Estácio de Sá

Estácio de Sá
The founding of the city of Rio de Janeiro by Estácio de Sá
Governor of Rio de Janeiro
In office 1565–1567
Monarch	Sebastian I of Portugal
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Mem de Sá
Personal details
Born	1520 Santarém, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	20 February 1567(1567-02-20) (aged 46–47) Rio de Janeiro, Colony of Brazil
Nationality	Portuguese
Military service
Allegiance	Portuguese Empire
Battles/wars	Battle of Rio de Janeiro

Estácio de Sá (1520–1567) was a Portuguese soldier and officer. Sá travelled to the colony of Brazil on the orders of the Portuguese crown to wage war on the French colonists commanded by Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon. These French colonists had established themselves in 1555 at Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, in a settlement known as France Antarctique. He was the founder of Rio de Janeiro, now the second largest city in Brazil.

Born in Santarém, Portugal in 1520, Estácio de Sá was the nephew of the Governor General of the colony of Brazil, Mem de Sá.

He arrived with two galleons at Salvador, Bahia, in 1564. In 1565, after extensive preparations and the help of Jesuits, such as Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta, he departed by sea from São Vicente, São Paulo, the first Portuguese settlement in Brazil, with an attack force. On March 1, he founded the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro near the Sugarloaf Mountain and established the basis of his military operations against the French and their Aboriginal allies.

After receiving reinforcements sent by sea by his uncle from Salvador, Sá commanded a definitive and successful attack on the fortification of Uruçú-mirim on 20 January 1567. He died on 20 February 1567 of wounds inflicted by an arrow which had perforated his eye.