Sa, Mem di

Mem di Sa was born around 1500 in the Portuguese town of Coimbra; came from a noble Portuguese clan Sá , the younger brother of the poet Francisco de Sa de Miranda .

In 1556, Mem di Sa was appointed . His predecessor supported planters in the promotion of slavery among the Indians, resulting in a quarrel with Christian missionaries who sought to protect the Indians. Mem di Sa managed to establish relations with Manuel da Nobrega and Jose di Andichet , who preached Christianity among the indigenous people of South America.

In 1555, 500 French colonists, under the command of Admiral Nicolas Duran de Villleganyon, founded the colony of Anriville on the island of Serigipe , and built . In 1560, Mem di Sa sent 26 ships against them with two thousand soldiers and sailors on board, but failed to immediately expel the French; this was subsequently done by his nephew Estaciu di Sa , who in 1565 established the fortification of at the foot of the Sugarloaf Mountain. A significant role in the expulsion of the French was played by Jesuit missionaries, who managed to upset the alliance between the Indians and the French and contributed to the conclusion of peace between the Indians and the Portuguese.

In 1567, the . In 1568, by order of Mem di Sa, further in the depths of the mainland on the shore of the Gulf of Guanabara , a place for settlement was chosen - the future of Rio de Janeiro .