D. Guterre de Monroy (?-1548)

A nobleman of the Royal House, he was the son of Dom Afonso de Monroy, Master of the Order of Alcantara in Castille, which moved to Portugal after the war of 1475-1479. He was the brother of Dom Fernando de Monroy, who accompanied him on his trip to the orient in 1515, and who was captain of the 1524 fleet. Dom Guterre was a relative of the Governor of India, Lopo Soares de Albergaria, since he was married to his niece, Dona Mariana de Sousa, the daughter of the half brother of the Baron of Alvito, Fernão da Silveira. In 1513, he was captain of a caravel in the expedition to Azamor, which was led by the Duke of Bragança. In 1514, he was Governor of Azamor. In 1515, he went to the Orient as captain of the fleet, and was Captain of Goa until 1519, when he returned to Lisbon. In 1519 he was sued by the Procurator of the Royal Treasury for having impeded Fernão de Alcáçova from fulfilling his duties as Overseer of India. As a consequence, he would lose part of his salary. In 1532 he received a letter of appointment as Councillor. The following year, he departed for Morocco, as Captain of Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué, a position he would occupy again between 1538 and 1541, when he was imprisoned. Shortly before his death in 1548, he had been granted São Salvador de Ansiães, in the territory of the Order of Christ, but did not live long enough to receive the habit.

Bibliography:
SMITH, Ronald Bishop, D. Guterre de Monroy, Lisboa, Tip. Silvas, 1990.

Translated by: Maria João Pimentel