Portuguese Enterprise in the East: Survival in the Years 1707-1757

Description

Since 2000, there have been fewer studies released about the formal aspects of the operation of colonial powers, such as Portugal, in the East during the Early Modern period. Prior, the fall of Communism, in the last decade of the twentieth century, gave a boost to liberal ideology, while research into topics related to autocracy or state apparatus have become unfashionable. The Portuguese role in the East is usually overlooked, being less high-profile than that of the Dutch or British. Drawing on unpublished materials from the Overseas Historical Archive, and other libraries in Portugal, this book considers Portuguese leadership and organization at home, where it pertained to the governance of the eastern colonies; as well as the formal and soft instruments of state applied on the ground in these colonies in first half of the eighteenth century. Contents Acknowledgments Foreword List of Maps and Tables Abbreviations Chapter One The Portuguese Empire in Asia Chapter Two The Empire on the Eve of the Eighteenth Century Restoration and the Empire After Constraints of Distance and Technology Input of and Linkages to Brazil Chapter Three Leadership from Lisbon to Goa Royal Court of João V Early Baroque Administration: Tracking the Overseas Council Viceregal Institution Chapter Four Diplomacy and War Mixed Outcomes of Diplomacy Alternative Instrument of War Theatres beyond the Indian Sub-continent Chapter Five Commercial Challenges of the Eastern Empire Trade Activities of the Estado and Conflicts Act of Balanced Budgeting Calculus of Mozambique in the Economic Revival Chapter Six Imperial Power through Culture and Religion “Civilising Mission” via Language and Customs Proselytising Enterprise through State-Sponsored Missionaries Challenges at the Sub-imperial Periphery of Timor Chapter Seven Beginning of a Reversal? 1741–57 Sowing the Seeds of the Impending ‘New Conquests’ Efforts in Commercial Revival João V’s Demise and the Ascension of José I Chapter Eight Conclusions Appendices Glossary List of Governors and Viceroys 1668–1757 Bibliography Index