Donatorio

A Donatorio, a Portuguese word roughly meaning 'endowed' sometimes anglicized as "Donatary", was a private person (often a nobleman) who was bestowed by the Crown with a considerable piece of land, called a "donátaria", which was handed over at his discretion, exempt from normal colonial administration through some royal governor etc., so "de facto" equivalent to a British Lord Proprietor.

The system was applied to several colonial (later?) captaincies in Brazil.

ee also

*Captain-major
*Captaincy
*Captaincy of São Vicente
*Captain General

ources and references

* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Brazil_Port_captaincy.html WorldStatesmen- here Brazil] (to be further exploited)