José Rodrigues Coelho do Amaral (15 May 1808 – 14 December 1873,

Portuguese Mozambique Portuguese Mozambique () or Portuguese East Africa () were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese overseas province. Portuguese Mozambique originally constituted a str ...

) was a Portuguese

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

who served as a colonial administrator and soldier in the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

. He is best known for his roles as the two time governor of Angola and the

governor of Macau The governor of Macau (; ) was a Portugal, Portuguese colonial official who headed the Portuguese Empire, colony of Portuguese Macau, Macau, before 1623 called captain-major (). The post was replaced on 20 December 1999 upon the handover of M ...

and governor of Mozambique. Coelho do Amaral further served Portugal as the

plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...

minister to China.

Biography

José Rodrigues Coelho do Amaral was born to a Portuguese noble family in 1808. At an early age he joined the military. He became a military engineer, rapidly climbing the ranks to notably become the colonel of the Corps of Engineers and then a general. His first major posting came in 1854 when he was made the governor of Angola, a post he held until 1860. Three years later, on 22 June 1863, he was nominated as

, a posting that lasted until 1866. He was instrumental in shaping the modern-day city through his many works. One of his first major acts as governor was the demolition of the Convento de São Francisco, building in its place a barracks for the 1st Battalion of the Line, a project completed on 30 December 1866. He later expanded the project that would later become the Forte de São Francisco. After its destruction, the barracks was rebuilt in 1937. Near the convent there was a wooded area called Campo de S. Francisco. Coelho do Amaral turned this field into garden, closing it with a balustrade, which has long since disappeared. Ordered the construction of a road between the harbor and the Mong Ha Siege. He resumed construction of the fort at Mong Ha, built

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 ...

's first garden promenade, and ordered the construction of the lighthouse Guide there in 1865, the first ever built in Asia. He was further instrumental in resolving health problems throughout the territory. He was again named governor in

Portuguese Angola In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...

, where he was in office from 1869 to 1870. His last governorship was as the governor of Mozambique, a post he was in from August 1870 to his death in December 1873.

Death and legacy

José Rodrigues Coelho do Amaral died in

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

on 14 December 1873. He was sepulchered at the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Baluarte. After his death he received various honors and awards from both the Portuguese monarchy and the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

ruling dynasty. In

, there are various streets named after Coelho do Amaral, including one of the main roads in

Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; , ) is an area in Macau, connected to Coloane through the area known as Cotai, which is largely built from reclaimed land. Located on the northern half of the island, Taipa's population is mostly suburban. Administrativ ...

, the Estrada Coelho do Amaral. The Taipa Museum of History contains a portrait of the governor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coelho do Amaral, Jose Rodrigues Governors of Macau Governors of Portuguese Angola Governors-general of Mozambique 1808 births 1873 deaths 1850s in Angola 1860s in Angola 1870s in Angola 19th century in Macau 1860s in the Portuguese Empire 1860s in China 19th-century Portuguese military personnel Naval ministers of Portugal Ambassadors of Portugal to China