Botelho (Sebastião Xavier)

This governor and captain-general of Madeira was appointed on June 15, 1818, arrived in Funchal on May 12, 1819, and took office on the 15th of the same month. He toured his entire captaincy and informed the central government of the most urgent improvements to be made. It was during his government that the revolution of Porto broke out, which overthrew the absolute government and raised the representative system, with the Constitution being proclaimed in Madeira on January 28, 1821. He fought fierce political battles and in his defense published a pamphlet entitled 'Historia verdadeira dos acontecimentos da ilha da Madeira depois do memorável dia 28 de Janeiro ...' (Lisbon, 1821). Sebastião Botelho was endowed with rare intelligence and vast erudition, being considered one of the most esteemed writers of his time, as noted by Alexandre Herculano. In addition to being governor and captain-general of Madeira, the Azores, Mozambique, and Angola, he held other important positions. He was born on March 8, 1768, and died on May 21, 1840. He belonged to the family of the Counts of S. Miguel and was the grandfather of the second Count of Carvalhal.