Manuscritos
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
Museum-Library of the House of Braganza
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Paço Ducal, Terreiro do Paço, 7160-251 Vila Viçosa
Contact information: phone number
00351 214416068
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
fcbraganca@fcbraganca.pt
Reference number
BDMII Ms.
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Manuscripts
Title (official language of the state)
Manuscritos
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
King D. Manuel II
Date note
15th century/19th century
Language(s)
por
Extent
147 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The Manuscritos collection is part of the Biblioteca D. Manuel II (King Manuel II Library) fonds of the Museu-Biblioteca da Casa de Bragança. It comprises manuscript books and documents from the 12th to the 20th century, including a folder entitled "Hebrew medical and scientific mss. 15 century found in the covers of Portuguese book". This folder gathers three fragments of Hebrew works:
BDMII Ms. XIV, n.º 1: Fragment (7 folios) of Gerardus de Solo's commentary to Book IX of Rhazes' Almansor, composed in Fromista (Spain) in 1489.
BDMII Ms. XIV, n.º 2 and 3: Fragments (8 folios + 6 folios) of Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine, probably also copied in Fromista (Spain) in 1489.
The manuscript collection also includes diplomatic records with information on Portuguese Jews. It is the case of the following codices:
BDMII Ms. XXXIX: Miscellaneous documents, including letters by Jerónimo Nunes da Costa (alias Moseh Curiel), a diplomatic agent of the Portuguese crown in the Netherlands, related to businesses on the Western African coast.
BDMII Ms. XCI: Letters by King Afonso VI to Francisco de Melo e Torres, Portuguese ambassador in London (1657-1660), which include mentions to Agostinho Coronel Chacon and Duarte Rodrigues Lamego, both New Christians and diplomatic agents in London and Paris, respectively. Lamego was Jerónimo Nunes da Costa's cousin.
BDMII Ms. XIV, n.º 1: Fragment (7 folios) of Gerardus de Solo's commentary to Book IX of Rhazes' Almansor, composed in Fromista (Spain) in 1489.
BDMII Ms. XIV, n.º 2 and 3: Fragments (8 folios + 6 folios) of Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine, probably also copied in Fromista (Spain) in 1489.
The manuscript collection also includes diplomatic records with information on Portuguese Jews. It is the case of the following codices:
BDMII Ms. XXXIX: Miscellaneous documents, including letters by Jerónimo Nunes da Costa (alias Moseh Curiel), a diplomatic agent of the Portuguese crown in the Netherlands, related to businesses on the Western African coast.
BDMII Ms. XCI: Letters by King Afonso VI to Francisco de Melo e Torres, Portuguese ambassador in London (1657-1660), which include mentions to Agostinho Coronel Chacon and Duarte Rodrigues Lamego, both New Christians and diplomatic agents in London and Paris, respectively. Lamego was Jerónimo Nunes da Costa's cousin.
Archival history
The Reservados section of the Museu-Biblioteca da Casa de Bragança is composed by the Manuscritos (Manuscripts) and Impressos (Printed Books) collections. It includes the King Manuel II Library and items later acquired by the foundation to complement the king's collection. The origin of this fonds dates back to 1920, when King Manuel, in exile, began to gather monographs and documentation to compose a biography of King Manuel I and shed new light on the expulsion of the Jews in the late 15th century. As the project developed, he collected numerous 16th-century books, and it led to the idea of creating a collection of old Portuguese books from the 15th and 16th centuries. This idea grew to such an extent that it culminated in one of the finest collections of 16th-century Portuguese publications. The size of the collection is rivalled only by that of the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal and the Biblioteca Pública de Évora.
In 1929, the first volume of the catalogue Livros Antigos Portuguezes / Early Portuguese Books was published in a bilingual (Portuguese and English) edition. It was followed by a second volume in 1932. The third volume was published after King Manuel's death in 1932, probably completed by his secretary Miss Margery Withers.
Later, the Fundação Casa de Bragança acquired items to complement the king's collection, both printed books, such as the "Constituições do Bispado do Porto" (Constitutions of the Bishopric of Porto) from 1497, the first incunabulum produced by a Portuguese printer, or the first edition of "A Crónica do Condestável" (Chronicle of the Constable) from 1526; and manuscripts as King Manuel I's "Livro de Menagens" (Book of Donjons); or a 13th-century Bible in parchment. The section also includes a significant collection recently purchased by the foundation: the Archives of the Marquis of Soveral.
In 1929, the first volume of the catalogue Livros Antigos Portuguezes / Early Portuguese Books was published in a bilingual (Portuguese and English) edition. It was followed by a second volume in 1932. The third volume was published after King Manuel's death in 1932, probably completed by his secretary Miss Margery Withers.
Later, the Fundação Casa de Bragança acquired items to complement the king's collection, both printed books, such as the "Constituições do Bispado do Porto" (Constitutions of the Bishopric of Porto) from 1497, the first incunabulum produced by a Portuguese printer, or the first edition of "A Crónica do Condestável" (Chronicle of the Constable) from 1526; and manuscripts as King Manuel I's "Livro de Menagens" (Book of Donjons); or a 13th-century Bible in parchment. The section also includes a significant collection recently purchased by the foundation: the Archives of the Marquis of Soveral.
Administrative / Biographical history
King Manuel II (1889-1932) was the last king of Portugal. He ascended the throne in 1908 after the assassination of his father, King Carlos I, and his brother, Prince Royal Luís Filipe. On October 5, 1910, the Republic was proclaimed, and he left Portugal with the Royal Family. Manuel lived the rest of his life in exile in Great Britain.
D. Manuel was a bibliophile and had a keen interest in History and Medieval and Renaissance literature. After the First World War, he dedicated himself with more diligence to this passion and engaged in the composition of a biography of King Manuel I. Then, he hired a bibliographer, Maurice Ettinghausen, to help him acquire books and documents to support his research. The idea of writing his homonymous' biography ended up falling apart, and D. Manuel concentrated his efforts on composing a descriptive catalogue of his library, whose result was the three-volume work Livros Antigos Portuguezes / Early Portuguese Books (1929-1932). The last volume was published after his unexpected death on July 2, 1932. In accordance with the instructions in King Manuel's will, his body was moved to Portugal and buried in the Pantheon of the House of Braganza in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. His will also set his intention to create a foundation in Portugal to manage the House of Bragança's collections and assets. In 1933, one year after his death, the Fundação da Casa de Bragança (House of Braganza Foundation) was constituted. The Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, in Alentejo (Southern Portugal), became the headquarters of the foundation and where the museum and library were located.
D. Manuel was a bibliophile and had a keen interest in History and Medieval and Renaissance literature. After the First World War, he dedicated himself with more diligence to this passion and engaged in the composition of a biography of King Manuel I. Then, he hired a bibliographer, Maurice Ettinghausen, to help him acquire books and documents to support his research. The idea of writing his homonymous' biography ended up falling apart, and D. Manuel concentrated his efforts on composing a descriptive catalogue of his library, whose result was the three-volume work Livros Antigos Portuguezes / Early Portuguese Books (1929-1932). The last volume was published after his unexpected death on July 2, 1932. In accordance with the instructions in King Manuel's will, his body was moved to Portugal and buried in the Pantheon of the House of Braganza in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. His will also set his intention to create a foundation in Portugal to manage the House of Bragança's collections and assets. In 1933, one year after his death, the Fundação da Casa de Bragança (House of Braganza Foundation) was constituted. The Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, in Alentejo (Southern Portugal), became the headquarters of the foundation and where the museum and library were located.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Records are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Access to the collection is restricted. The reader should ask prior permission from the Administrative Council of the Museu-Biblioteca da Casa de Bragança to consult its items.
Finding aids
A digital catalogue is available in the computers of the archive's reading room.
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Bibliography
Linked resources
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