Pernambuco
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
Overseas Historical Archive
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Calçada da Boa-Hora 30, 1300-095 Lisbon
Contact information: phone number
00351 210 30 91 00
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
ahu@ahu.dglab.gov.pt
Reference number
PT/CU/015
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Pernambuco
Title (official language of the state)
Pernambuco
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Conselho Ultramarino
Date(s)
1590/1825
Language(s)
por
Extent
290 boxes, and 20,029 documents.
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Pernambuco sub-collection is part of the Conselho Ultramarino (Overseas Council) fonds. This institution had jurisdiction over all overseas territories of the Portuguese Empire. Therefore, its archive included numerous letters, royal orders, and documentation exchanged with other institutions of the Portuguese Crown. This collection, in particular, contains diverse documentation concerning the Portuguese colonial administration relating to Pernambuco.
A few documents in this collection contain information concerning Portuguese New Christians and Jews, especially during the Dutch occupation (1630-1654) and afterwards. Some examples are the following:
CU/015/004/305: March 22, 1639: Letter from Antônio de Mariz Carneiro to King Filipe III of Portugal (1605-1665), mentioning a debt of a particular group of Jews to the Junta dos Contos (a colonial institution that existed in Brazil with jurisdiction over financial issues).
CU/015/004/322: April 2, 1644: Consultation of the Conselho Ultramarino concerning measures to prevent Manoel de Albuquerque from entering into the captaincy of Pernambuco. The justification was that Manoel de Albuquerque and his family were linked to certain Jewish groups.
PT/AHU/CU/015/0005/00422, August 3, 1651: Consultation sent by the Conselho Ultramarino to King João IV of Portugal (1604-1656) about a petition by Friar Manuel Calado, asking for the ecclesiastical administration of the captaincy of Pernambuco or Rio de Janeiro. In this document, he acknowledges the existence of Jewish catechumens in Lisbon, which he had baptised personally. According to Bruno Feitler's interpretation, this information may have been included because he had baptised two other Jews, who later returned to Judaism. The first was Abraão Tudesco, a resident of Recife, and the second was Salomão Rodrigues. Both fled to Recife, where they returned to Judaism (Feitler 2003, 189-190).
CU/015/0006/00477, May 11, 1654: Consultation sent by the Conselho Ultramarino to King João IV about a letter from the "mestre-de-campos geral" (land manager) of Pernambuco, Francisco Barreto. Barreto informed that he had forced the Dutch and the Jews to pay certain obligations resulting from their land ownership. Another consultation dating from December 16, 1654 (CU/015/0006/00514) approaches the same affair.
CU/015/006/522, February 15, 1655: Consultation sent to King João IV about Abraão Coem's request to sell his houses and ship one thousand "quintais" (units of measure) of redwood to Holland.
CU/015/007/584, May 28, 1657: Consultation sent to Queen Regent Luísa de Gusmão (1613-1666) about a request from João Nunes, asking for compensation for having served in an infantry regiment at the service of the Portuguese Crown. He specifically asked for some houses Dutch and Jewish owners had left in Recife. See also another similar consultation in
CU/015/007/586.
A few documents in this collection contain information concerning Portuguese New Christians and Jews, especially during the Dutch occupation (1630-1654) and afterwards. Some examples are the following:
CU/015/004/305: March 22, 1639: Letter from Antônio de Mariz Carneiro to King Filipe III of Portugal (1605-1665), mentioning a debt of a particular group of Jews to the Junta dos Contos (a colonial institution that existed in Brazil with jurisdiction over financial issues).
CU/015/004/322: April 2, 1644: Consultation of the Conselho Ultramarino concerning measures to prevent Manoel de Albuquerque from entering into the captaincy of Pernambuco. The justification was that Manoel de Albuquerque and his family were linked to certain Jewish groups.
PT/AHU/CU/015/0005/00422, August 3, 1651: Consultation sent by the Conselho Ultramarino to King João IV of Portugal (1604-1656) about a petition by Friar Manuel Calado, asking for the ecclesiastical administration of the captaincy of Pernambuco or Rio de Janeiro. In this document, he acknowledges the existence of Jewish catechumens in Lisbon, which he had baptised personally. According to Bruno Feitler's interpretation, this information may have been included because he had baptised two other Jews, who later returned to Judaism. The first was Abraão Tudesco, a resident of Recife, and the second was Salomão Rodrigues. Both fled to Recife, where they returned to Judaism (Feitler 2003, 189-190).
CU/015/0006/00477, May 11, 1654: Consultation sent by the Conselho Ultramarino to King João IV about a letter from the "mestre-de-campos geral" (land manager) of Pernambuco, Francisco Barreto. Barreto informed that he had forced the Dutch and the Jews to pay certain obligations resulting from their land ownership. Another consultation dating from December 16, 1654 (CU/015/0006/00514) approaches the same affair.
CU/015/006/522, February 15, 1655: Consultation sent to King João IV about Abraão Coem's request to sell his houses and ship one thousand "quintais" (units of measure) of redwood to Holland.
CU/015/007/584, May 28, 1657: Consultation sent to Queen Regent Luísa de Gusmão (1613-1666) about a request from João Nunes, asking for compensation for having served in an infantry regiment at the service of the Portuguese Crown. He specifically asked for some houses Dutch and Jewish owners had left in Recife. See also another similar consultation in
CU/015/007/586.
Archival history
The Conselho Ultramarino (Overseas Council) archive had different locations in Lisbon. The archive moved to Campo Santana, near the city centre, in 1750. It was relocated to a building in Rua do Ouro in 1796 and later to another in Rua Augusta. Later, the archive moved to Terreiro do Paço, where the Conselho Ultramarino was located. In 1834, still quite disorganised, the archive was placed in the Secretaria de Estado dos Negócios da Marinha e Ultramar (Secretariat of State of Navy and Overseas). In 1842, Filipe Roberto Da Silva Stockler, former archivist of the Conselho Ultramarino, was charged with organising the archive.
In 1931, the documents of the Conselho Ultramarino fonds were transferred to the Arquivo Histórico Colonial (Colonial Historical Archive), later renamed Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (Overseas Historical Archive). The archive was placed in Palácio da Eva in Junqueira, Belém (west of Lisbon). After that, some other fonds produced by the Conselho Ultramarino were added to the archive collection, namely some that were in the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archive of Torre do Tombo).
In 1931, the documents of the Conselho Ultramarino fonds were transferred to the Arquivo Histórico Colonial (Colonial Historical Archive), later renamed Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (Overseas Historical Archive). The archive was placed in Palácio da Eva in Junqueira, Belém (west of Lisbon). After that, some other fonds produced by the Conselho Ultramarino were added to the archive collection, namely some that were in the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archive of Torre do Tombo).
Administrative / Biographical history
The Conselho Ultramarino (Overseas Council) was regulated on July 14, 1642, and instituted one year later. This body was responsible for all affairs related to the Portuguese overseas territories. Its duties included the financial (with jurisdiction over all assets of Portuguese colonies, except the Azores, Madeira, and North African territories), judicial and military administration, the regulation of shipping, the appointment to overseas positions, and the attribution of benefits for services rendered in colonial territories. Later, some of these duties were transferred to the Junta do Comércio, Agricultura, Fábricas e Navegação (Board of Trade, Agriculture, Industry and Navigation) and the Conselho do Almirantado (Council of the Admiralty) after their creation in 1755 and 1795, respectively.
During the period in which the Portuguese court was in Brazil (1808-20), the activity of the Conselho Ultramarino was reduced to routine procedures, such as the payment of wages or issuing licenses. Then, the Mesa do Desembargo do Paço e da Consciência e Ordens, created in Rio de Janeiro in 1808, assumed some of the functions of the Conselho Ultramarino and other state bodies. The Conselho Ultramarino was abolished on August 30, 1833.
During the period in which the Portuguese court was in Brazil (1808-20), the activity of the Conselho Ultramarino was reduced to routine procedures, such as the payment of wages or issuing licenses. Then, the Mesa do Desembargo do Paço e da Consciência e Ordens, created in Rio de Janeiro in 1808, assumed some of the functions of the Conselho Ultramarino and other state bodies. The Conselho Ultramarino was abolished on August 30, 1833.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Digital copies are available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Miguel Torres de Carvalho, 2023
Linked resources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino | Collections (official language of the state) |