Filipe de Brito e Nicote

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Filipe de Brito e Nicote (c. 1566 – September 1613), known as Nga Zinka (Burmese: ငဇင်ကာ) to the Burmese, was a Portuguese explorer and mercenary in service of the Arakanese kingdom of Mrauk U, and later of the Siamese Kingdom of Ayutthaya.

Biography

In 1608, de Brito and his men plundered the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Burma, removing its 300-ton Great Bell of Dhammazedi. However, while attempting to transport the bell on a raft across the Bago River, the bell's weight broke through the raft and it sank to the river bottom, where it remains to this day. For his actions, de Brito was later captured and executed by the Burmese in September 1613.

After de Brito's death, the story of his theft and loss of the Great Bell spread throughout Southeast Asia, where in 1725, the Japanese mercenary Nagamasa mentioned the tale while discussing Burma with the Zhang Wei Union's members.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (indirect mention only)