D. Pedro Douglas, Captain of Opará

D. Pedro Diniz Douglas (February 7th, 1565, Lisbon – March 18th, 1629, Igarassú), also known as Pedro I of the Oparans, was a Portuguese explorer, naval officer and colonial captain. He is best known for being the first ruler (r. 1619-1629) of what would later become the Empire of Opará

 Early Life and Career as Naval Officer Pedro Douglas was born in one of the slums of the outskirts of Lisbon. His parents were factory workers and Pedro would work fifteen hours each day as a child. Shortly after he celebrated his sixteenth birthday, his parents managed to enlist him in the Portuguese Army.

When his regiment was transferred to the city of Porto, in order to accompany King John V in an official visit, Pedro charmed a young girl by the name of Maria Diniz, a member of a wealthy aristocratic family of Porto, which owned hundreds of hectares of wine plantations in the Douro Valley. Maria and Pedro began a secret relationship over the next year and they eventually married in 1583. Henry Diniz, the father of Maria and Duke of Porto, at first disapproved of the union and threatened to disinherit Maria if they didn’t divorce. She, however, said that the marriage vows were made in front of God and there was neither man nor woman who could annul a divine treaty. Henry eventually gave in, after all, he had become fond of the young man.

Pedro was given a good basic education at the University of Porto and he graduated in Thalassology five years later. His promotion as a naval officer was fast and unexpected. After ten years of service, Pedro had become the commander of a fleet of four qaribun and had gained prestige for fighting off pirates in the Sea of Mexico and along the coast of Africa. He eventually met King John V during a visit that the King had made to Porto Novo. In 1616, when John V was organizing an expedition to Hesperidia, he invited Pedro, who had recently received the title of Viscount of Montágua, to lead it and gave him the permission to claim lands in the name of the King of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. 

Pedro as Colonial Captain

Pedro’s departure was delayed by his wife’s early death in 1617, but the expedition eventually arrived in Hesperidia on May 9, 1619. Once there, he founded the city of Igarassú and prayed in the first official Uniate mass of the continent. The first contact with the natives was peaceful, and they even helped the Europeans to build the first houses of the city. It was during this time that Captain Pedro wrote much information about the natives in his diary, which would later become the greatest source of information for that period. During Pedro’s rule as Captain of Opará, the main economical activity was the export of brazil-wood. This wood was valued by the European powers because of its usefulness as decorative furniture and its famous red dye. Brazil-wood trees were abundant even on the coastline of Opará, which enriched the Captaincy and saw the town of Igarassú quickly establish itself as an important trading centre of the Hesperidian Ocean. 

Death and Burial

Pedro Douglas died of natural causes on March 18th, 1629, aged 64. The funeral was conducted by the Bishop of Igarassú, St. Alexius Kalaphates, and was attended by King Phillip I of Portugal. Pedro’s body was transferred to a new mausoleum in Santos after the Cathedral had been rebuilt by Emperor Manuel after the Independence War.

 Family

With his wife Maria Diniz, Pedro had one son – the stillborn Afonso. Pedro was succeeded as Captain by his nephew John Diniz.