António Rolim de Moura Tavares, 1st Count of Azambuja

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António Rolim de Moura Tavares, 1st Count of Azambuja (1709–1782) was a Portuguese nobleman and colonial administrator who served as the 10th Viceroy of Brazil from 1767 to 1769. He was born on March 12, 1709, in Moura, Portugal, to Nuno Manuel de Mendoça, 4th Count of Vale de Reis, and Leonor de Noronha. He began a military career in 1726 and rose to captain of the Infantry Regiment of the Court Garrison by 1735, later overseeing the household of Queen Maria Ana in 1744. He also served as treasurer of the Hospital Real de Todos-os-Santos in 1748. He was a scholar with interests in arts, science, mathematics, and theology, and was a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

In 1749 he was appointed governor of the newly created Captaincy of Mato Grosso. He arrived in Cuiabá in January 1751 and governed Mato Grosso until 1765. As governor, he strengthened Portuguese control on the western frontier, expelled Spanish missionaries, allied with Indigenous peoples, opened roads to Maranhão and Bahia, and began sugar cultivation for commerce. He founded Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade as the capital of Mato Grosso. He also wrote a travelogue about his 1751 journey from São Paulo to Cuiabá.

In 1763 he was created Count of Azambuja by King Joseph I. He then governed Bahia from 1766 to 1767, and in 1767 he was named Viceroy of Brazil and Governor of Rio de Janeiro. As viceroy, he reorganized the city’s coastal defenses to better defend against Spanish attacks, but resigned in 1769 and returned to Portugal.

Back in Portugal, he held several government roles, including president of the Finance Council in 1770. He was also a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. António Rolim de Moura Tavares died on December 8, 1782, in Lisbon.