User:Nsophiay/sandbox2: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia

History[edit]

Before Europeans arrived in Brazil, the territory that is now the state of Paraíba was home to numerous indigenous tribes. Between the coast and the Borborema Plateau, the main indigenous group was the Potiguara, who lived along the Paraíba river. The Kiriri and Ariús groups, meanwhile, lived further to the west, occupying the region between the Borborema Plateau and the sertão.

Colonization and conquest[edit]

Em 1534, o rei português D. João III divide a colônia em capitanias hereditárias, sendo a Paraíba subordinada à Capitania de Itamaracá, cujos limites iam desde o rio Guaju, próximo à divisa com o atual estado do Rio Grande do Norte, até o rio Goiana, localizado na divisa com Pernambuco. Porém, diferente da vizinha capitania de Pernambuco, a situação de Itamaracá não era tranquila, devido ao contrabando de madeira, além de peles e âmbares, por piratas franceses.

In 1500, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the northeastern coast of Brazil and claimed the territory of Brazil for the Portuguese Empire. It was not until 1534, however, that colonization began. In that same year, the King of Portugal, John III, divided Brazil into fifteen captaincies. Paraíba became part of the captaincy of Itamaracá, bordered by Pernambuco to the south and by Rio Grande to the north.

In the mid-16th century, settlers from Spain and Portugal, Olinda and Itamaracá founded Filipéia de Nossa Senhora das Neves (today João Pessoa) at the mouth of the Paraíba do Norte River.

The area soon was found to be perfect for sugar production. As a result, the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese fought for control of the Paraíba region. The fortress of Santa Catarina, near João Pessoa, was built to protect the city from the Dutch, who soon became a threat to Portuguese supremacy in Brazil.