Estácio de Sá

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Estácio de Sá (1520-1567) was a Portuguese soldier and officer who came to Brazil on orders of the Portuguese crown to wage war on the French invaders commanded by Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon (1510-1571), who had established themselves in 1555 at the Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, in the episode which became known as France Antarctique.

A nephew of Brazilian Governor General Mem de Sá (1500-1572), he arrived at Salvador, Bahia, in 1563. In 1565, after extensive preparations and the help of jesuits, such as Manoel da Nóbrega (1517-1570) and José de Anchieta (1534–1597), he departed by sea from São Vicente, São Paulo, the first Portuguese settlement in Brazil (1532), with an attack force. On March 1st he founded the city of Rio de Janeiro near the Sugar Loaf mountain and established the basis of his military operations against the French and their aboriginal allies. After receiving reinforcements sent by sea by his uncle from Salvador, he commanded a definitive and successful attack on January 20, 1567. However, he died on February 20th, of wounds inflicted by an arrow which had perforated his eye.

Estácio de Sá is honoured by naming thousands of schools, streets, avenues, etc. in Brazil, particularly relevant:

• the Estácio de Sá neighbourhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro;
• the Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Estácio de Sá, a samba school of Rio, one of the cradles of samba, the popular music of Brazil;
• the Universidade Estácio de Sá, one of the three largest private universities of Brazil