Manuel António Vassalo e Silva

Manuel António Vassalo e Silva (Torres Novas, 8 November 1899 - Lisbon, 11 August 1985), was the 128th and last Governor-General of Portuguese India.

Background

He was the only son of Manuel Caetano da Silva (1870–1926) and wife Maria da Encarnação Vassalo (1869–1922) and brother of Maria da Conceição, married with issue, Joana and Aurora.

Governor of Portuguese India

In 1958 he was nominated the 128th Governor-General of Portuguese India to replace Paulo Bénard Guedes, of which office he would be the last holder.

When the Republic of India sought to annex the territories of Goa, Daman (from which had been previously separated in 1954 and annexed by India in 1961 the enclave of Dadra and Nagar Haveli) and Diu from Portuguese control in December 1961, Manuel Vassalo e Silva, recognizing the futility of facing a superior enemy, disobeyed direct orders from the Portuguese President of the Council of Ministers António Salazar to fight to the death and offered to surrender without a fight. After that he fell into disgrace at the eyes of Salazar, who never accepted the fait accompli of the annexation.

Vassalo e Silva was greeted with a hostile reception when he returned to Portugal. He was subsequently court martialed for failing to follow orders, expelled from the military and was sent into exile. He returned to Portugal only in 1974, after the fall of the regime, and was given back his military status. He was later able to conduct a state visit to Goa, where he was given a warm reception.^[1]

Recently it was said by the Goan-Portuguese politician Narana Coissoró that Salazar sent him a cyanide capsule for use in case of defeat.

Family

He was married to Fernanda Pereira e Silva Monteiro and had a son and two daughters:

• Fernando Manuel Pereira Monteiro Vassalo e Silva (Lisbon, December 6, 1925 – Lisbon, June 9, 2006), married to Maria Amélia Franco Veiga (Lisbon, March 20, 1932 – March 17, 2004), daughter of António Veiga and wife Rosa Maria Garcia Franco, and had issue, seven children, two married and had issue
• Maria Fernanda Pereira Monteiro Vassalo e Silva, married to Rui António da Cunha Bernardino, and had issue, eight children, six married and had issue
• Maria da Luz Pereira Monteiro Vassalo e Silva, married to António Faias Sors Lagrifa, born in Luanda, and had issue (their son Jorge Manuel Vassalo Sors Lagrifa (May 7, 1948 – February 6, 2005) was the second husband without issue of Ana Cristina da Gama Caeiro da Mota Veiga, born in Lisbon, Santos o Velho, on June 4, 1950, daughter of António da Mota Veiga and wife Maria Emília da Gama Caeiro, formerly married and divorced from Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa)

References

1. ^ "Dossier Goa - A Recusa Do Sacrifício Inútil Summary". Shvoong.com. http://www.shvoong.com/books/469174-dossier-goa-recusa-sacrif%C3%ADcio-in%C3%BAtil/. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 

Persondata
Name	Silva, Manuel Antonio Vassalo E
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 8, 1899
Place of birth
Date of death	August 11, 1985
Place of death