Juiz dos Órfãos de Loulé
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
Loulé City Archive
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Rua Cândido Guerreiro, s/n, 8100-681 Loulé
Contact information: phone number
00351 289400804
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
arquivo.municipal@cm-loule.pt
Reference number
JOLLE
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Judge of Orphans of Loulé
Title (official language of the state)
Juiz dos Órfãos de Loulé
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Juiz dos Órfãos de Loulé
Date(s)
1406/1535
Language(s)
por
Extent
10 books
Type of material
Textual material
Physical condition
Satisfactory
Scope and content
The Juiz dos Órfãos de Loulé fonds is divided into three sections:
JOLLE/001: "Registo das tutorias dos órfãos" (documents related to orphans' guardianship), which includes inventories of assets related to inheritances (1411/1482).
JOLLE/002: "Livros dos órfãos" (orphans' books), which include records of judicial actions related to the nomination of guardians, inventories of assets, divisions of inheritances, etc. (1408/1412)
JOLLE/003: "Registo de fianças" (bail records), which is composed of one bail record dated from 1535.
This fonds contains interesting sources on the assistance given by public authorities to orphans, as well as on the social and economic dynamics in Medieval Loulé. This kind of documentation is rare in the Portuguese archives, particularly from such an early age as the 15th century. Moreover, it contains information on social minorities, since the jurisdiction of the Juiz dos Órfãos (Judge of Orphans) of Loulé also covered Jewish and Muslim orphans. For instance, a record dated 1409 (PT/AMLLE/JOLLE/002/00001) reports a dispute between Isaque Cofem, the rabbi of the Jewish "comuna" (commune) of Loulé, and Afonso Nunes, the Juiz dos Órfãos, over the assets inherited by two Jewish orphan sisters. The girls' mother claimed the ownership of some items included in the inventory of assets to be delivered to the orphans' guardians. Although rabbi Cofem was on the widow's side, judge Nunes ordered the items to be seized and returned to the guardians. Aside from being a rare example of a guardianship record of Jewish orphans in Medieval Portugal, this document also shows that the Juíz dos Órfãos already exercised authority over orphans from the Jewish community before the 1430s (see Mucznik and Tavim, 2018).
Documents from this fonds were transcribed and published by Maria de Fátima Machado (2016).
JOLLE/001: "Registo das tutorias dos órfãos" (documents related to orphans' guardianship), which includes inventories of assets related to inheritances (1411/1482).
JOLLE/002: "Livros dos órfãos" (orphans' books), which include records of judicial actions related to the nomination of guardians, inventories of assets, divisions of inheritances, etc. (1408/1412)
JOLLE/003: "Registo de fianças" (bail records), which is composed of one bail record dated from 1535.
This fonds contains interesting sources on the assistance given by public authorities to orphans, as well as on the social and economic dynamics in Medieval Loulé. This kind of documentation is rare in the Portuguese archives, particularly from such an early age as the 15th century. Moreover, it contains information on social minorities, since the jurisdiction of the Juiz dos Órfãos (Judge of Orphans) of Loulé also covered Jewish and Muslim orphans. For instance, a record dated 1409 (PT/AMLLE/JOLLE/002/00001) reports a dispute between Isaque Cofem, the rabbi of the Jewish "comuna" (commune) of Loulé, and Afonso Nunes, the Juiz dos Órfãos, over the assets inherited by two Jewish orphan sisters. The girls' mother claimed the ownership of some items included in the inventory of assets to be delivered to the orphans' guardians. Although rabbi Cofem was on the widow's side, judge Nunes ordered the items to be seized and returned to the guardians. Aside from being a rare example of a guardianship record of Jewish orphans in Medieval Portugal, this document also shows that the Juíz dos Órfãos already exercised authority over orphans from the Jewish community before the 1430s (see Mucznik and Tavim, 2018).
Documents from this fonds were transcribed and published by Maria de Fátima Machado (2016).
Archival history
The Juiz dos Órfãos de Loulé fonds is part of the original collection of the Arquivo Histórico Municipal de Loulé. In the 1990s, it was enriched with the incorporation of a set of records from 1406, 1410 and 1411 (34 folios) that Alberto Iria (1909-1992) bequeathed to the Municipality of Loulé in his will, together with other documents. Iria was a Portuguese historian who dedicated most of his research career to the history of the Algarve (the southernmost region of Portugal) in the Medieval and Early Modern periods.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Juiz dos Órfãos was a local officer whose primary responsibility was to protect the rights and assets of minor orphans. He had the duty of requiring the elaboration of the inventory of the orphans' assets and depositing their value in a specific ark, together with two books with the recording of revenues and expenditures related to their value.
There is evidence of the existence of the position of Juiz dos Órfãos in Loulé since the last quarter of the 14th century. The judge, or judges, (in some periods, there were two Juízes dos Órfãos in the village) were annually elected until 1433 when the position started being attributed by nomination and without a term. At the time, the Juiz dos Órfãos' jurisdiction was extended to the religious minorities settled in Loulé, namely the Muslim and Jewish communities. These minorities remained under its jurisdiction until the end of the 15th century when the position of "Juiz dos Mouros e Judeus" (Judge of Muslims and Jews) was created. In 1496, Diogo de Ataíde exercised this office in Loulé. From the 1490s onwards, the Juiz dos Órfãos was again elected by the council, and its mandate became triennial.
There is evidence of the existence of the position of Juiz dos Órfãos in Loulé since the last quarter of the 14th century. The judge, or judges, (in some periods, there were two Juízes dos Órfãos in the village) were annually elected until 1433 when the position started being attributed by nomination and without a term. At the time, the Juiz dos Órfãos' jurisdiction was extended to the religious minorities settled in Loulé, namely the Muslim and Jewish communities. These minorities remained under its jurisdiction until the end of the 15th century when the position of "Juiz dos Mouros e Judeus" (Judge of Muslims and Jews) was created. In 1496, Diogo de Ataíde exercised this office in Loulé. From the 1490s onwards, the Juiz dos Órfãos was again elected by the council, and its mandate became triennial.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is organised in two series: JOLLE/001: "Registo das tutorias dos órfãos"; JOLLE/002: "Livros dos órfãos"; JOLLE/003: "Registo de fianças" . Records are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Digital copies of the collection are available online.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Bibliography
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Arquivo Municipal de Loulé | Collections (official language of the state) |