Garcia de Noronha

Who is Garcia de Noronha?

Dom Garcia de Noronha was a Portuguese nobleman. He was great-great-grandson of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, was the third viceroy and tenth governor of Portuguese India.

As far as his life is reconstructed, Garcia de Noronha comes from noble proportions, his father Dom Fernando de Noronha, was member of the Crown Council of Portugal, as Mayor of the Palace. As a young nobleman he frequented regularly the royal court. After the death of his father, he became gentleman of the Board of Manuel I and João III, captain-general of Cartaxo, young nobleman and knight of the royal house. He served in North Africa and went to India for the first time in 1511 as chief captain of a fleet of six ships . He was married to Ines de Castro, with her he had four children. Moreover, he was a nephew of Afonso de Albuquerque. In Lisbon, a street is named after him.

As a successor to the critically ill governor-general Nuno da Cunha, by royal decree he was appointed Viceroy on 18 March 1538 of Estado da India by King João III. On 6 April 1538 he landed in India. During his reign he promoted the settlement of missionaries on Celebes Islands and Macassar.