Diogo de Mendonça Furtado

Diogo de Mendonça Furtado was a Portuguese colonial administrator who served as Governor-General of Brazil from 12 December 1621 to 26 June 1624. He was the twelfth holder of the office, succeeding D. Luís de Sousa, whose term ran from 1 January 1617 to 12 October 1621.

History The son of João de Mendonça named Cação (which means "shark" in Portuguese) was a captain of Chaul and the son of João de Mendonça and his cousin (or "aunt") Helena Manuel de Mendonça, who would become one of the highest-ranked Portuguese colonial officials in Brazil. As Captain of Chaul, he contributed significantly to the fortifications of Salvador in Bahia, as well as to the construction and development of the ports of São Filipe and São Tiago, which enabled more trade and security along the coast.

After the Dutch captured Salvador on May 9th, 1624, João de Mendonça was taken as a prisoner of war and transported to Holland with his son. He allegedly contemplated blowing up his gunpowder storage sites during the invasion to prevent the Dutch from holding Salvador, but his advisors persuaded him not to go through with the plan. He remained in captivity until his release in 1626. After the occupation of Salvador, the Dutch commander Johan van Dorth became governor of Brazil, which represents a short and tumultuous period in the history of Dutch rule over the country. Attack on San Salvador (c. 1624), oil painting by Andries van Eertvelt (1590–1652)