Manuel Luís Baltazar da Câmara, member of the Gonçalves da Câmara, was son of Rui Gonçalves da Câmara III, and succeeded him as the 6th Donatary Captain of the island of São Miguel.
Background
Following the death of his father, by royal decree (25 October 1601), he was made 2nd Count of Vila Franca, assuming at that time the captaincy of the island. He was married to D. Leonor de Vilhena, daughter of D. Fradique Henriques, King Phillip"s chief steward.
Career
Donatário
The most prominent occurrence of his regime occurred in 1616, when the neighbouring island of Santa Maria was attacked by Barbary coast pirates, Vila do Porto completely sacked and its inhabitants sold into slavery in Northern Africa. This episode gave origin to the Confraria dos Escravos da Cadeinha (the brotherhood of the slaves of Cadeinha). Câmara"s administration was characterized by a reorganization of the territory and by slow progress in the administration of civil and eccelisastical courts.
In Terceira, following the 1614 earthquake, which caused the death of 200 people and destruction of 1600 homes and 24 churches, there were also several initiatives to recuperate and reestablish normalcy.
Later life.