João de Castro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
His Lordship
João de Castro
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| Governor and Viceroy of Portuguese India | |
| In office 1545–1548 |
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| Monarch | John III of Portugal |
| Preceded by | Martim Afonso de Sousa |
| Succeeded by | Garcia de Sá |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 February 1500 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 6 June 1548 (aged 48) Goa, Portuguese India |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Portuguese Empire |
| Battles/wars | Ottoman-Portuguese conflicts
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Dom João de Castro (born February 7, 1500 – died June 6, 1548) was a brave Portuguese nobleman. He became the fourth Viceroy of Portuguese India. A famous poet, Luís de Camões, even called him Castro Forte, which means "Stronghold" or "Strong Castle." João was the second son of Álvaro de Castro, who was the civil governor of Lisbon. His wife's name was Leonor de Coutinho.
Contents
Early Life and Education
João de Castro was the younger son of Álvaro de Castro. Because he was a younger son, he was expected to join the church. He studied mathematics with a famous teacher named Pedro Nunes. João also studied with Louis, Duke of Beja, who was the son of King Manuel I of Portugal. João and Louis became lifelong friends.
When he was eighteen, João de Castro went to Tangier for several years. There, he was made a knight by Dom Duarte de Menezes, who was the governor.
Journeys to India and Expeditions
In 1535, João de Castro joined Dom Louis at the siege of Tunis. A siege is when an army surrounds a city to try and capture it. After this battle, Emperor Charles V offered to make João a knight and give him rewards. However, João refused them.
When he returned to Lisbon, the king gave him a small command in São Paulo de Salvaterra in 1538. Soon after, João de Castro traveled to India with his uncle, Garcia de Noronha. He helped in the relief of Diu when he arrived in Goa.
Red Sea Expedition
In 1540, João de Castro joined an expedition to Suez. This trip was led by Estêvão da Gama, who was the son of Vasco da Gama. Estêvão da Gama was the viceroy of Portuguese India at the time. During this expedition, Estêvão da Gama made João's son, Álvaro de Castro, a knight.
After his uncle Garcia de Noronha died, Estêvão da Gama became the new leader. João de Castro joined da Gama on another trip to the Red Sea. They left on December 31, 1540. Their fleet included 12 large galleons (big sailing ships) and carracks, plus 60 galleys (ships powered by oars). João de Castro was the captain of one of the galleons.
Detailed Travel Journals
João de Castro was very good at keeping records. He wrote a detailed journal of his voyages. This journal included maps, calculations, pictures, and notes about the coasts. He wrote about the Arabian Peninsula and areas that are now Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. He traveled to Suez and other ports along the Sinai Peninsula. All these notes were part of his famous Roteiro do Mar Roxo (Route of the Red Sea).
Unlike some other leaders, Castro was very interested in Indian culture and religions. He worked with a scholar named André de Resende to write a book about Indian art. His home in Sintra, Portugal, called Penha Verde, still has two special black stones from Cambay. João de Castro and his son brought these stones back from India.
Later Life and Leadership
After returning to Portugal, João de Castro was put in charge of a fleet in 1543. His job was to clear pirates from the Atlantic Ocean. In 1545, he was sent back to India with six ships. His mission was to replace the governor, Martim Afonso de Sousa.
With the help of his sons (one of whom, Fernão, sadly died) and João Mascarenhas, de Castro achieved many victories. He defeated Mahmud, King of Gujarat, and also beat the army of the Adil Khan. He also captured Bharuch and took control of Malacca. He even traveled to Ceylon.
In 1547, King John III of Portugal made him the viceroy. This was because of his great victory at the second siege of Diu.
Final Years
After his fleet won the battle to help Diu, João de Castro asked the king for something special. He asked not to stay in office longer than the usual three years. He wanted to return to the Sintra Mountains in Portugal.
After his victories over Mahmud and the Adil Khan, de Castro began rebuilding Diu. He used money given by the people of Goa for this project. However, he did not live long enough to finish this goal. João de Castro died on June 6, 1548, in the arms of his friend, Saint Francis Xavier. He was first buried in Goa. Later, his remains were moved to Portugal and reburied in the convent of Benfica.
João de Castro's Discoveries About Magnetism
Ancient Greeks knew that a dark stone could attract or push away iron objects. This is called magnetism. During sea voyages, navigators found it hard to know their exact location (longitude). This was because they needed a very accurate clock on board, and older methods for finding longitude had big errors.
On his trip to India, João de Castro did many experiments. He successfully found out how the magnetic needle on a ship's compass behaved. On August 5, 1538, he was trying to find the latitude of Mozambique. He noticed that the compass needle pointed a little off true north. This was 128 years before another person, Guillaume Dennis, is usually given credit for this discovery.
He also saw a magnetic event on December 22, 1538, near Baçaim. This observation was proven true four centuries later. João de Castro also disagreed with the idea that magnetic changes were caused by lines on a map.
His recorded measurements of magnetic changes in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were very important. They helped scientists study the Earth's magnetism much later. He made 43 observations of magnetic changes during his entire trip around Africa. He used a special tool called the Bussola de Variacão. This tool was created by Felipe Guillen about ten years earlier.
João de Castro found that magnetic changes happened differently in different places. For example, he noticed this in the Bay of Bombay (near Baçaim). He thought this was because of rocks under the water. In the 1890s, a scientist named G. Hellman said that de Castro was the most important person in scientific sea exploration of his time. The methods he tested were used on ships until the end of the 1500s.
See also
In Spanish: João de Castro para niños
