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When was Rio de Janeiro founded?

When was Rio de Janeiro founded?

When was Rio de Janeiro founded? 1s March of 1565, by Estácio de Sá. And the city was not founded by chance. What happened then? Why Rio was founded? Read more and find out everything 🙂

We need to start talking about Brazil’s colonization by the Portuguese. When they arrived here, they did not find gold close to the coast. That is why they left Brazil aside and kept exploring the commerce with India.

However, other countries were also interested in colonizing Brazil and explore our lands. That is why, they sent pirates to try to take the territories colonized by Portuguese. In Northeast, for example, we had the invasion of Dutch pirates. The French, main invaders in Brazil, occupied the northeast and Rio de Janeiro. Even Irish people tried to come to Brazil to take the country from the Portuguese.

In Rio de Janeiro, with the intention of creating a colony (French Antartic) the french invaded two islands (current Ilha do Governador and Villeigagnon) and in the area where is today Flamengo Park. By that time, the Portugueses had not colonized the all Brazilian coast, and the French benefited from the situation

The Portuguese managed to send most of the French back home, but a few of them escaped and with the help of the Indian population (tamoios tribe) resisted waiting for help from the Portuguese. Therefore, the general governor of Brazil by that time, Mem de Sá, gave the task to his nephew, Estacio de Sá, of sending an expedition to colonize the area.

The first place that the expedition got was close to the Sugar Loaf Hill strategically located on Guanabara Bay. There they built the first houses of the city, trenches for its defence and the walls of the first church, dedicated to the saint founder of the city. It was the second city of Brazil to be founded, the first was Salvador in 1549 (before there were only villages)

The place was provisional, but the foundation of the city was necessary. The city of Portuguese and catholic inspiration was founded under a pillar: the necessity of exteriorize the domain of Portugal against the foreigners and the natives fundação-do-rio-de-janeiro

The city was then baptized of Rio de Janeiro (see more about the origin of the name of the city on the text Why Rio de Janeiro was given its name?)

Estácio de Sá stayed there, the battles against the French and its allies kept going. In one of those fights, where today is Gloria Outero, Estácio de Sá was hit on his face by an arrow, and died in consequence of the ferment. The defeat imposed to the French, however, was definitive.

Do you want to know more about Rio de Janeiro’s history? Join one of ours free walking tours no Rio de Janeiro  and find out Rio’s history and a fun and entertaining way

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