André Pessoa (1560, Azambuja – 6 January 1610, Nagasaki Bay) was a Portuguese soldier and Captain-major especially known for his service in Macau and Nagasaki.
André Pessoa | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1560 Azambuja, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | January 6, 1610 Nagasaki Bay, Kyushu, Japan |
| Allegiance | |
| Service |  Portuguese Navy |
| Years of service | 1577–1610 |
| Rank | Captain-major |
| Battles / wars | |
| Relations | Lourenço Pessoa (father) Francisca Calado (mother) |
Early life
editAndré Pessoa was born in 1560, Azambuja, Portugal.[1] He was the son of Lourenço Pessoa and Francisca Calado.[1][2]
Career
editEarly career
editPessoa began his military career at a young age, traveling to India in 1577.[1] He returned to Europe shortly thereafter and, in 1583, participated in an expedition to the Azores, where he fought against the supporters of Prior of Crato, the pretender to the Portuguese throne.[2]
In Malacca, 1584–1606
editIn 1584, he returned to the East with the Secretary of the Factory at Malacca. He participated in the siege of Malacca and a second battle in 1606, where he was captured but later ransomed for 6,000 ducats. His contribution during one of the battles was referenced by Faria e Sousa.[2]
In Macau, 1608–1609
editIn 1608 or 1609 in, a red seal ship belonging to Arima Harunobu anchored in Macau.[3] After an attack on a Portuguese magistrate and his men, Pessoa, now Captain-major, ordered his crew to intervene.[4][5] Pessoa blamed the Japanese for the incident, however, Ieyasu blamed Pessoa, but he was hesitant to take drastic action, as it would result in the loss of the silk trade.[6]
In Japan and death, 1609–1610
editThe following year, in June 29, 1609, Pessoa commanded the Portuguese carrack Nossa Senhora da Graça (also known as Madre de Deus) on a voyage to Japan and arrived in Nagasaki.[5][7] On January 3, 1610, the ship was besieged by forces under Arima Harunobu, seeking retribution for the previous incident in Macau. After days of intense conflict, Pessoa, facing overwhelming odds, chose to scuttle the ship by setting the gunpowder storage on fire, resulting in its destruction. Pessoa's body was never found.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Hesselink 2015, p. 247.
- ^ a b c Boxer 1986, p. 27.
- ^ Boxer 1979, p. 37.
- ^ Boxer 1951, p. 271.
- ^ a b Kshetry 2008, p. 49.
- ^ Boxer 1951, p. 276-277.
- ^ Boxer 1979, p. 41; Boxer 1948, p. 54.
- ^ Boxer 1948, p. 61.
- Boxer, C. R. (1986). Portuguese Merchants and Missionaries in Feudal Japan, 1543-1640. Variorum Reprints. ISBN 0860781801.
- Boxer, C. R. (1979) [1st. pub. 1929]. "The affair of the Madre de Deus". In Moscato, Michael (ed.). Papers on Portuguese, Dutch, and Jesuit Influences in 16th- and 17th-Century Japan: Writings of Charles Ralph Boxer. Washington, D.C.: University Publications of America. pp. 4–94. ISBN 0890932557.
- Boxer, C. R. (1951). The Christian Century in Japan: 1549–1650. University of California Press. GGKEY:BPN6N93KBJ7.
- Kshetry, Gopal (2008). Foreigners in Japan: A Historical Perspective. ISBN 9781469102443.
- Boxer, C. R. (1948). Fidalgos in the Far East, 1550–1770. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
- Hesselink, Reinier H. (2015). The Dream of Christian Nagasaki: World Trade and the Clash of Cultures, 1560-1640. McFarland. ISBN 0786499613.