Maria Ursula Lancastro y Abreu

Maria Ursula Lancastro y Abreu (1682–1730) was a Portuguese adventurer. She was born in Brazil and joined the Portuguese navy dressed as a man under the name Balthazar do Conto Cardoso. As a sailor, she participated in the war of Amboina, where she was promoted to captain and given charge of the fort Madre de Deus 1703. She revealed her sex voluntarily in 1714 because she wished to marry a man, Alfonso Arras Teixeira de Mello. She was granted a military pension.

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