part of Colonial Brazil1567 CE – 1821 CE
Equinoctial France was conquered by Colonial Brazil1615 CE
State of Maranhão was part of Colonial Brazil1621 CE – 1751 CE
Tapajó was conquered by Colonial Brazil1639 CE – 1640 CE
Dutch Brazil was conquered by Colonial Brazil1654 CE
Captaincy of São Paulo was part of Colonial Brazil1709 CE – 1821 CE
Captaincy of Minas Gerais was part of Colonial Brazil1720 CE – 1821 CE
Captaincy of Goiás was part of Colonial Brazil1744 CE – 1821 CE
Captaincy of Mato Grosso was part of Colonial Brazil1748 CE – 1821 CE
State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão was part of Colonial Brazil1751 CE – 1772 CE

More states of South America →

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Colonial Brazil. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colonial-brazil
MLA: “Colonial Brazil.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colonial-brazil. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Colonial Brazil.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colonial-brazil.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Colonial Brazil’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colonial-brazil (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻