Estácio de Sá facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Estácio de Sá
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The founding of the city of Rio de Janeiro by Estácio de Sá
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| Governor of Rio de Janeiro | |
| In office 1565–1567 |
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| Monarch | Sebastian I of Portugal |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Mem de Sá |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1520 Santarém, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 20 February 1567 (aged 46–47) Rio de Janeiro, Colony of Brazil |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Portuguese Empire |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Rio de Janeiro |
Estácio de Sá (born in 1520, died February 20, 1567) was a brave Portuguese soldier. He is famous for founding the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. At that time, Brazil was a Portuguese colony. Sá was sent there by the Portuguese king to fight against French settlers. These French settlers had built a place called France Antarctique in 1555, right where Rio de Janeiro is today. Estácio de Sá successfully removed the French and started one of Brazil's biggest cities.
Contents
His Life and Adventures
Estácio de Sá was born in 1520 in Santarém, Portugal. He was the nephew of Mem de Sá, who was the Governor General of Brazil. This meant his uncle was in charge of the entire Portuguese colony in Brazil.
Journey to Brazil
In 1564, Estácio de Sá sailed to Brazil with two large ships called galleons. He arrived in a city called Salvador, Bahia. His mission was to remove the French settlers who had built a fort in Guanabara Bay. This bay is where the city of Rio de Janeiro is now.
Founding Rio de Janeiro
Estácio de Sá spent a lot of time getting ready for his mission. He got help from Jesuits, who were religious leaders like Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta.
In 1565, he left São Vicente, São Paulo, which was the first Portuguese settlement in Brazil. He led a group of soldiers by sea. On March 1, he founded a new city. He named it São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. This city was built near the famous Sugarloaf Mountain. It became his base to fight against the French and their local allies.
The Battle and His Death
Later, Estácio de Sá received more soldiers from his uncle, who sent them from Salvador. With these new forces, he launched a big attack. This happened on January 20, 1567, against the French fort called Uruçú-mirim. The attack was successful, and the Portuguese won the Battle of Rio de Janeiro.
Sadly, Estácio de Sá was badly hurt during the battle. An arrow hit him in the eye. He died from his wounds on February 20, 1567.
Where He Was Buried
Estácio de Sá was first buried in a church in the camp he had founded. As Rio de Janeiro grew, his remains were moved to a new church. This church was also named after Saint Sebastian.
In 1839, his remains were found again by scholars. Later, in 1862, when the church was being rebuilt, some of his bones were placed in a special container. This was done in the presence of Emperor Pedro II.
His Legacy
Estácio de Sá is remembered as the founder of Rio de Janeiro. Many places and groups in Brazil are named after him. Here are a few examples:
- the Estácio neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro;
- the Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Estácio de Sá samba school. Samba is a very popular type of music in Brazil;
- the Universidade Estácio de Sá, which is one of Brazil's largest private universities;
- the Universidade Estácio de Sá Futebol Clube, a football (soccer) club owned by the university.
