CASTRO, João de. Lisbon 27.2.1500 — Goa 6.6.1548. Portuguese Nobleman, fourth Viceroy of Portuguese India. Second son of Álvaro de Castro, the civil governor of Lisbon, and Leonor de Coutinho. Originally he was destined for a church career and studied for this, but when 18 he went to Tangier and…
RUBINO, Giovanni Antonio. Strambino (Turin) 1.3.1578 — Mount Unzen (Nagasaki), Japan 16.3.1643. S.J. Italian Missionary in India. Novice 1596, studies in Milano. Sailed from Lisbon in 1602. Ordained priest 1605 in Goa. Worked in Jesuit academies in Goa, Madras (1613-17), Cochin (1617-19, 1627-37), Colombo (1619-23), Tuticorin (1623-27), teaching mathematics, soon also theology.…
PIRES, Tomé. 1468? — 1540? or little earlier. Portuguese Traveller. Came to India in 1511, as apothecary and not very young, obtained soon official position under Albuquerque and went to Malacca. From there he also visited Java. Returned to Goa in 1515 and in 1516 was made ambassador to China.…
PERUSCHI, Giovanni Battista. 1525 — 1598. S.J. Italian Missionary (?). Rector of Collegio di Como, from 1573 in Rome. Derived much of his account from Monserrate. Publications: Informatione del regno, e stato del gran rè di Mogor, della sua persona, qualita, e costumi, e delli buoni segni, e congietture della sua conversione…
MAFFEI, Giovanni Pietro (Giampietro). Bergamo 1533 — Tivoli 20.10.1603. S.J. Italian Jesuit Historian. Born in a noble family living in poverty. Educated by his uncles and in Rome. From 1563 worked as Professor of Rhetorics in Genua, before joining Jesuits in 1565. From now studies in Rome, ordained 1571. In 1579-84…
HENRIQUES, Henrique (-quez, Anrique Anriquez, Aṇṭiṟīkku Aṭikaḷār). Vila Viçosa, Evora 1520 — Punnaikkayal 6.2.1600. S.J. Portuguese Priest and Missionary, in India 1546-1600. Rejected by Franciscans because of his Jewish background he studied Canon Law at Coimbra and in 1545 joined the S.J. In 1546 ordained as a priest and sailed…
GONÇALVEZ, Diogo. Vila Real 1561 — Quilon (Kollam) 1640. S.J. Portuguese Jesuit Missionary in India. Joined the S.I. in 1583. Arrived at Goa in 1591, worked in Quilon. Criticized Roberto De Nobili’s new methods of mission and wrote about Hinduism in 1615. Knew Sanskrit and Malayālam. Publications: Historia do Malavar,…
GODINHO DE ERÉDIA, Manuel. Malacca 16.7.1563 — 1623. Malay-Portuguese Author and Cartographer. Son of João de Erédia Aquaviva, an officer of Aragonese-Italian background and Dona Elena Vessiva (d. 1575), a noblewoman from Sulawesi. Educated at Jesuit school in Malacca and at Jesuit College in Goa, trained in astronomy, cartography and…
FERNANDEZ, Gonçalo. 1541 — 1619/21. Portuguese Jesuit in India. Arrived at India in 1560. In charge of the Mission in Madurai from 1595, he became Roberto De Nobili’s superior, but strongly opposed to the new methods of mission suggested by him. Himself wrote about Hinduism in 1616. He did not…
DU JARRIC, Pierre. Toulouse 2.3.1566 — Saintes 1617. S.J. French Historian of Mission. Joined Jesuits in 1582. When his hope to become a missionary was not accepted he turned to writing mission history. Ordained priest he taught many years philosophy and moral theology in Bordeaux. Beside mission his work contains…