Jorge de Brito (I)

This gentleman of the Royal House was the son of João de Brito and of Dona Beatriz da Silva. All his brothers, including Pedro de Mendonça (the oldest one, son of João de Brito's first marriage to Dona Maria de Mendonça) sought the East as a means of serving the King. The brothers are Pêro de Mendonça, captain of the 1504 fleet; Lopo de Brito, donatory captain of Ceylon (1519-1522); António de Brito, donatory captain of the Moluccas (1522); and Cristóvão de Brito, captain of the 1511 fleet and commodore of the 1514 one. The grandfather of this Brito family branch was Mem de Brito Nogueira, who inherited the estates of S. Estêvão de Beja and of Santa Cruz de Lisboa. On account of the marriages of their aunts, Dona Violante de Brito and Dona Inês de Brites, they were, respectively, nephews to João Lopes - chief judge at the "Casa do Cível" High Court - and of Gonçalo Vaz de Melo - master of the ceremonies of King Afonso V. A cousin of them, Dona Joana de Melo, married Duarte de Lemos, captain of the 1508 fleet. On the mother's side, they were great-grandchildren of Dom Leonel de Lima, 1st viscount of Vila Nova de Cerveira and chief alcaide of Ponte de Lima. Thus, they were cousins and nephews, and first degree cousins, of many of the Limas and Coutinhos who sailed the Indian Ocean during the reign of King Manuel I. In 1511 he left for India for the first time as captain of the fleet. In 1520 he returned to the East as commodore of the fleet; his mission was to build a fortress in Ternate, in the Moluccas. He died in Sumatra in 1521 and was thus replaced by his brother António de Brito.

Bibliography:
LACERDA, Teresa, Os Capitães das Armadas da Índia no Reinado de Manuel I - uma avaliação social, Cascais, Câmara de Cascais, 2008, no prelo.

Translated by: Maria das Mercês Pacheco