A law declares Indigenous people free while preserving colonial control

On 24 February 1587, the Crown issued legislation describing which Indigenous people could be held captive and under what purported legal conditions. Such rules did not establish meaningful consent or...

On 5 July 1587, Philip II confirmed a license allowing named agents to conduct “rescue” transactions involving enslaved people in Brazil. Colonial records used rescue language for transactions that...

On 21 August 1587, a royal order addressed the location of Indigenous communities near mills and estates. Mission settlements and proximity to colonial enterprises could make Indigenous labor,...

On 11 November 1595, a new law said Indigenous people could be captured only in wars specifically authorized by the Crown, while those captured by other means were to be free. The 1609 law later...

On 26 July 1596, the Crown transferred administration of Indigenous peoples in Brazil to the Jesuits. This measure limited settlers’ direct control in some settings while expanding missionary...

On 10 September 1611, the Crown enacted a law defining conditions under which Indigenous people could be captured in “just wars” and setting rules for their treatment and service. In practice,...

On 12 January 1616, Portuguese forces founded the settlement that became Belém, extending colonial occupation into the Amazon region. Military outposts, missions, and settlements were used to claim...

A Dutch military expedition entered Palmares in March 1645. A chapter built around the dated report of 21 March follows the killing of an unnamed Palmarista woman by a Dutch bugler. The surviving...

On 10 March 1649, João IV established the Companhia Geral do Comércio do Brasil by royal charter. It organized protected commerce and shipping between Portugal and Brazil and served military aims...

On 26 January 1654, Dutch authorities signed the capitulation ending their control of Recife and surrounding territories. The transfer changed the European power governing a major sugar-producing...