This work consists of eleven chapters on the indigenous antecedents of the Brasilis land and its discoverers, the initial conflicts in the colonization attempts, the hereditary captaincy system, the wars against the French, Spanish and Dutch, the discovery of the mines, the occupation of the interior (sertão) and the formation of the borders of the Brazilian territory. The chapters, since their first publication, have become a reference for all those interested in the study of colonial Brazil.