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Royal decree issued by the King of Portugal on 3 September 1615, originating from Lisbon and addressed to the Viceroy of India, concerning the financial provision for Jesuit missionaries in China. The document records the monarch’s decision to augment the annual stipend granted to the Company of Jesus in the Chinese mission by one thousand xerafins, increasing the total allocation from two thousand to three thousand xerafins per annum. This increase is conditional upon confirmation that the number of Jesuit religious in China has risen to twenty-one, exceeding the original fourteen who had been supported under the prior arrangement. The augmentation is explicitly tied to the presence of at least seven additional missionaries beyond the original complement. The Viceroy of India is instructed to verify this numerical increase through official certification listing all religious stationed in the missions under Jesuit authority, including those in China, before disbursement may proceed. Failure to provide documented evidence will result in the suspension of both the additional payment and any future increments. Endorsed by Rui Dias de Meneses and bearing archival stamps from the Biblioteca Nacional Secção Ultramarina and Arquivo Histórico Colonial, Lisboa, the document forms part of the Portuguese colonial administrative records relating to Asia (AHU_CU_Índia). It reflects the Crown’s fiscal oversight of missionary activities in its overseas territories during the early seventeenth century.

This is a diplomatic and ecclesiastical letter, dated 8 March 16[unclear: bis/6is], authored by the Bishop of Japan and addressed to a high-ranking Portuguese official—referred to as “Your Excellency”—presumably a member of the Royal Council or colonial administration in Goa or Lisbon. The document originates from Nagasaki and is preserved in the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (Lisbon) and Biblioteca Nacional do Rio de Janeiro. It concerns Portugal’s ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Japanese mission amid escalating Spanish and papal intervention. The Bishop reports on a 1611 papal brief issued by Pope Paul V at the instigation of the Spanish Crown and Philippine religious orders, and with support from the Castilian Consejo de Indias, authorising clergy—including secular priests—to enter Japan and China via the Philippines, bypassing traditional Portuguese routes through Goa and Macau. He stresses the Crown of Portugal’s sovereign claim over the Japanese church, warns of potential jurisdictional conflict and pastoral discord, and encloses a memorial petitioning the Portuguese monarch to seek corrective papal briefs. Supplementary archival notes indicate related discussions on Philippines–Japan–China trade and Jesuit mobility under the same papal authorisation. The manuscript bears multiple institutional stamps and marginalia confirming its provenance and archival history.

Royal writ issued in 1603 granting the inhabitants of Macau, within the Portuguese State of India, the right to elect a Judge of Orphans every three years, modelled on practices in Goa and other cities of the State of India. The officeholder is to serve a single three-year term and may not be re-elected unless removed for cause or misconduct. The document further authorises the election of a Clerk of Orphans, to be held for life by a qualified individual. The writ commands the Viceroy of the Indies, the Judges of the High Court (Relação), magistrates of the State of India, the Captain-General of the Fleets, and the Ombudsman (Ouvidor) of Macau—or their successors—to uphold and enforce the provisions without imposing additional conditions or impediments. It mandates the registration of this decree in the official records of the High Court and Chancellery of the State of India, as well as in the municipal books of Macau. Issued under royal authority, the writ is to be treated as legally binding with the same force as if formally signed and sealed, overriding any conflicting provisions in the Ordinances of King D. Manuel. This document serves as an administrative and legal instrument reflecting colonial governance structures, civic organisation, and imperial authority in early seventeenth-century Macau.

This 17th-century Portuguese colonial regulation outlines the judicial powers, administrative responsibilities, and institutional framework governing the office of the Ouvidor (royal judge) of Macao within the Estado da Índia. Dated and structured as a formal regimento (charter), the document defines the Ouvidor’s jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, including final adjudication in first-instance matters and procedures for appeals to the Relação appellate court in Goa. It establishes the Ouvidor’s dual role as Judge of Orphans, details staffing arrangements—including two escribãos (clerks), one meirinho (bailiff), and four subordinates—and specifies protocols for issuing cartas de segura (letters of protection) with prior approval from the Captain. The text delineates hierarchical relations between the Ouvidor and other authorities, particularly the Captain of Macao, clarifying non-interference in Captaincy affairs while affirming the Ouvidor’s autonomous judicial function. Provisions address conflict resolution, suspension procedures, challenges to judicial impartiality (suspeição), and financial administration, including the collection and disbursement of fines. Salaries are to be paid quarterly through the Malacca factory, recorded officially, and verified via documentation entered into central registers. The regulation asserts supremacy over conflicting local customs or ordinances and mandates its registration in key administrative and judicial archives across the Portuguese imperial network, including Goa and Africa. Intended for scholarly analysis, this document offers critical insights into colonial legal structures, bureaucratic practices, and jurisdictional hierarchies in early modern Portuguese Asia.

Frei António do Rosário responde a um pedido de informação realizado por frei Francisco de Herrera relativamente à averiguação de um caso de bigamia no Santo Ofício, nomeadamente, sobre um tal "Gines Berrueso" na documentação em castelhano. Na qualidade de governador do bispado da China, frei António do Rosário ordenou ao provisor e vigário-geral, Dionísio Lopes da Rocha, igualmente pároco da freguesia da Sé, que compulsasse os livros de casamentos. Este último identificou na folha 22 do livro de casamentos um termo no qual o padre Adriano da Cunha oficiara o casamento de "Gines Barrozo Alfoçea" com "Luçia" (Lúcia ou Luzia) Pereira. Foram testemunhas deste casamento Luís Camelo Serrão (que foi ouvidor de Macau) e Tomé Brás. O Padre Manuel de Faria proporcionou a certidão de que a assinatura de Dionísio Lopes da Rocha era autêntica a 4 de Setembro de 1625. O documento, copiado pelo notário do comissário do Santo Ofício de Manila, contém ainda uma nota de frei Francisco de Herrera, explicando que foi necessário voltar a pedir a informação a Macau por os portugueses que tinham levado as cartas desde Manila não as terem entregue a frei António do Rosário.

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque

Consulado Português em Banguecoque