Paulo Dias de Novais

Paulo Dias de Novais (9 May 1589), a fidalgo of the Royal Household, was a Portuguese colonist in Africa in the 16th century and the first Captain-Governor of Portuguese Angola. He was the grandson of the explorer Bartolomeu Dias.

In the 1550, the ruling ngola ("king") of Ndongo absconded his allegiance to the Kingdom of Kongo and sought recognition from Portugal instead. Young king Sebastian was eager to promote expansion overseas and in 1575 he granted a royal charter to Paulo Dias de Novais, appointing him donatário or donee. Attracted by the prospect of the famous silver mines of Cambambe, he founded the settlement of São Paulo de Luanda, near the island of Luanda.

As governor of the new land, Dias sought to extract the land of its natural resources. This included copper, ivory, cattle hides, salt, sugar, and most importantly slaves. He had orders from King Sebastian to follow a policy of peaceful bilateral relations. He therefore signed an alliance with the ngola ("king") of Ndongo, Nzinga Ngola Kilombo Kia Kasenda. In exchange for military aid, the king would sell rebels, prisoners of war and his subjects sentenced to death for theft or adultery as slaves to the Portuguese, thus earning him great profits.

Novais died on May 9, 1589, and was buried in a simple tomb in front of the church of Massangano. He had funded the Angola venture out of his own pocket and died bankrupt.