Tomé de Sousa

Tomé de Sousa (1503–1579) was a Portuguese nobleman and soldier who served as the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 to 1553. Born in Rates, Póvoa de Varzim, Sousa took part in military expeditions in Africa, fought the Moors and commanded the nau Conceição to Portuguese India, part of the armada of Fernão de Andrade. Sousa was also the first knight commander of the medieval Monastery of Rates, re-established in 1100 and dissolved in the 16th century.