History Of Rio De Janeiro (city)
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Several years after the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
first explored
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, 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 Guanabara Bay ( pt, Baía de Guanabara, ) 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 the cities of Niterói a ...
, the economic and, above all, strategic importance of which was already well-known.


Overview

In 1555, one of the islands of Guanabara Bay, now called
Villegagnon Island Villegagnon Island (former Serigipe Island—original Portuguese: ''Ilha de Villegagnon''—also known in English as: Villegaignon Island, Island of Villegagnon or Island of Villegaignon) is located near the mouth of the large Guanabara Bay, in th ...
, was occupied by 500 French colonists under admiral
Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon Nicolas Durand, sieur de Villegaignon, also Villegagnon (1510 – 9 January 1571) was a Commander of the Knights of Malta, and later a French naval officer (vice-admiral of Brittany) who attempted to help the Huguenots in France escape persecutio ...
. Consequently, Villegagnon built
Fort Coligny 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. For protection against attacks by hostile Indians and the Portugues ...
on the island when attempting to establish the
France Antarctique France Antarctique (formerly also spelled ''France antartique'') was a French colony in Rio de Janeiro, in modern-day Brazil, which existed between 1555 and 1567, and had control over the coast from Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio. The colony quickly ...
colony, which the French called ''Henriville'' in honor of
Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...
.


See also

*
Timeline of Rio de Janeiro history The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prior to 19th century * 1565 CE ** São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro founded by Portuguese. ** Fortaleza de São João built. * 1603 - St James of Mercy Fort b ...
*
History of the city of São Paulo The history of the city of São Paulo runs parallel to the history of Brazil, throughout approximately 469 years of its existence, in relation to the country's more than five hundred years. During the first three centuries since its foundation, ...


References


Further reading

* Edmund Roberts
Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat'
. New York: Harper & Brothers (1837). Chapter One.


External links


History of Rio de Janeiro
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