Rio de Janeiro
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/017
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Rio de Janeiro
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Conselho Ultramarino
Date(s)
1614/1830
Language(s)
por
Extent
295 boxes, and 20,964 documents.
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Rio de Janeiro 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 various documentation concerning the Portuguese colonial administration related to Rio de Janeiro.
Among the numerous documents that are part of this collection, a few contain information regarding Portuguese New Christians. Some examples are the following:
CU/017/0003/00315, January 22, 1658: Letter from the City Council of Rio de Janeiro to King Afonso VI of Portugal (1643-1683) requesting the appointment of an ecclesiastical administrator, among other issues. According to the local authorities, the administrator was needed to regulate the many New Christians arriving in Rio de Janeiro.
CU/017/042/4305, March 13, 1749: Letter from the Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Gomes Freire de Andrade (1685-1763), to King João V of Portugal (1689-1750), informing that, according to a royal order, he had sent a recommendation to the "ouvidor" (local justice officer) of Sabará, favouring the confiscation of António Lopes de Leão's properties. This measure resulted from the fact that Leão had left Portugal without permission and was suspected of Judaising.
CU/017/096/8312: undated [before January 26, 1774]: Request of one of the partners of the general contract of whaling in Brazil, Francisco José da Fonseca, to the Viceroy of Brazil, the Marquis of Lavradio, for a license to send a ship to hunt sperm whales. Captain Thomas Lothrop would join the crew and instruct the fishermen on the ways to hunt sperm whales. Lothrop was the captain of the brig Leviathan, a ship owned by Aaron Lopez, an influential Portuguese Jewish merchant based in Newport, Rhode Island. Portuguese authorities had arrested the brig off the coast of Brazil. More information about this episode is in AHU/CU/17/103/87770.
Among the numerous documents that are part of this collection, a few contain information regarding Portuguese New Christians. Some examples are the following:
CU/017/0003/00315, January 22, 1658: Letter from the City Council of Rio de Janeiro to King Afonso VI of Portugal (1643-1683) requesting the appointment of an ecclesiastical administrator, among other issues. According to the local authorities, the administrator was needed to regulate the many New Christians arriving in Rio de Janeiro.
CU/017/042/4305, March 13, 1749: Letter from the Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Gomes Freire de Andrade (1685-1763), to King João V of Portugal (1689-1750), informing that, according to a royal order, he had sent a recommendation to the "ouvidor" (local justice officer) of Sabará, favouring the confiscation of António Lopes de Leão's properties. This measure resulted from the fact that Leão had left Portugal without permission and was suspected of Judaising.
CU/017/096/8312: undated [before January 26, 1774]: Request of one of the partners of the general contract of whaling in Brazil, Francisco José da Fonseca, to the Viceroy of Brazil, the Marquis of Lavradio, for a license to send a ship to hunt sperm whales. Captain Thomas Lothrop would join the crew and instruct the fishermen on the ways to hunt sperm whales. Lothrop was the captain of the brig Leviathan, a ship owned by Aaron Lopez, an influential Portuguese Jewish merchant based in Newport, Rhode Island. Portuguese authorities had arrested the brig off the coast of Brazil. More information about this episode is in AHU/CU/17/103/87770.
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 divided into two subseries (Rio de Janeiro and Rio de Janeiro-CA), whose contents are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Digital copies are available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Miguel Torres de Carvalho, 2023
Bibliography
Linked resources
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