Os provimentos de ofícios: a questão da propriedade no Antigo Regime português

Abstract

RESUMOEste trabalho pretende analisar a concessão em propriedade de ofícios da monarquia portuguesa nos séculos XVII e XVIII. Com base em fontes de natureza diversa, deseja-se saber quais eram os cargos civis concedidos pelo rei segundo esta modalidade, assim como a sua expressão numérica na hierarquia administrativa. Considerando-se, ao mesmo tempo, o que se costuma definir como as normas e as práticas, analisar-se-ão os direitos dos titulares e seus descendentes para, finalmente, avaliar as mudanças administrativas propostas no centro político da monarquia na segunda metade do século XVIII, sobretudo no que se refere ao provimento dos ofícios civis na América portuguesa. Palavras-chave: administração; monarquia portuguesa; propriedade de ofícios; Antigo Regime; América portuguesa. ABSTRACT This article focuses on the offices of the Portuguese monarchy that were given as "property" in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Using different documental sources, the study intends to show which civil offices were provided by the king according to this property mode, and also its numerical expression in the administrative hierarchy. We examine the rights of office holders and their descendants in light of the usual definition of rules and practices. Finally, this paper assesses the proposed administrative changes in the political center in the second half of the eighteenth century, particularly the provision of civil offices in Portuguese America.

Women and the Acquisition, Transmission, and Execution of Public Offices in Early Modern Portugal

“…As the judge explained it, the public office was a grant from the crown that could be withdrawn without any recourse for reparations by the office holder. 9 That ruling showcases the nebulous nature of office holding in early modern Portugal. A public office could and often was the 'property' of an office holder's family, but it could not be counted as part of the family estate.…”

Closing doors (1780-1813): the liquidation process at General Company of Pernambuco and Paraíba

“…Such logic has already been discussed in the literature by other authors (Cardim, 2005;Gouvea, 2010;Hespanha, 1994;Marcos, 1997;Stumpf, 2012aStumpf, , 2014. Thus, it was created the impression that the PPC would be a public agent, despite its funds being originated privately.…”

“…Another feature of the Portuguese Ancien Régime society was the sale of royal offices (venalidade de ofícios) (Stumpf, 2012a(Stumpf, , 2014. According to McAlister (1987, p. 439), "the purchase price constituted a nonrefundable bond for correct performance, but it was used in fact as a source of revenue".…”

“…Also, regarding the Crown interference in PPC's officer's issues, it should be noted some peculiarities. The sources display that the officers' appointment followed a fundamental feature of the political culture of the Portuguese monarchy (Monteiro, 2012c;Stumpf, 2012bStumpf, , 2014Wehling & Wehling, 1994). The King was responsible for the appointment of all PPC's officers, independent of their internal hierarchical position in the company.…”

“…The appointments made for the PPC's officers were both temporary (concessão precária) and permanent (em propriedade). In the latter case, the position could be transmitted by inheritance (Stumpf, 2014). In both cases, the office-holders could nominate a third party (serventuário) to perform the job.…”