Francisco Barreto

Francisco Barreto
Portrait in Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu, c. 1560.
Governor of India
In office 1555–1558
Monarchs	John III Sebastian
Preceded by	Pedro Mascarenhas
Succeeded by	Constantino de Bragança
Personal details
Born	1520 Faro, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	9 July 1573(1573-07-09) (aged 52–53) Portuguese Mozambique
Spouse	Brites de Ataíde

Francisco Barreto (occasionally Francisco de Barreto, 1520 – 9 July 1573) was a Portuguese soldier and explorer. An officer in Morocco during his early life, Barreto sailed to Portuguese India and was eventually appointed viceroy of the colony. After his return to Lisbon, he was tasked with an expedition to southeast Africa in search of legendary gold mines. Barreto died in what is now Mozambique, having never reached the mines.