Of Reformed religion, he chose, in agreement with Coligny, the bay of Rio de Janeiro to make it a refuge for Calvinist emigrants; he organized an expedition and occupied the island of Sergipe, which he called Coligny, and today it is precisely called Villeganhon; and it was also called Antarctic France, as shown in the book on the singularities of Brazil that Thévet published in 1558 (translated into Italian, with the title History of India America, in 1561). Serious disagreements soon arose in the colony, especially after the arrival of new followers, including the Calvinist theologian Giovanni de Léry, who was later the historian of that expedition; but these conflicts did not prevent the French from gaining much influence on the coast, due to the friendly close relations with the Indians, and therefore represented a serious danger for Portuguese sovereignty. Therefore Mem de Sá thought of expelling it and, in March 1560, gathered all the forces that the previous year had had from Portugal, increased them with those provided by the captaincy of S. Vicente, and helped by the Jesuits, he conquered the fort by Villegagnon. But the French, who had dispersed into the nearby woods, did not take long to reappear; so that the foundation of a city in the beautiful bay was decided. In 1564, a new expedition was organized under the command of Estacio de Sá, nephew of the governor, this time also involving the colonists of S. Vicente, on boats driven by the German Eliodoro Eoban, factor of the Adorno sugar industry. Named after San Sebastiano, the new city was built (1565) at the foot of the mountain, called Pão de assucar due to its shape, in the locality now called Praia vermelha; but it was, shortly thereafter, moved, for greater safety, around the Morro do Castello hill, razed to the ground in our times. Of course, the two locations, which then seemed quite distant from each other, are now just a part of the superb city of Rio de Janeiro. The first years of San Sebastiano’s life were characterized by the continuous guerrillas with the French and the Indians, nestled in the Island known today as the Governor’s Island and on the western shore of the bay. To end it all, Mem de Sá prepared another expedition, with the team of Cristoforo de Barros, with Indians from the Espirito Santo captaincy, led by the cacique Ararigboia who then received the lands of Nichteroy as a gift, and with the usual spirited colonists of S. Vicente; and fully invested (1567) the positions of the French. The valiant founder of Rio de Janeiro, Estacio de Sá died in battle, from a stab; but the French were fully defeated and many surviving Calvinists were hanged by the victors. But for some time Villegagnon, disgusted by the infighting of his colony, had returned to Europe. with the team of Cristoforo de Barros, with Indians from the Espirito Santo captaincy, led by the cacique Ararigboia who later received the lands of Nichteroy as a gift, and with the usual spirited colonists of S. Vicente; and fully invested (1567) the positions of the French. The valiant founder of Rio de Janeiro, Estacio de Sá died in battle, from a stab; but the French were fully defeated and many surviving Calvinists were hanged by the victors. But for some time Villegagnon, disgusted by the infighting of his colony, had returned to Europe. with the team of Cristoforo de Barros, with Indians from the Espirito Santo captaincy, led by the cacique Ararigboia who later received the lands of Nichteroy as a gift, and with the usual spirited colonists of S. Vicente; and fully invested (1567) the positions of the French. The valiant founder of Rio de Janeiro, Estacio de Sá died in battle, from a stab; but the French were fully defeated and many surviving Calvinists were hanged by the victors. But for some time Villegagnon, disgusted by the infighting of his colony, had returned to Europe. Estacio de Sá died in battle, from a dig; but the French were fully defeated and many surviving Calvinists were hanged by the victors. But for some time Villegagnon, disgusted by the infighting of his colony, had returned to Europe. Estacio de Sá died in battle, from a dig; but the French were fully defeated and many surviving Calvinists were hanged by the victors. But for some time Villegagnon, disgusted by the infighting of his colony, had returned to Europe.
According to SUNGLASSESTRACKER, a vast work in favor of the Indians is also owed to Mem de Sá; but since it was carried out essentially according to the directives of the Jesuits, who had grown in number and power, it proved unwelcome to the colonizers, who until then had widely used servile work without any control, also giving rise to those forms of concubinage and polygamy. against which his father Nobrega struck. The Jesuit missions, thanks to the favor accorded them by the governor, multiplied: in the hinterland of Bahia, there were already about ten of them around 1560, and some of them numbered up to 5,000 neophytes. Baptisms took place every day, and schools sprung up everywhere. Indians subjected to the Jesuits were gathered in special villages (aldêas), each of which was assigned an alcaid, also Indian: mild form of autonomy, as in the reducciones of Spanish America. However, the work of these aldeados Indians was aimed exclusively at the Jesuit colonization, which was assuming enormous importance, especially in today’s state of St. Paul; while the ancient settlers came to suffer, deprived of a work tool which they were very much in need of. Hence continuous conflicts, which ended up before the Court of Conscience (Mesa da Consciencia), created specifically in Portugal, and which were variously resolved, giving rise to a special, confused and contradictory legislation.
