Francisco Barreto de Meneses

Francisco Barreto de Meneses (1616 – 21 January 1688) was a Portuguese military officer and a colonial administrator in the colonies of São Tomé and Príncipe and Brazil.

Francisco Barreto de Meneses
Governor of São Tomé and Príncipe
In office 1632–1632
Monarch	Philip III of Portugal
Preceded by	Lourenço Pires de Távora
Succeeded by	Lourenço Pires de Távora
Governor of Pernambuco
In office 28 January 1654 – 26 May 1657
Monarch	John IV of Portugal
Preceded by	Dutch occupation
Succeeded by	André Vidal de Negreiros
Governor-General of Brazil
In office 18 June 1657 – 21 July 1663
Monarch	Afonso VI of Portugal
Preceded by	Jerónimo de Ataíde
Succeeded by	Vasco de Mascarenhas
Personal details
Born	1616 Viceroyalty of Peru
Died	21 January 1688(1688-01-21) (aged 71–72) Portuguese colony of Brazil
Military service
Allegiance	Portuguese Empire
Branch/service	Army
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Dutch-Portuguese War First Battle of Guararapes Second Battle of Guararapes

He was born during the Iberian Union and his Portuguese father was a military officer at Peru. A brave soldier, he was chosen to command the colonial troops in the uprising that took place in Pernambuco which drove out the Dutch from the Northeast of Brazil, finishing the 24-year-long Dutch occupation of Brazil.

He arrived in the colony of Brazil in 1647, was arrested but managed to escape. With the rank of "Master-of-Field-General" (in Portuguese Mestre-de-Campo-General) he commanded the "Patriot Army" of 25,000 men, composed of four Terços, led by Fernandes Vieira, André Vidal de Negreiros, Henrique Dias and Filipe Camarão, beating the Dutch in the First and Second Battle of Guararapes in 1648 and 1649.[1] For such achievement he was awarded with the title of "Restorer of Pernambuco".

He was Governor of Pernambuco and later, from 18 June 1657 to 1663, General-Governor of Brazil,[2] succeeding Dom Jerónimo de Ataíde, 6th Count of Atouguia.