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João de Castro do Canto e Melo, 1.º visconde de Castro

Angra do Heroísmo, 1740 – Rio de Janeiro, 2 Nov 1826

7 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 1740

    Born in Angra do Heroísmo

  2. 1792–1797

    2 children are born

  3. 2 Nov 1826

    Dies in Rio de Janeiro

Family

See the tree

Partner

Children · 2

During his lifetime

He lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Angra do Heroísmo.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1740s · João is born in Angra do Heroísmo

Who governed

In the news1743–1749

Smallpox epidemic in Pará

A devastating smallpox epidemic struck the captaincy of Pará, killing an estimated 4,900 people in the capital city alone.

Music

Private serenatas were common aristocratic entertainment

In Lisbon's aristocratic circles, women hosted private evening parties called serenatas in their homes, where they sang, danced, and employed professional musicians.

War of the Austrian Succession. When Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg lands, Prussia seized Silesia and much of Europe joined the fight.In Europe · 1740–1748

War of the Austrian Succession. When Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg lands, Prussia seized Silesia and much of Europe joined the fight.

DavidDijkgraaf · CC0

Daily life

Simple cooking and olive oil use

Cooking often occurred in a simple space with a portable hearth and limited tools; olive oil was the primary fat used for cooking, as religious customs restricted the use of animal fats on certain days.

In the news1748

Águas Livres Aqueduct begins operations

The Águas Livres Aqueduct, a massive engineering project to supply water to the city of Lisbon, began operating in 1748.

What people wore

Clothing values and status in inventories

Merchant inventories from the era record clothing values in réis, such as a woman's red linen cloak valued at 12,000 réis and a man's cloth cloak at 3,000 réis. Ordinary daily clothing was rarely listed, as inventories primarily highlighted luxury items used to signal social status.

Getting around

Slow, difficult overland travel

Due to poor roads, long-distance journeys were extremely slow; one traveler spent about 9 days traveling from Porto to Lisbon, including sections by carriage and boat. Land travel was so difficult that many opted for sea travel, despite the dangers.