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1449
End of Religious Tolerance (1449)
In 1499 Jime´nez de Cisneros sidelined Talavera and began a much more forceful policy of conversion involving the persecution of apostates, burnings of the Koran, and mass baptism Muslim Expulsion -
1492
Expulsion of Jewish Community
In March 1492, only two months after the fall of Granada, the Spanish Crown issued an edict that gave the Jewish community the stark choice of conversion or exile. -
1493
Evangelism of Natives (1493)
As a result, in 1493 Pope Alexander VI (1431–1503) issued a bull in favor of the rights of the Spanish monarchs over all the lands already discovered by Columbus and any more as yet unknown beyond a line 100 leagues (about 555 kilometers, or 345 miles) west of the Azores in the North Atlantic and the Cape Verde Islands off the western coast of Africa, on the condition that the indigenous peoples were evangelized. -
1500
Portuguese Discovery (1500)
The region, home to the Tupí peoples, was discovered on April 22, 1500, by Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, then on his way to India. -
Period: 1500 to 1520
Tupi Religious Community (1500-1521)
Their religion was a naturalistic pantheism, and they were extremely well adapted to their environment, although polygamy, cannibalism and continuous wars of vengeance also figured in their culture. -
Period: 1514 to 1551
Reign of the Bishop of Funchal (1514-1551)
During this time period, Brazil was under the nominal jurisdiction of the bishop of Funchal. -
1528
Feudal Land Division (1530)
In 1530 the king divided the land into captaincies, to be administered in a semi-feudal manner by donataries, each with absolute power in his region, subordinate only to the monarch. -
1549
Establishment of Central Government (1549)
With the failure of the captaincy system to colonize Brazil, the Portuguese king, John III created a central government in 1549, naming Tomé de Sousa as governor-general and Salvador as the capital. -
1550
Dom Pedro Fernandes Takeover (1552)
The first bishop of Bahia and commissary general of all Brazil was Dom Pedro Fernandes SARDINHA, who took possession of his diocese in 1552, bringing with him several secular clerics to form his cathedral chapter. -
1551
First Bishop in Brazil in Bahia (1551)
The Portuguese Crown received its Right of Patronage in 1522, and the first bishop in Brazil was appointed to the newly created diocese of Bahia in 1551. -
Period: 1553 to 1557
Reign of Duarte de Costa (1553-57)
In 1553 Duarte da Costa was named governor (1553–57), and arrived with 16 Jesuits. Among them was José de ANCHIETA, the ‘‘Apostle of Brazil.’’ Difficulties soon arose between Jesuit missionaries and Bishop Sardinha. -
Period: 1557 to 1571
New Governor: Mem de Sa (1557-72)
The new governor, Mem de Sá (1557–72), consolidated the central government, pacified the native tribes and corrected some of the most flagrant abuses of the colonists, which had caused the native revolts in the first place. He promoted the work of the Jesuits, helping them erect schools and missions throughout Brazil. -
1576
Pope Gregory Xlll Makes New Brazilian Prelacy (1576)
On July 19, 1576 Pope Gregory XIII created the prelacy of Rio de Janeiro, which included the captaincies of Pôrto Seguro, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Sa˜o Vicente, extending southward to the Rio de la Plata. -
Period: 1580 to
Dutch Conquer of Brazil Following Spain-Portuguese Alliance (1580-1640)
Bahia was taken after token resistance in May 1624; Governor Diogo de Mendonça Furtado, along with many Jesuits, Benedictines and Franciscans, was removed under guard to Holland. Other religions fled to Pernambuco, while some priests along with Bishop Dom Marcos Teixeira went into the interior. The cathedral was transformed into a Calvinist temple, the Jesuit College into a barracks and churches into warehouses. -
Christianity is Brought to Natal, Brazil (1597)
The Gospel had been brought to Natal, Brazil, by two Portuguese Jesuits and two Franciscans on Dec. 25, 1597, who catechized the indigenous people. -
Period: to
Expulsion of new Monestaries (1602-07)
Governor General Diogo de Botelho (1602–07) forbid
the founding of any new monasteries in Brazil; both he and his successor, Diogo Menezes (1607–12), were involved in almost continual quarrels with Bishop Dom Constantino Barradas (1600–18) and with local religious regarding the question of tribal protection from slavers. -
French Takeover of Portuguese (Capuchins) Expansion (1615)
French efforts succeeded in 1615, and the work of the Capuchins was taken over by the Jesuits and the Francis Cans. -
Period: to
Colonial Brazil Uprising (1648-49)
A series of battles from 1648–49 crushed the Dutch, thus ending the strongest Protestant threat to colonial Brazil -
Martyrdom of Saint André de Soveral and Companions (1645)
The martyrdom of André, Ambrósio, and their companions took place in the context of anti-Catholic persecution by Dutch Calvinists who had invaded the Rio Grande do Norte region of Brazil in 1630. -
The Massacre at Cunhau (1645)
The Massacre at Cunhaú occurred on Sunday, July 16, 1645. Sixty-nine parishioners were worshiping together in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Candles. Dutch soldiers barred the church doors and launched an attack against unresisting civilians. -
Massacre at Uracu (1645)
The Massacre at Uruaçu (Oct. 3, 1645) was led by a convert to Calvinism. Dutch troops and armed natives attacked Father Ambrósio Francisco Ferro and some of his parishioners. -
Insurrection of Jesuits from Brazil (1661)
The insurrection in Maranhao in 1661 forced the Jesuits from Brazil. The group could no longer hope to defend the native peoples residing on the outskirts of the land. -
Expansion of Pope rule with the Spanish Peace Treaty (1668)
With this peace, Pope Innocent XI raised Bahia to an archdiocese, with suffragan sees in Rio de Janeiro, Olinda and Maranha˜o. -
Dutch Restrictions (1690)
The following century the Dutch Calvinists overtook the region and restricted Catholic practice. -
Period: to
Expulsion of Society of Jesus (1756-1767)
The expulsion of the Society of Jesus (in 1759 from Portuguese lands and in 1767 from Spanish ones) caused much ill-feeling among the general populace.