Álvaro Caminha was appointed by King

John II of Portugal John II (; ; 3 May 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince (), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for reestablishing the power of the Portuguese monarchy, reinvigo ...

in 1492

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 ...

(governor) – the third – of the Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe which had been discovered 22 years earlier. He was a knight of the king's household. He was told to settle and "Christianize" the then-deserted island with his family and friars, and for that purpose was given the children of Spanish

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

refugees from

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

, which had not been able to pay the tax requested by the king, and who were married to

Black people Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ...

from the Congo.

References

* Valentim Fernandes (1506), ''Descrição da Ilha de São Tomé'', in: A. Baião and J. Bensaúde (1940), ''O manuscrito de Valentim Fernandes'', Lisboa, Ática.
''Descriptio Africae Codex hisp. 27'' in: ''Bayerische Staatsbibliothek'', Munich, Manuscript Collection, Bild 416
15th-century births 1499 deaths Year of birth missing 15th-century explorers of Africa Portuguese explorers of Africa 15th-century Portuguese explorers Governors of Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe {{SaoTomePrincipe-bio-stub