The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 defined the boundaries of possessions between Spain and Portugal along the meridian of 49 ° 32’56 “W. D. (the so-called” papal meridian “), at a distance of 370 leagues to the west of the Green Island. The territories to the east of it departed Portugal, and the land to the west – Spain. This conditional line crossed South America to the east. Brazil was colonized on April 22, 1500 by Pedro Alvares Cabral on the way around Africa and is called the island of Santa Cruz ( Terra da Vera Cruz.) Conscious of the value made Inauguration, Cabral sent one of the captains, Gaspar Lemos, to Lisbon, with a message to the king, composed by his secretary, Peru de Caminha. the third voyage to the coasts of Brazil, Coelho, made in 1503 and 1504.
But the interests of Portugal were on the other side – in Asia and Africa, because for almost 30 years there was no systematic action to organize a colony in this territory. In 1530, the first settlers began to arrive from Portugal, who brought with them livestock, seedlings and seeds in order to establish colonies here. Fortified settlements were founded in the northeast of the country, the first of which was Sao Vicente, which is located in the coastal part of the modern state of São Paulo, founded in 1532, and the capital of the colony of Salvador in the state of Bahia, founded in 1549. On the territory of Brazil, 14 hereditary fiefdoms were created – capitals, some of which are larger than Portugal itself. The owners of capitals, the so-called donatarios, that is, those who “accept the gift”, were responsible for their security and development. The capital system has significantly affected the borders and policies of modern Brazil.
An important contribution to the development and progress of the colonies was made by the Jesuits, who took up the defense and conversion of the Indians to Christianity, as well as significant work to raise the moral level of the colonists. The Natives, converted to Christianity, settled in the settlements organized by the Jesuits “Aldeias”, which were similar in structure to the mission in Spanish America, or Jesuit reductions.
The moist and fertile coast of Pernambuco was suitable for growing sugar cane. In addition, this location made it a convenient port for ships departing from Portugal to the African West and to the East. Sugar cane and equipment for its cultivation were brought to Brazil from the island of Madeira. Trilateral trade soon began to flourish. It was based on work on the sugar cane plantations of Negro slaves imported from West Africa. Sugar was supplied to the European market, the growing needs of which could no longer be met by traditional sources.
Union of Spain and Portugal and Territorial Expansion (1580–1690)
From 1580 to 1640 the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal were united by the Spanish crown. During this period, thanks to the unification of the two countries, the whole of South America became part of the Spanish possessions. Brazil began raids by the enemies of the Spanish crown, in particular the Netherlands, which recently gained independence. The Dutch captured and held for some time the capital of the country Salvador in 1624 – 25, and in 1630 the Dutch West India Company sent a fleet that captured Pernambuco. Pernambuco remained under Dutch control for a quarter of a century. The company appointed Johann-Moritz, Count of Nassau-Siegen, as the new governor of the Dutch Brazil. The Dutch began to invite famous artists and scientists to tell Europe about the resources and beauty of Brazil. Nevertheless, the directors of the company, who were guided only by the growth of income, refused to support the social policy of Johann-Moritz, and he resigned in 1644. The rich planter Zhogo Fernandez Vieira, meanwhile, launched an uprising that quickly gained strength among the population, dissatisfied with the policies of the followers of Johann-Moritz. The Brazilians, acting without the help of Portugal, defeated and expelled the Dutch in 1654, an achievement that helped the emergence of Brazilian national identity.
In 1555, the French Huguenots who fled from persecution in their homeland founded the colony of Antarctic France along the shores of the Gulf of Rio de Janeiro. But the Portuguese authorities did not intend to tolerate the presence of foreigners in the territory that they considered their own. In 1567 the colony was destroyed.
In 1612, the French again made an unsuccessful attempt to colonize Brazil.
Paradoxically, the sixty-year union of Portugal and Spain gave the unexpected advantages of the overseas colony of Portugal. Taking advantage of the lack of borders, the Portuguese and Brazilians carried out campaigns inland. The capitals of São Vicente were the first on their way, and starting from this pivot point in São Paulo, the pioneers moved the border from the coast inland. Expeditions (port. Bandeiras) followed native slaves to pave the way through the forests, overcame mountain ranges, moving forward all the time. Expeditioners or bandeiranta ( port. Bandeirantes ) became famous for capturing Indians in both Jesuit missions and those walking around free and returning home with them. Thanks to the bandeirantes, the borders of the future independent Brazil expanded.
In 1640, the Portuguese, led by King John IV, restored the independence of Portugal from Spain and refused to leave the occupied and colonized territories to the west of the original line established by the Treaty of Tordesillas.
The massive importation of black slaves from West Africa into Brazil led to a toughening of their exploitation and, as a result, an increase in their elemental resistance, expressed most often, in flight to hard-to-reach and uninhabited places in the country.
The first fortified settlements of runaway black slaves, the so-called quilombus or mokambu, appeared in the forests of the captaincy of Pernambuco at the end of the 16th century. By the 1630s, they were united in the primitive early feudal state of Palmaris.
The government of Palmares was exercised by the supreme leader elected for life, in whose hands all the highest secular and spiritual power was concentrated. The privileged class at Palmares consisted of an approximate leader, (mostly his relatives), whom he appointed as his immediate assistants or rulers of small quilombas. The inhabitants of Palmares professed an Afro – Christian syncretic cult.
The territory of the state of Palmares reached 27 thousand km², where about 20 thousand people lived. The inhabitants of Palmares were engaged in agriculture, to a lesser extent crafts, and were bartering trade with nearby Indian, as well as Portuguese and Dutch settlements. The land was in common ownership, and there were both family plots and community fields. Joint work was also used during hunting, gathering, during the construction of fortifications. The inhabitants of Palmaris made an alliance with the local natives and took natives for wives.
Only in 1677 the Portuguese managed to defeat the defenders of Palmares, but in 1679 the latter, led by the supreme leader Zumbi, managed to expel the colonialists with the support of local Indians. Only in 1694, the colonial authorities, which gathered a 6,000-strong army, armed with artillery, succeeded in capturing the capital Palmares, the village of Makaku, but the small quilombos resisted until 1697.