Pedro Mascarenhas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pedro Mascarenhas
|
|
|---|---|
Pedro Mascarenhas in Ásia Portuguesa of Manuel de Faria e Sousa
|
|
| Captain-major of Portuguese Malacca | |
| In office 1525–1526 |
|
| Monarch | John III of Portugal |
| Preceded by | Jorge de Albuquerque |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Cabral |
| Viceroy of Portuguese India | |
| In office 1554–1555 |
|
| Monarch | John III of Portugal |
| Preceded by | Afonso de Noronha |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Barreto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1470 Mértola, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | June 16, 1555 (aged 84–85) Goa, Portuguese India |
Dom Pedro Mascarenhas (born 1480 – died June 16, 1555) was a famous Portuguese explorer and a leader in the Portuguese colonies. He was the first European to find the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in 1512. He also came across the island of Mauritius in the same year.
Years later, in 1528, another explorer named Diogo Rodrigues gave a special name to a group of islands. He called Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues the Mascarene Islands. This was done to honor Pedro Mascarenhas for his discoveries.
Ambassador to the Pope
Pedro Mascarenhas also served as an ambassador for Portugal. He traveled to the Holy See, which is the government of the Catholic Church, located in the Vatican City. There, he spoke with Pope Paul III.
His main goal was to ask the Pope to send the first Jesuit missionaries to the Portuguese areas in India. This request came from King John III of Portugal. Mascarenhas finished his mission on March 15, 1540. He then traveled back to Portugal with Francis Xavier, a very important Jesuit missionary.
Leader in India
After his time as an ambassador, Pedro Mascarenhas worked at the Portuguese royal court. He helped with the education of Prince John, the son of King John III. He also helped the King with important decisions, like when Portugal decided to leave some of its fortresses in Morocco in 1549.
In 1554, King John III asked Mascarenhas to become the Viceroy of Portuguese India. A viceroy was like a governor who ruled a colony in the name of the king. Mascarenhas was old and tried to say no, but the King insisted. So, he accepted the important job.
He became the viceroy in Goa, which was the main city for Portuguese lands in Asia. He served from 1554 until his death in 1555. After he passed away in Goa, Francisco Barreto took over as viceroy.
While he was viceroy, King John III asked him to send two priests, Father James Dias and Father Gonçalo Rodrigues, to Ethiopia. Their mission was to find out if Emperor Galawdewos would welcome a leader for the church chosen by the Roman Catholic Church.
