Francisco was part of the House of Sá e Lage, of Ponte de Lima, and was the brother of António de Araújo e Azevedo, first Count of Barca, an influential politician of the time.
Captaincy-General
Francisco António was nominated as 7th Captain-general of the Captaincy of the Azores on 20 August 1816, disembarking in Terceira on 11 May 1817: he took-up his office on 14 May 1817. He began his mandate by promoting the development agriculture through the Junta de Melhoramentos Agrícolas of modern agricultural practices, such as rotating crops and fallow lands. Many of the local farmers did not appreciate these practices, assuming that there were ulterior motives, and destroyed hedgerows and fences. The governor had troops intervene and impose his orders. He ordered the culling of goats that were in empty lots, in order to control herds and transform agriculture from a subsistence to commercial enterprise. These measures were badly interpreted by the general population, who developed a hate for him, referring to Captain-General as the mata-cabras. Fearing that the diplomatic crisis between Portugal and Spain, resulting from the Portuguese conquest of the Banda Oriental by Portuguese troops in 1817, would result in possible reprisals against the Azores, he promoted not only a thorough reform of the military structures in the archipelago, but also the restoration and construction of new forts. He also obliged soldiers and workers to complete military roads, constructing bridges and munition depots, imposing daily military exercises. These intense efforts had a demoralizing effect on the populace, and in São Jorge, recruits cut their index fingers in order to avoid service. It was during his tenure that the sumptuous Church of São João Baptista, whose riches had expanded during the stay of King Afonso VI, was destroyed by fire. The following year he visited São Miguel, and because of the unpopularity of the Captains-General he was obliged to stay in the municipal hall during his stay. Owing to this rancore, many of his orders from Terceira were never obeyed, and he was forced to advance with construction plans for the islands defenses. At the same time, he promoted the expansion of the first roadway from Ribeira Quente to Furnas. Between 1820 and 1821 he resided in the Palácio Bettencourt, which was constructed in the late 17th and early 18th century, eventually becoming the seat of government.
