Susana Münch Miranda | Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas - Universidade Nova de Lisboa (original) (raw)
Papers by Susana Münch Miranda
e-Journal of Portuguese History, 2024
This article examines the social distribution of public debt in Portugal between 1529–57 and 1641... more This article examines the social distribution of public debt in Portugal between 1529–57 and 1641–82 and explores the extent to which the Portuguese debt system relied on personal relationships. A newly compiled dataset on the socioeconomic characteristics of lenders reveals a shift over time: from an elite group consisting of nobles and royal officials to a broader social base in the mid-seventeenth century when institutions and merchants entered the market. The data show that the changing social distribution of Portuguese public debt is the result of interest rate reduction operations and a fund-raising campaign, the latter of which involved some degree of financial repression.
Portugal in a European Context Essays on Taxation and Fiscal Policies in Late Medieval and Early Modern Western Europe, 1100-1700, 2023
By examining two contrasting case studies—the island of Madeira and the Estado da Índia—this chap... more By examining two contrasting case studies—the island of Madeira and the Estado da Índia—this chapter offers insights into how the Portuguese dealt with the challenges of exercising fiscal jurisdiction in non-European territories and settlements in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The chapter shows that the two case studies share similarities, despite their differences, including the contrast of an agrarian economy (Madeira) versus a complex maritime empire (Estado da Índia). First, fiscal institutions broadly correspond to the metropolitan tax administration and its territorial administrative units. Second, pragmatism and willingness to negotiate solutions proved crucial in raising fiscal revenue to finance imperial ambitions. As with other European monarchies and empires, the constraints of the political economy influenced the structure and practice of tax administration in the Portuguese Empire.
The Economic History Review, 2022
This article examines the reputation recovery of Portugal's public debt during the war of liberat... more This article examines the reputation recovery of Portugal's public debt during the war of liberation against the former Habsburg ruler. Using novel datasets on long- and short-term debt and nominal interest rates, this study provides evidence that the sovereign borrower used debt credibility to build a pact of regime in a revolutionary context with implications for financing the war. The Portuguese kings followed an implicit budget balance rule as a reputational scheme, which made Portugal an exceptional case of military success with a low debt-to-GDP ratio and low interest rates. These conclusions contribute to the literature in various attributes of war finance, debt management, and state-making by showing that default avoidance could be as important to military success as fiscal capacity.
Millars. Espai i Història, 49(2), 79-105, 2020
ABSTRACT This article examines the organizational strategies put in place by Willem de Bruijn and... more ABSTRACT This article examines the organizational strategies put in place by Willem de Bruijn and Paulo Cloots, as general farmers of the Portuguese tobacco monopoly, to distribute tobacco in the metropolitan market. It concludes that the Dutch consortium innovated through organizational changes that positively impacted sales in the southern districts of Portugal. The comparison with the central and northern districts also shows that the Dutch tax farmers were able to mitigate agency problems in the South.
Dhau – Jahrbuch für außereuropäische Geschichte, 2020
By taking two case-studies – Cochin and Ceylon – this article examines how the Estado da Índia an... more By taking two case-studies – Cochin and Ceylon – this article examines how the Estado da Índia and the Dutch East India Company (VOC) dealt with acquired fiscal rights in territories and establishments in Asia. In this manner this article will question the extent to which institutional differences from Europe in the organisation of empire can account for the different fortunes of both empires in the seventeenth century. It argues that the fiscal systems of the Portuguese and Dutch, although largely adapted from the Asian fiscal matrices, varied in development and outcomes depending on the interaction with local rulers and on the intentions and goals of the colonisers. In drawing such a comparison, this article argues for caution against exaggerating the impact of institutional differences from Europe. Rather, it makes the claim that both the Portuguese empire and the VOC faced similar problems and opted for the same choices in Asia. More importantly, they both changed their stance on monopoly and taxation over time, showing a more fluid and less rigid attitude, than usually acknowledged in the literature. Instead of stressing institutional differences from Europe, continuity and the struggle with similar challenges stand out in the Asian experience of the Portuguese and Dutch empires.
in One King and Three Emperors: Portugal, China and Macau in the Time of King João V, Lisboa, Santa Casa da Misericórdia - Museu de São Roque, 2019
in The Iberian World, 1450-1820, ed. F. Bouza, P. Cardim and A. Feros, London, Routledge (with J.L. Gasch Tomás), 2019
This chapter presents an overview of the overseas Iberian empires’ economic systems and its main ... more This chapter presents an overview of the overseas Iberian empires’ economic systems and its main trends over the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It outlines the type of productive structures dominant in each empire and examines the exchanges and connections within the two Iberian empires, and between the Iberian empires and the rest of the world. The first section of the chapter briefly discusses the motivations for the Iberian overseas expansion. The second section analyses the economic structures of the territories under colonial rule. It highlights the factors that shaped economic activity, such as pre-existing local conditions, goals pursued, and the institutional frameworks regulating land ownership and labour, considering changes and shifts that both empires underwent across time and space. The third section takes up the Iberian commercial networks across the world and discusses their role as drivers of globalisation. It deals with the well- known intercontinental routes of Carrera de Indias and Carreira da Índia, while also examining the role of American silver in global trade. The last section looks into the impact of the Iberian transoceanic flows in the domestic economies
Itinerario: International Journal on the History of European Expansion and Global Interaction, 2019
By examining how a Dutch firm in Lisbon operated two Portuguese tobacco tax farms from 1722 to 17... more By examining how a Dutch firm in Lisbon operated two Portuguese tobacco tax farms from 1722 to 1727 and failed subsequently, this article brings together, on the one hand, research on the relationship between state and business groups through a monopolistic rent provided by the empire and, on the other hand, a growing literature discussing institutional and economic variables, as well as human agency, in business failure in early modern Europe. The article aims to achieve two goals. The first is to shed light on the perspective of the Dutch tax farmers, highlighting why they chose to incur the risks of managing a nationwide sales monopoly and the business model they implemented to maximize profits and mitigate risks, while the second is to examine the general and specific reasons behind their ultimate downfall. It concludes that, despite the organizational innovations they introduced and that led them to exploit interconnected businesses, the Dutch partners were unable to overcome the negative effects of conjunctural and contingent factors that temporarily squeezed the domestic consumption of tobacco.
Itinerario, 2019
While this special issue raises a significant number of questions, constraints have dictated that... more While this special issue raises a significant number of questions, constraints have dictated that only some of these questions are actually answered. The pioneering work presented consequently remains a modest attempt to initiate a more general discussion about the causes and the social and economic consequences of business failure in the early modern period, particularly with regard to colonial enterprises.
Itinerario: International Journal on the History of European Expansion and Global Interaction, 2019
European expansion overseas is a tale colored by narratives of conquest, exploitation and, above ... more European expansion overseas is a tale colored by narratives of conquest, exploitation and, above all, success. Little is known, however, of the setbacks that business firms faced when participating in the overseas expansion, especially when their interests became intertwined with the state’s colonial goals, as they were called on to perform functions of public utility. This special issue explores the wide-ranging causes and effects of bankruptcies of family firms, partnerships and corporations (both chartered and joint-stock companies) vested in colonial ventures in four Atlantic empires (Spanish, Dutch, French and Portuguese) in the Early Modern period. Drawing attention to the close interplay between state and business-oriented groups for the purpose of colonial settlement and exploitation, this introduction offers a framework for assessing the diverse patterns of failure among colonial stakeholders
Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, 2018
Historiography pertaining to the study of European colonial empires can generally be defined in t... more Historiography pertaining to the study of European colonial empires can generally be defined in two different strands: on the one hand, the nationally geared scholarship that zooms in on the development of specific ‘national’ empires and their relationships to non-European individuals, groups and polities and, on the other hand, narratives that privilege the focus on the colony and the colony’s links to the outside world. What neither of these strands does, however, is to question the role foreigners played in the capturing of resources within the logic of a foreign empire and how those resources were transferred to the places of origin of these individuals and groups. This article provides an overview of Dutch participation in the empires of others (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) by underlining the important role that Dutch merchants, investors and labour specialists played in the exploitation of other, often competing, European empires. While some of the acquired resources remained in the host society where Dutch merchants and firms settled, some of the colonial resources and by-products were sent back to the merchants’ and firms’ places of origin, more often than not through complex transnational networks of contacts and divergent groups of interests.
El Tabaco y la Esclavitud en la Rearticulación Imperial Ibérica (ss. XVII-XX), ed. Santiago de Luxán e João Figueirôa Rego, Évora, CIDEHUS.., 2018
Este capítulo investiga a execução de dois contratos do monopólio português do tabaco (1722-1727)... more Este capítulo investiga a execução de dois contratos do monopólio português do tabaco (1722-1727), analisados na perspectiva dos três negociantes que o exploraram. Visa captar o modelo empresarial que gizaram para a sua exploração, sublinhando as inovações organizativas que introduziram, bem como os resultados que alcançaram. O
consórcio formado por Willem de Bruijn, Paulo Cloots e Arnaldo van Zeller soçobrou no final do segundo triénio, juntando-se, assim, à lista de contratadores insolventes da primeira metade do século XVIII. As condições gerais e específicas em que se inscreve a execução do contrato são aqui observadas, ensaiando-se também explicações para o seu insucesso. Conclui-se que, não obstante, o modelo empresarial
inovador que implementaram, os sócios não conseguiram prever nem ultrapassar o efeito negativo causado por factores contingentes.
Atalanta: Revista de las Letras Barrocas, 2017
The murder of Ferdinand Leopold von Hallweil in August 1696, in the Vienna Woods, drew a great de... more The murder of Ferdinand Leopold von Hallweil in August 1696, in the Vienna Woods, drew a great deal of attention, because the suspected perpetrator was the Portuguese ambassador, Charles-Joseph of Ligne, second marquis of Arronches. Building on the existing literature and on unchartered sources, this article examines how the Portuguese royal court handled the case both on the political-diplomatic level and on the judicial front, looking into the conflicting interests and values that were weighed and the solutions designed to minimize reputation damages to the Portuguese crown and to the House of Sousa, as well. It argues that both formal and informal mechanisms of punishment were put in place to restore political and social order.
Ângela Xavier, Federico Palomo e Roberta Stumpf (coord) Monarquias ibéricas em perspectiva comparada ( séculos XVI-XVIII) . Lisboa: Imprensa de Ciências Sociais, 2018 (no prelo)., 2017
Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 2017
By examining the main features of the fiscal system of Portuguese Asia and the private interests ... more By examining the main features of the fiscal system of Portuguese Asia and the private interests that clustered around it, this article contributes to the recent historiography on the pluralistic and negotiated dimensions of the colonial government. It argues that, in the context of the European power struggle that opposed the Dutch and the English against the Spanish Habsburgs, the financial needs of the Portuguese crown deepened pre-existing political and social arrangements, with the result that royal officials and colonial elites increasingly gained a role in imperial governance and in preserving the Portuguese empire in Asia. The alignment of interests here can be observed by looking at the extraordinary taxation introduced between 1617 and 1623, which provided added opportunities to co-opt local elites
An Agrarian History of Portugal, 1000-2000. Org. Pedro Lains and Dulce Freire, Leiden, Brill, 2017
This chapter examines the agricultural sector between 1500 and 1620 and seeks specifically to hig... more This chapter examines the agricultural sector between 1500 and 1620 and seeks specifically to highlight the trends in population, trade and industry that boosted demand. The first section presents an overview of the available demographic data on population dynamics and the rate of urbanization. Following the changes taking place on the demand side, the second section examines the signs of output growth and discusses the role of socio-institutional arrangements. The third section evaluates the composition of the sector and indicates the probable effects of the expansion of cropland at the expense of grazing, while the final section discusses the effects of market conditions in agriculture, specifically interrelations with trade and industry. The chapter concludes that Portuguese agriculture underwent a slow but consistent expansion at a time when it was for the first time affected, albeit only marginally, by international markets. However, the correlation between the urbanization rate and agricultural performance seems to have been weak and market integration was hindered both by poor and costly land communications and by institutional constraints
Property rights, land and territory in the European Overseas Empire. Org. J. V. Serrão, E. Rodrigues, B. Direito and S. Münch Miranda, Lisbon: CEHC-IUL, 2014
This paper examines the regulation of land rights in Bassein and Daman (India) during the two hun... more This paper examines the regulation of land rights in Bassein and Daman (India) during the two hundred years these territories were under Portuguese rule. Based on primary and secondary sources, I argue that local elites played a significant role in reshaping the legal and institutional framework that became known as the prazos system, a topic yet insufficiently explored by the literature. The paper starts by outlining the pre-existent land tenure system, which was largely based on the iqtāʿ, a wide-spread institution in the Islamic world. It then proceeds to examine how European and Portuguese legal institutions, namely the emphyteusis and the long-established practice of granting crown’s assets, were recreated in order to retain features of the iqtā, thus leading to the emergence of a hybrid legal system. The paper then focuses on the adaptations this legal framework underwent as a result of its ‘social appropriation’ by colonial elites and the responses of the colonial authorities. I conclude that the prazos system allowed accommodating both the goals of the Portuguese monarchy and of the colonial elites. While the Crown used the prazos to reward services, ensure territorial organization, military defence, and tax mediation, the local elites (both Portuguese and Asian) reshaped its institutional regulations to guarantee their social reproduction.
Property Rights, Land and Territory in the European Overseas Empires, 2014
Tijdschrift voor Zeegeschiedenis, 2015
Over the years the 1640 naval battle of Paraíba (Brazil) has attracted the attention of several h... more Over the years the 1640 naval battle of Paraíba (Brazil) has attracted the attention of several historians, including F.A. Varnhagen, H. Wätjen and J.C. Warnsinck, who made extensive use of Dutch sources. By combining the Dutch and Portuguese accounts, C.R. Boxer and, more recently, M.J. Guedes shed new light on the episode. The Portuguese material comprises the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas, the commander in-chief of the armada. These papers are gathered in four voluminous codices and record events concerning the armada between April 1638 and October 1640. Written in Portuguese and Spanish, they comprise various documents, including correspondence, as well as instructions, reports, and minutes of meetings of the Council of Captains. The documents in these codices constitute the bedrock of this article which focuses on the armada leaders’ perceptions of their opponent during their sojourn in Brazil, a topic still insufficiently explored in the literature. Given the goal of the expedition, gathering information on the Dutch military and naval power was crucial for defining a strategy to oust them from Pernambuco. How did the armada leaders acquire intelligence? How reliable was it when cross-checked against other sources and to what extent did the outcome of the battle depend on it?
in D. Luís da Cunha da Cunha e as Negociações de Utreque, org. A. Leal Faria, T. C. P dos Reis Miranda and A. Diniz Silva, Lisboa, BNP, 2014
This chapter uncovers little known aspects of the relations between the courts of Vienna and Lisb... more This chapter uncovers little known aspects of the relations between the courts of Vienna and Lisbon shortly before Portugal’s involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession. Based on diplomatic correspondence that Charles Ernest, Count von Waldstein, extraordinary ambassador to the Court of Lisbon exchanged with the imperial court, it illuminates Vienna’s position vis-à-vis the Portuguese participation in the conflict, as well as the ambassador’s role in the negotiations leading up to the Treaties signed on 16 May 1703, between the emperor, Portugal, Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The first section places Waldstein’s embassy to Lisbon in a context marked by the anticipation of a European military dispute over the Spanish throne, before accounting for the first months of his sojourn in Lisbon. The third and last section uncovers the ambassador’s role in the renewal of political and dynastic ties between the Braganza and the Austrian Habsburgs.
e-Journal of Portuguese History, 2024
This article examines the social distribution of public debt in Portugal between 1529–57 and 1641... more This article examines the social distribution of public debt in Portugal between 1529–57 and 1641–82 and explores the extent to which the Portuguese debt system relied on personal relationships. A newly compiled dataset on the socioeconomic characteristics of lenders reveals a shift over time: from an elite group consisting of nobles and royal officials to a broader social base in the mid-seventeenth century when institutions and merchants entered the market. The data show that the changing social distribution of Portuguese public debt is the result of interest rate reduction operations and a fund-raising campaign, the latter of which involved some degree of financial repression.
Portugal in a European Context Essays on Taxation and Fiscal Policies in Late Medieval and Early Modern Western Europe, 1100-1700, 2023
By examining two contrasting case studies—the island of Madeira and the Estado da Índia—this chap... more By examining two contrasting case studies—the island of Madeira and the Estado da Índia—this chapter offers insights into how the Portuguese dealt with the challenges of exercising fiscal jurisdiction in non-European territories and settlements in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The chapter shows that the two case studies share similarities, despite their differences, including the contrast of an agrarian economy (Madeira) versus a complex maritime empire (Estado da Índia). First, fiscal institutions broadly correspond to the metropolitan tax administration and its territorial administrative units. Second, pragmatism and willingness to negotiate solutions proved crucial in raising fiscal revenue to finance imperial ambitions. As with other European monarchies and empires, the constraints of the political economy influenced the structure and practice of tax administration in the Portuguese Empire.
The Economic History Review, 2022
This article examines the reputation recovery of Portugal's public debt during the war of liberat... more This article examines the reputation recovery of Portugal's public debt during the war of liberation against the former Habsburg ruler. Using novel datasets on long- and short-term debt and nominal interest rates, this study provides evidence that the sovereign borrower used debt credibility to build a pact of regime in a revolutionary context with implications for financing the war. The Portuguese kings followed an implicit budget balance rule as a reputational scheme, which made Portugal an exceptional case of military success with a low debt-to-GDP ratio and low interest rates. These conclusions contribute to the literature in various attributes of war finance, debt management, and state-making by showing that default avoidance could be as important to military success as fiscal capacity.
Millars. Espai i Història, 49(2), 79-105, 2020
ABSTRACT This article examines the organizational strategies put in place by Willem de Bruijn and... more ABSTRACT This article examines the organizational strategies put in place by Willem de Bruijn and Paulo Cloots, as general farmers of the Portuguese tobacco monopoly, to distribute tobacco in the metropolitan market. It concludes that the Dutch consortium innovated through organizational changes that positively impacted sales in the southern districts of Portugal. The comparison with the central and northern districts also shows that the Dutch tax farmers were able to mitigate agency problems in the South.
Dhau – Jahrbuch für außereuropäische Geschichte, 2020
By taking two case-studies – Cochin and Ceylon – this article examines how the Estado da Índia an... more By taking two case-studies – Cochin and Ceylon – this article examines how the Estado da Índia and the Dutch East India Company (VOC) dealt with acquired fiscal rights in territories and establishments in Asia. In this manner this article will question the extent to which institutional differences from Europe in the organisation of empire can account for the different fortunes of both empires in the seventeenth century. It argues that the fiscal systems of the Portuguese and Dutch, although largely adapted from the Asian fiscal matrices, varied in development and outcomes depending on the interaction with local rulers and on the intentions and goals of the colonisers. In drawing such a comparison, this article argues for caution against exaggerating the impact of institutional differences from Europe. Rather, it makes the claim that both the Portuguese empire and the VOC faced similar problems and opted for the same choices in Asia. More importantly, they both changed their stance on monopoly and taxation over time, showing a more fluid and less rigid attitude, than usually acknowledged in the literature. Instead of stressing institutional differences from Europe, continuity and the struggle with similar challenges stand out in the Asian experience of the Portuguese and Dutch empires.
in One King and Three Emperors: Portugal, China and Macau in the Time of King João V, Lisboa, Santa Casa da Misericórdia - Museu de São Roque, 2019
in The Iberian World, 1450-1820, ed. F. Bouza, P. Cardim and A. Feros, London, Routledge (with J.L. Gasch Tomás), 2019
This chapter presents an overview of the overseas Iberian empires’ economic systems and its main ... more This chapter presents an overview of the overseas Iberian empires’ economic systems and its main trends over the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It outlines the type of productive structures dominant in each empire and examines the exchanges and connections within the two Iberian empires, and between the Iberian empires and the rest of the world. The first section of the chapter briefly discusses the motivations for the Iberian overseas expansion. The second section analyses the economic structures of the territories under colonial rule. It highlights the factors that shaped economic activity, such as pre-existing local conditions, goals pursued, and the institutional frameworks regulating land ownership and labour, considering changes and shifts that both empires underwent across time and space. The third section takes up the Iberian commercial networks across the world and discusses their role as drivers of globalisation. It deals with the well- known intercontinental routes of Carrera de Indias and Carreira da Índia, while also examining the role of American silver in global trade. The last section looks into the impact of the Iberian transoceanic flows in the domestic economies
Itinerario: International Journal on the History of European Expansion and Global Interaction, 2019
By examining how a Dutch firm in Lisbon operated two Portuguese tobacco tax farms from 1722 to 17... more By examining how a Dutch firm in Lisbon operated two Portuguese tobacco tax farms from 1722 to 1727 and failed subsequently, this article brings together, on the one hand, research on the relationship between state and business groups through a monopolistic rent provided by the empire and, on the other hand, a growing literature discussing institutional and economic variables, as well as human agency, in business failure in early modern Europe. The article aims to achieve two goals. The first is to shed light on the perspective of the Dutch tax farmers, highlighting why they chose to incur the risks of managing a nationwide sales monopoly and the business model they implemented to maximize profits and mitigate risks, while the second is to examine the general and specific reasons behind their ultimate downfall. It concludes that, despite the organizational innovations they introduced and that led them to exploit interconnected businesses, the Dutch partners were unable to overcome the negative effects of conjunctural and contingent factors that temporarily squeezed the domestic consumption of tobacco.
Itinerario, 2019
While this special issue raises a significant number of questions, constraints have dictated that... more While this special issue raises a significant number of questions, constraints have dictated that only some of these questions are actually answered. The pioneering work presented consequently remains a modest attempt to initiate a more general discussion about the causes and the social and economic consequences of business failure in the early modern period, particularly with regard to colonial enterprises.
Itinerario: International Journal on the History of European Expansion and Global Interaction, 2019
European expansion overseas is a tale colored by narratives of conquest, exploitation and, above ... more European expansion overseas is a tale colored by narratives of conquest, exploitation and, above all, success. Little is known, however, of the setbacks that business firms faced when participating in the overseas expansion, especially when their interests became intertwined with the state’s colonial goals, as they were called on to perform functions of public utility. This special issue explores the wide-ranging causes and effects of bankruptcies of family firms, partnerships and corporations (both chartered and joint-stock companies) vested in colonial ventures in four Atlantic empires (Spanish, Dutch, French and Portuguese) in the Early Modern period. Drawing attention to the close interplay between state and business-oriented groups for the purpose of colonial settlement and exploitation, this introduction offers a framework for assessing the diverse patterns of failure among colonial stakeholders
Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, 2018
Historiography pertaining to the study of European colonial empires can generally be defined in t... more Historiography pertaining to the study of European colonial empires can generally be defined in two different strands: on the one hand, the nationally geared scholarship that zooms in on the development of specific ‘national’ empires and their relationships to non-European individuals, groups and polities and, on the other hand, narratives that privilege the focus on the colony and the colony’s links to the outside world. What neither of these strands does, however, is to question the role foreigners played in the capturing of resources within the logic of a foreign empire and how those resources were transferred to the places of origin of these individuals and groups. This article provides an overview of Dutch participation in the empires of others (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) by underlining the important role that Dutch merchants, investors and labour specialists played in the exploitation of other, often competing, European empires. While some of the acquired resources remained in the host society where Dutch merchants and firms settled, some of the colonial resources and by-products were sent back to the merchants’ and firms’ places of origin, more often than not through complex transnational networks of contacts and divergent groups of interests.
El Tabaco y la Esclavitud en la Rearticulación Imperial Ibérica (ss. XVII-XX), ed. Santiago de Luxán e João Figueirôa Rego, Évora, CIDEHUS.., 2018
Este capítulo investiga a execução de dois contratos do monopólio português do tabaco (1722-1727)... more Este capítulo investiga a execução de dois contratos do monopólio português do tabaco (1722-1727), analisados na perspectiva dos três negociantes que o exploraram. Visa captar o modelo empresarial que gizaram para a sua exploração, sublinhando as inovações organizativas que introduziram, bem como os resultados que alcançaram. O
consórcio formado por Willem de Bruijn, Paulo Cloots e Arnaldo van Zeller soçobrou no final do segundo triénio, juntando-se, assim, à lista de contratadores insolventes da primeira metade do século XVIII. As condições gerais e específicas em que se inscreve a execução do contrato são aqui observadas, ensaiando-se também explicações para o seu insucesso. Conclui-se que, não obstante, o modelo empresarial
inovador que implementaram, os sócios não conseguiram prever nem ultrapassar o efeito negativo causado por factores contingentes.
Atalanta: Revista de las Letras Barrocas, 2017
The murder of Ferdinand Leopold von Hallweil in August 1696, in the Vienna Woods, drew a great de... more The murder of Ferdinand Leopold von Hallweil in August 1696, in the Vienna Woods, drew a great deal of attention, because the suspected perpetrator was the Portuguese ambassador, Charles-Joseph of Ligne, second marquis of Arronches. Building on the existing literature and on unchartered sources, this article examines how the Portuguese royal court handled the case both on the political-diplomatic level and on the judicial front, looking into the conflicting interests and values that were weighed and the solutions designed to minimize reputation damages to the Portuguese crown and to the House of Sousa, as well. It argues that both formal and informal mechanisms of punishment were put in place to restore political and social order.
Ângela Xavier, Federico Palomo e Roberta Stumpf (coord) Monarquias ibéricas em perspectiva comparada ( séculos XVI-XVIII) . Lisboa: Imprensa de Ciências Sociais, 2018 (no prelo)., 2017
Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 2017
By examining the main features of the fiscal system of Portuguese Asia and the private interests ... more By examining the main features of the fiscal system of Portuguese Asia and the private interests that clustered around it, this article contributes to the recent historiography on the pluralistic and negotiated dimensions of the colonial government. It argues that, in the context of the European power struggle that opposed the Dutch and the English against the Spanish Habsburgs, the financial needs of the Portuguese crown deepened pre-existing political and social arrangements, with the result that royal officials and colonial elites increasingly gained a role in imperial governance and in preserving the Portuguese empire in Asia. The alignment of interests here can be observed by looking at the extraordinary taxation introduced between 1617 and 1623, which provided added opportunities to co-opt local elites
An Agrarian History of Portugal, 1000-2000. Org. Pedro Lains and Dulce Freire, Leiden, Brill, 2017
This chapter examines the agricultural sector between 1500 and 1620 and seeks specifically to hig... more This chapter examines the agricultural sector between 1500 and 1620 and seeks specifically to highlight the trends in population, trade and industry that boosted demand. The first section presents an overview of the available demographic data on population dynamics and the rate of urbanization. Following the changes taking place on the demand side, the second section examines the signs of output growth and discusses the role of socio-institutional arrangements. The third section evaluates the composition of the sector and indicates the probable effects of the expansion of cropland at the expense of grazing, while the final section discusses the effects of market conditions in agriculture, specifically interrelations with trade and industry. The chapter concludes that Portuguese agriculture underwent a slow but consistent expansion at a time when it was for the first time affected, albeit only marginally, by international markets. However, the correlation between the urbanization rate and agricultural performance seems to have been weak and market integration was hindered both by poor and costly land communications and by institutional constraints
Property rights, land and territory in the European Overseas Empire. Org. J. V. Serrão, E. Rodrigues, B. Direito and S. Münch Miranda, Lisbon: CEHC-IUL, 2014
This paper examines the regulation of land rights in Bassein and Daman (India) during the two hun... more This paper examines the regulation of land rights in Bassein and Daman (India) during the two hundred years these territories were under Portuguese rule. Based on primary and secondary sources, I argue that local elites played a significant role in reshaping the legal and institutional framework that became known as the prazos system, a topic yet insufficiently explored by the literature. The paper starts by outlining the pre-existent land tenure system, which was largely based on the iqtāʿ, a wide-spread institution in the Islamic world. It then proceeds to examine how European and Portuguese legal institutions, namely the emphyteusis and the long-established practice of granting crown’s assets, were recreated in order to retain features of the iqtā, thus leading to the emergence of a hybrid legal system. The paper then focuses on the adaptations this legal framework underwent as a result of its ‘social appropriation’ by colonial elites and the responses of the colonial authorities. I conclude that the prazos system allowed accommodating both the goals of the Portuguese monarchy and of the colonial elites. While the Crown used the prazos to reward services, ensure territorial organization, military defence, and tax mediation, the local elites (both Portuguese and Asian) reshaped its institutional regulations to guarantee their social reproduction.
Property Rights, Land and Territory in the European Overseas Empires, 2014
Tijdschrift voor Zeegeschiedenis, 2015
Over the years the 1640 naval battle of Paraíba (Brazil) has attracted the attention of several h... more Over the years the 1640 naval battle of Paraíba (Brazil) has attracted the attention of several historians, including F.A. Varnhagen, H. Wätjen and J.C. Warnsinck, who made extensive use of Dutch sources. By combining the Dutch and Portuguese accounts, C.R. Boxer and, more recently, M.J. Guedes shed new light on the episode. The Portuguese material comprises the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas, the commander in-chief of the armada. These papers are gathered in four voluminous codices and record events concerning the armada between April 1638 and October 1640. Written in Portuguese and Spanish, they comprise various documents, including correspondence, as well as instructions, reports, and minutes of meetings of the Council of Captains. The documents in these codices constitute the bedrock of this article which focuses on the armada leaders’ perceptions of their opponent during their sojourn in Brazil, a topic still insufficiently explored in the literature. Given the goal of the expedition, gathering information on the Dutch military and naval power was crucial for defining a strategy to oust them from Pernambuco. How did the armada leaders acquire intelligence? How reliable was it when cross-checked against other sources and to what extent did the outcome of the battle depend on it?
in D. Luís da Cunha da Cunha e as Negociações de Utreque, org. A. Leal Faria, T. C. P dos Reis Miranda and A. Diniz Silva, Lisboa, BNP, 2014
This chapter uncovers little known aspects of the relations between the courts of Vienna and Lisb... more This chapter uncovers little known aspects of the relations between the courts of Vienna and Lisbon shortly before Portugal’s involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession. Based on diplomatic correspondence that Charles Ernest, Count von Waldstein, extraordinary ambassador to the Court of Lisbon exchanged with the imperial court, it illuminates Vienna’s position vis-à-vis the Portuguese participation in the conflict, as well as the ambassador’s role in the negotiations leading up to the Treaties signed on 16 May 1703, between the emperor, Portugal, Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The first section places Waldstein’s embassy to Lisbon in a context marked by the anticipation of a European military dispute over the Spanish throne, before accounting for the first months of his sojourn in Lisbon. The third and last section uncovers the ambassador’s role in the renewal of political and dynastic ties between the Braganza and the Austrian Habsburgs.
An Economic History of Portugal, 1143–2010
An Economic History of Portugal, 1143–2010
An Economic History of Portugal, 1143–2010
An Economic History of Portugal, 1143–2010
An Economic History of Portugal, 1143–2010
La creciente complejidad de lo urbano en el Antiguo Régimen quedó plasmada en intereses plurales ... more La creciente complejidad de lo urbano en el Antiguo Régimen quedó plasmada en intereses plurales protagonizados por una diversidad de actores y poderes cuya acción simultánea comportó tensiones que exigieron cambios y continuas reformulaciones de los equilibrios establecidos en todos los ámbitos. En este mundo en transformación, se potenció el orden como garantía de la estabilidad y del bien común de la comunidad política de la ciudad, reforzándose la policía urbana y promocionándose espacios religiosos, culturales, políticos y económicos que contribuyeron a redefinir y reordenar los comportamientos, las actividades y, en definitiva, las experiencias de las gentes de las ciudades. Paralelamente, las ciudades se interesaron por reforzar sus señas de identidad en el complejo cosmos de la Europa moderna, diseñando un conjunto de representaciones que les individualizaban a través de la construcción de una memoria y de unos símbolos que les hacían únicas.
“Civitas: expresiones de la ciudad en la Edad Moderna” trata de ese universo urbano en transformación. Las doce investigaciones de especialistas en el mundo urbano europeo del Antiguo Régimen se articulan en torno a cuatro miradas que intentan captar la expresión de esos impulsos que, en distintos momentos, movieron a las ciudades y a sus gentes en un dinámico proceso creador de actividades, orden, alteración y representaciones.
Lisboa, Círculo de Leitores, 2014
Nenhuma outra rainha teve mais tempo a condição de consorte de um rei português do que Maria Ana ... more Nenhuma outra rainha teve mais tempo a condição de consorte de um rei português do que Maria Ana de Áustria (1683-1754), filha de Leopoldo I (1640-1705). A sua união com D. João V sedimentou o realinhamento do reino no quadro continental e ajudou a garantir a integridade de novos e velhos domínios ultramarinos. No mundo da corte, promoveu devoções imperiais e contribuiu para o refinamento de práticas sociais e artísticas. A ela recuam as circunstâncias do enlace de várias famílias da nobreza alemã com casa alemãs e austríacas. E dela nasceram uma rainha e dois reis portugueses que asseguraram a continuidade da Casa Real de Bragança até ao Vintismo. A passagem dos anos turnou, no entanto, a sua importância politica e cultural. Neste livro reconstituem-se alguns dos aspectos da história de Maria Ana de Áustria, fundados em documentos inéditos de divesas origens e fontes impressas relativamente mal conhecidas
This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of To... more This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of Torre, appointed governor-general of Brazil and commander in chief of the combined Portuguese and Spanish armada dispatched by King Philip IV to recapture Pernambuco. The papers are gathered in four voluminous codices and record events concerning the armada between April 1638 and October 1640. Written in Portuguese and Spanish they comprise correspondence exchange between Fernando Mascaranhas and King Philip IV, the Count-Duke of Olivares, the Councils of Portugal and Castile ant the high officers of the armada, as well as instructions, reports and minutes of meetings of the Council of Captains. The codices are currently held in Brazilian and Portuguese archives.
This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of To... more This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of Torre, appointed governor-general of Brazil and commander in chief of the combined Portuguese and Spanish armada dispatched by King Philip IV to recapture Pernambuco. The papers are gathered in four voluminous codices and record events concerning the armada between April 1638 and October 1640. Written in Portuguese and Spanish they comprise correspondence exchange between Fernando Mascaranhas and King Philip IV, the Count-Duke of Olivares, the Councils of Portugal and Castile ant the high officers of the armada, as well as instructions, reports and minutes of meetings of the Council of Captains. The codices are currently held in Brazilian and Portuguese archives.
This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of To... more This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of Torre, appointed governor-general of Brazil and commander in chief of the combined Portuguese and Spanish armada dispatched by King Philip IV to recapture Pernambuco. The papers are gathered in four voluminous codices and record events concerning the armada between April 1638 and October 1640. Written in Portuguese and Spanish they comprise correspondence exchange between Fernando Mascaranhas and King Philip IV, the Count-Duke of Olivares, the Councils of Portugal and Castile ant the high officers of the armada, as well as instructions, reports and minutes of meetings of the Council of Captains. The codices are currently held in Brazilian and Portuguese archives.
This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of To... more This is the edition of the original papers of Fernando Mascarenhas (1587-1651), first count of Torre, appointed governor-general of Brazil and commander in chief of the combined Portuguese and Spanish armada dispatched by King Philip IV to recapture Pernambuco. The papers are gathered in four voluminous codices and record events concerning the armada between April 1638 and October 1640. Written in Portuguese and Spanish they comprise correspondence exchange between Fernando Mascaranhas and King Philip IV, the Count-Duke of Olivares, the Councils of Portugal and Castile ant the high officers of the armada, as well as instructions, reports and minutes of meetings of the Council of Captains. The codices are currently held in Brazilian and Portuguese archives.
