Gonçalo Coelho was a Portuguese sailor who commanded the first expedition fleets sent to the Brazilian coast at the beginning of the 16th century. It is accepted that he was born in 1451 or 1454 and died in 1512. Florentine sailor Amerigo Vespucci also took part in the two expeditions he led.
1501–1502 expedition
After the visit of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500, the Portuguese crown wanted to recognize its territory in South America. For this purpose, Coelho left Lisbon on 10 May 1501, at the head of a fleet of three caravels. The fleet reached the northeastern coast of Brazil in late summer and followed the coast south, charting many points.
Guanabara Bay, reached on January 1, 1502, was called Rio de Janeiro (January River) because it was thought to be a river mouth. How far south the expedition went is disputed; Although Vespucci's accounts imply that he went to the latitudes of Patagonia, historians approach this claim with caution. The fleet returned to Lisbon in 1502, having lost some of its ships.
1503–1504 expedition
Coelho set out again on 10 May 1503 with six ships. This expedition was organized with the support of merchants, including Fernão de Noronha, and one of the aims was to collect pau-brasil, which was valuable as a dye tree. During the voyage, the command ship hit rocks and sank near the island that would later be named Fernando de Noronha.
The remaining ships reached Brazil, a small settlement was established on the coast, and they returned to Portugal in 1504 with the loaded timber. Noronha was granted Portugal's first hereditary captaincy over this island in the same year.
What is known about the rest of Coelho's life is limited. His name is associated with the first systematic recognition of the Brazilian coast by Europeans.
