Estêvão de Ataíde
Estêvão de Ataíde | |
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| Captain General and Governor of Mozambique | |
17th century Engraving, representing a naval combat between the Portuguese and the Dutch off the Island of Mozambique, when D. Estêvão de Ataíde was governor | |
| Coat of arms | |
| Tenure |
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| Other titles | Dom |
| Known for | Defense of Portuguese Mozambique against Dutch attacks |
| Born | c. 1570 |
| Died | 1613 (aged 42–43) Mozambique |
| Cause of death | Tropical disease |
| Buried | Chapel of the Jesuits, Island of Mozambique |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Wars and battles | |
| Noble family | Ataíde |
| Spouse(s) | D. Mariana de Noronha |
| Father | D. Álvaro de Ataíde, captain and governor of the Maluku Islands |
| Mother | D. Jerónima de Castro do Canto |
| Occupation | Military |
Dom Estêvão de Ataíde (c. 1570 - 1613) was a Portuguese soldier, twice governor of Mozambique, who distinguished himself for having successfully defended the Island of Mozambique and its fortress from attacks and sieges by the Dutch, between 1607 and 1608. According to the British historian Edgar Prestage, this defense "saved, not only the fortress itself, but Portuguese rule in the East including East Africa".
D. Estêvão de Ataíde was described by his contemporary, the French navigator and explorer François Pyrard de Laval, as a "courageous and gallant Lord".