André Pessoa (1560 – 6 January 1610) was a Portuguese soldier and

Captain-major A donatary captain was a Portuguese colonial official to whom the Crown granted jurisdiction, rights and revenues over some colonial territory. The recipient of these grants was called a (donatary), because he had been given the grant as a (donat ...

better known for his service in

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

and

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

Early life

André Pessoa was born in 1560,

Azambuja Azambuja (), officially the Town of Azambuja (), is a municipality in the Portuguese district of Lisbon, in the historical region of Ribatejo (and the sole municipality of within the district that does not belong to the historical province of E ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. He was the son of Lourenço Pessoa and Francisca Calado.

Career

Early career

Pessoa began his military career at a young age, traveling to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1577. He returned to Europe shortly thereafter and, in 1583, participated in an expedition to the Azores, where he fought against the supporters of

Prior of Crato The Prior of Crato (''Prior do Crato''), was the traditional title given to the head of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Hospitaller) in Portugal. It is a reference to the domains of the order around Crato, Portugal. The Port ...

, the pretender to the Portuguese throne.

In Malacca, 1584–1606

In 1584, he returned to the East with the Secretary of the Factory at Malacca. He accompanied

André Furtado de Mendonça André Furtado de Mendonça (1558 – 1 April 1611) was a captain and governor of Portuguese India, and a military commander during Portuguese expansion into Ceylon, India, Indonesia and Malacca. Biography He was a son of Afonso Furtado Mendo� ...

to the Moluccas from 1601 to 1603, and participated in the siege of Malacca against the Dutch from May to August 1606. Pessoa was the captain of a bulwark and was wounded in the right arm during the siege. In October of the same year, Pessoa was captured with his ship ''São Simão'' by

Cornelis Matelief de Jonge Cornelis Matelief de Jonge (c. 1569 – 17 October 1632) was a Dutch admiral who was active in establishing Dutch power in Southeast Asia during the beginning of the 17th century. His fleet was officially on a trading mission, but its true intent ...

. He was later ransomed for 6,000 ducats. His contribution during one of the battles was referenced by Faria e Sousa.

In Macau, 1607–1609

After his release from Dutch custody, Pessoa bought the privilege to captain the Japan voyage and made his way to Macau in 1607. Ten days after arriving in Macau, Pessoa warded off a Dutch squadron led by Matelief who had come to trade with the Chinese. In 1608 or 1609, a red seal ship belonging to Arima Harunobu anchored in

. After an attack on a Portuguese magistrate and his men, Pessoa, now

, ordered his crew to intervene. Pessoa blamed the Japanese for the incident, however,

Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

blamed Pessoa, but he was hesitant to take drastic action, as it would result in the loss of the silk trade.

In Japan and death, 1609–1610

The following year, in June 29, 1609, Pessoa commanded the Portuguese carrack ''Nossa Senhora da Graça'' (also known as ''Madre de Deus'') on a voyage to Japan and arrived in

. On January 3, 1610, the ship was besieged by forces under Arima Harunobu, seeking retribution for the previous incident in Macau. After days of intense conflict, Pessoa, facing overwhelming odds, chose to scuttle the ship by setting the gunpowder storage on fire, resulting in its destruction. Pessoa's body was never found.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pessoa, André 16th-century Portuguese people 17th-century Portuguese military personnel 16th-century Portuguese military personnel Portuguese soldiers Portuguese colonial governors and administrators 1560 births 1610 deaths Captains who went down with the ship