Noronha (João Rodrigues de)

He was the son of the 3rd captain-donor of Funchal, Simão Gonçalves da Câmara, and the brother of D. Manuel de Noronha, bishop of Lamego, whom we covered in this Elucidário. He must have been born in the last quarter of the 15th century. The chronicles that deal with our affairs in India speak of João Rodrigues de Noronha with the highest praise for the acts of heroism he performed there. The author of Saudades says of him: '...he was captain of Ormuz in India during the time of the governor D. Duarte de Menezes, his brother-in-law, which was in the year 1521: and before he entered the fortress, he was from the sea off the coast of Dio, and served the King well until he became captain of Ormuz, where he captured the tyrant Raesxarafo, and kept him safely in the fortress until the arrival of the Viceroy, his brother-in-law D. Duarte de Menezes.'