History of Rio de Janeiro

Last updated
Attack of French Villegagnon island by the Portuguese on 15 March 1560. Ile-de-villegagnon.jpg
Attack of French Villegagnon island by the Portuguese on 15 March 1560.
The acclamation ceremony of King John VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 6 February 1818 Aclamacao do rei Dom Joao VI no Rio de Janeiro.jpg
The acclamation ceremony of King John VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 6 February 1818
Port of the Mineiros in Rio de Janeiro Rugendas Praia dos Mineiros.jpg
Port of the Mineiros in Rio de Janeiro
View of Rio de Janeiro from the church of the monastery of Sao Bento c. 1820 Rugendas - Vue prise devant l'eglise de San-Bento.jpg
View of Rio de Janeiro from the church of the monastery of São Bento c. 1820

Several years after the Portuguese first explored Brazil, French traders in search of pau-brasil (a type of brazilwood) reached the rich area extending from the Cape Frio coast to the beaches and islands of Guanabara Bay, the economic and, above all, strategic importance of which was already well-known.

Contents

Overview

Whaling in Rio de Janeiro possibly in 18th century MHN Leandro Joaquim - Pesca da Baleia.jpg
Whaling in Rio de Janeiro possibly in 18th century

In 1555, one of the islands of Guanabara Bay, now called Villegagnon Island, was occupied by 500 French colonists under admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon. Consequently, Villegagnon built Fort Coligny on the island when attempting to establish the France Antarctique colony, which the French called Henriville in honor of Henry II of France. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio de Janeiro</span> Second-most populous city in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niterói</span> Municipality in Southeast, Brazil

Niterói is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in the southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay, facing the city of Rio de Janeiro and forming part of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area. It was the capital of Rio de Janeiro, as marked by its golden mural crown, from 1834 to 1894 and again from 1903 to 1975. It has an estimated population of 515,317 inhabitants (2020) and an area of 129.375 km2 (49.952 sq mi), making it the fifth most populous city in the state. It has the highest Human Development Index in the state and the seventh highest among Brazil's municipalities in 2010. Individually, it is the second municipality with the highest average monthly household income per capita in Brazil and appears in 13th place among the municipalities of the country according to social indicators related to education. The city has the nicknames of Cidade Sorriso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon</span>

Nicolas Durand, sieur de Villegaignon, also Villegagnon was a Commander of the Knights of Malta, and later a French naval officer who attempted to help the Huguenots in France escape persecution, before turning against them due to Eucharistic disputes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botafogo</span> Neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Botafogo is a beachfront neighborhood (bairro) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of Mundo Novo, Dona Marta and São João. The word Botafogo also refers to a Latin American ballroom dance move that originated in this area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arariboia</span> Brazilian city founder

Arariboia was the founder of the city of Niterói, in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paquetá Island</span> Island in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Paquetá Island is an island in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. The name of the island is a Tupi word meaning "many pacas". The island is an auto-free zone, so travel is limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages. Paquetá has twenty baobabs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Coligny</span>

Fort Coligny was a fortress founded by Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1555, in what constituted the so-called France Antarctique historical episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guanabara Bay</span> Bay in Rio de Janeiro (state), Brazil

Guanabara Bay is an oceanic bay located in Southeast Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lie the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Duque de Caxias, and on its eastern shore are the cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores. Guanabara Bay is the second largest bay in area in Brazil, at 412 square kilometres (159 sq mi), with a perimeter of 143 kilometres (89 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guanabara (state)</span> Former state of Brazil (1960–1975)

The State of Guanabara was a state of Brazil from 1960 to 1975, which included the city of Rio de Janeiro. It was named after Guanabara Bay to the east of the state. It was created from the territory of the old Federal District when the federal capital moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília and a new Federal District was erected around the new capital. In 1975 the State of Guanabara was merged with the surrounding State of Rio de Janeiro, within which its territory became the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nova Iguaçu</span> Municipality in Southeast, Brazil

Nova Iguaçu is a municipality in Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governador Island</span>

Governador Island is the largest island in Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has a population of about 211,018 inhabitants, in a small area of 42 km2 (16 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval School (Brazil)</span> Brazilian military academy

The Naval School is a higher education military academy which aims to train officers for the Brazilian Navy. It is located in Rio de Janeiro, on Villegagnon Island just inside of Guanabara Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolta da Armada</span> Series of mutinies in the Brazilian Navy

The Brazilian Naval Revolts, or the Revoltas da Armada, were armed mutinies promoted mainly by admirals Custódio José de Melo and Saldanha da Gama and their fleet of rebel Brazilian navy ships against the claimed unconstitutional staying in power of president Floriano Peixoto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urca</span> Neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Urca is a traditional and wealthy residential neighborhood with nearly 7,000 inhabitants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although most of the neighborhood dates from the 1920s, parts of it are much older. What is now called the Forte São João, a military base at the foot of the Sugarloaf Mountain, is where the first Portuguese settlement in Rio was founded by Estácio de Sá on March 1, 1565. The French had arrived 12 years earlier and founded a settlement, called France Antarctique, close to what is now Flamengo and Gloria districts, in downtown Rio. The French, riven by internal disputes between Catholics and Protestants, were massacred by the Portuguese and their Indian allies in attacks organised from here, expelling them from the nearby Villegagnon Island. The street now called Rua São Sebastião, in Urca, which leads from behind the fort to the Urca casino, was originally a trail from the Portuguese fort skirting the edge of the sea to the mainland along the peninsula that houses the Sugar Loaf and a smaller hill, the Morro da Urca. Rua São Sebastião thus has some claim to be the oldest street in Rio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villegagnon Island</span>

Villegagnon Island is located near the mouth of the large Guanabara Bay, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro</span> Municipality in Southeast, Brazil

São Gonçalo is a municipality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the Southest region. It is located in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, having land limits with the municipalities of Niterói, Maricá and Itaboraí, and a maritime limit, by Guanabara Bay, with the capital, Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 896,744 inhabitants, making it the second most populous municipality in the state and the 18th most populous in the country.

Jean de Cointac, also Contat or Cointa, was a former French Dominican friar who was one of the voyagers attempting the French colonization of Brazil called France Antarctique. His theological theories brought him into conflict in the French fort of Coligny, resulting in two Huguenots being expelled. Later on, Jean de Cointac himself was expelled from the fort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Rio de Janeiro (1558)</span> 1558 battle

The Battle of Rio de Janeiro took place in 1558 on the French town at Rio de Janeiro, called Henriville. The Portuguese, though in far smaller numbers, defeated the French and made them flee to the jungle. The French town was then burnt by Mem de Sá, the Portuguese governor.

<i>Foca</i>-class submarine (Brazil) First class of submarines operated by the Brazilian Navy

The Foca class, or simply F, was the first naval class of submarines operated by the Brazilian Navy. It consisted of the F1, F3 and F5 submarines designed by Italian naval engineer Cesare Laurenti and built in La Spezia, Italy. The name Foca comes from the Portuguese vessel of the class. The class was part of Brazil's 1906 naval program to acquire warships to modernize its navy. The submarines were acquired to serve as a training and maintenance platform for the crews, with few naval actions during the 19 years they were active. The navy incorporated the class on 17 July 1914 and, as a result, expanded its naval structure to house these new vessels, such as the creation of the first naval school for submariners and the incorporation of ships designed to support submarines only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French invasions in Brazil</span> French occupation of Brazil

French invasions in Brazil date back to the earliest days of Portuguese colonization up until the end of the 19th century.

References

  1. Joaquim Manuel de Macedo; Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Exposição Nacional, 1875. Commissão Superior (1876). Brazilian biographical annual. Typ. e lith. do Imperial instituto artistico. p. 332. Retrieved 19 May 2013.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to History of Rio de Janeiro at Wikimedia Commons