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This 17th-century Portuguese colonial administrative document, dated 10 January 1673 and originating from Macau, comprises fragmented correspondence addressed to a high-ranking authority, likely the Prince Regent or Viceroy. The text, written in cursive script typical of late 17th-century Iberian bureaucratic practice, records urgent appeals concerning the deteriorating condition of the settlement, including territorial vulnerability, economic decline, and administrative strain. It references the geometric delineation of land boundaries, insufficient resources for sustainability, legal regulation under a recent commission, and invocation of divine mercy amid crisis. Key figures include J. Damello de Silva, Alferes (Ensign) and municipal officer of Macau, alongside signatories António, Frigue Grimaldo (or variant), and M. G. de Lusa/Lusia. Marginal annotations contain partial, illegible entries, while a printed seal identifies the “Colonial Historical Archive of the House” beneath the main text. Archival markings, including references such as “Macau, Cx. 1, doc. 75”, suggest provenance from a later cataloguing system, possibly the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino. Due to orthographic irregularities, faded passages, and linguistic corruptions—such as “grum”, “cuzar”, and “felend”—the document presents significant interpretative challenges. Nonetheless, it offers critical insight into the political, economic, and ecclesiastical pressures facing Portugal’s Asian territories during a period of imperial instability, particularly amid war, trade disruption, and internal governance crises.

1 anexo.

6 anexos.

This 17th-century administrative correspondence, originating from the municipal council (Câmara) of Macao and dated between August and December 1666, comprises a series of petitions addressed to the Portuguese monarch concerning the severe economic and political crisis afflicting the settlement. The documents detail the catastrophic impact of a Chinese imperial edict—issued under the Qing (Tartar) government—that prohibited maritime navigation and forced coastal populations to relocate inland, effectively severing Macao’s commercial lifelines, particularly its trade with China. Council members, including Rafael Arias de Morales and other assessors, report widespread famine, isolation, and the collapse of local markets, exacerbated by the absence of military and financial support from the Viceroyalty of India. They urgently petition for the dispatch of a royal embassy to the Court of Peking as the only viable remedy to restore trade and safeguard Portugal’s strategic and religious interests in the region. The text further describes the detention of Jesuit, Dominican, and Franciscan missionaries in Canton and the suppression of Christian proselytisation. Endorsed with official seals of the Arquivo Histórico Colonial and Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino, these records form part of the Portuguese colonial archive and offer critical insights into the challenges faced by European enclaves in East Asia amid shifting imperial policies in early Qing China.

This is a transcription of a 17th-century Portuguese colonial document from the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU), dated 11 May 1665, originating from Lisbon and associated with the Overseas Council (Conselho Ultramarino). The document records a petition submitted by António de Sousa de Meneses, nobleman of the royal household, requesting confirmation of a royal warrant (alvará) originally issued on 24 January 1598 under the authority of the King of Castile during the Iberian Union. The alvará granted him rights to a voyage to China, a claim he asserts through inheritance via his uncle, Dom Diogo Lobo, who was provisionally appointed captain of the China voyage prior to 1598 and formally designated it in his last will of 10 June 1612. The petitioner cites prolonged military and administrative service to the Crown on the Alentejo frontier and in Portuguese India as grounds for confirmation, despite having failed to seek validation earlier due to active duty. The Council recommends approval based on his meritorious conduct and extenuating circumstances. The text exhibits orthographic variations typical of 17th-century Portuguese bureaucratic writing, including terms such as “chancelaria” (warrant office) and “vagaante” (voyage). Marginal annotations include procedural notes, archival references (AHU_CU_Índia, Cx. 14, D. 84), and later cataloguing entries, while official seals and signatures of Council officials authenticate the record. This document provides critical insight into the administration of colonial appointments, succession claims, and maritime governance within the Portuguese Empire during the post-Union period.

This 17th-century Portuguese colonial document, dated 23 May 1664, constitutes a formal copy of a royal communication from the Prince (likely referring to King Afonso VI during his transitional reign) addressed to the Count of India. Originating from Lisbon and preserved in the Arquivo Histórico Nacional with archival references “K70 A4” and “A.53”, the text responds to reports from the Senate of the Municipal Council of Macau regarding severe disruptions to trade and widespread hardship among Portuguese vassals due to ongoing military conflicts in China. The correspondence emphasizes the necessity of maintaining commercial routes between Macau and the Philippines under historical privileges established during the reign of Dom Sebastião, while strictly prohibiting the transport of East Indian goods by foreign agents, particularly Spaniards, to prevent economic prejudice. It underscores the Crown’s obligation to protect its loyal subjects and calls for urgent measures to secure maritime commerce amid regional instability linked to the Ming-Qing transition. Despite an apparent scribal anomaly in the date (“664”), contextual evidence confirms its authenticity within the mid-17th century Portuguese imperial framework. The presence of official seals from both the National Historical Archive and the Overseas Historical Archive (AHU) affirms its provenance. This document provides critical insight into Iberian colonial administration, inter-Asian trade dynamics, and diplomatic protocols within the Portuguese Empire during a period of geopolitical upheaval in East Asia.

This 17th-century Portuguese colonial document, dated November–December 1656 and originating from the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU), comprises a series of administrative communications concerning the political, military, and economic situation in Macau during a period of heightened regional instability. The text includes reports from Manoel Martim Riemem, Governor of the State of India, and references to the Captain-Major of Macau, detailing concerns over Dutch naval activity, disruptions to maritime routes—including the Strait of Sunda—and the precarious financial and defensive state of the settlement. Key figures mentioned include João Rodrigues de Sá, Captain of the Fleet, and Eldréj de l’Artella, Governor of the Philippine Islands, who expressed strategic interest in Macau’s vulnerability. The correspondence addresses urgent measures such as troop reinforcement, provisioning of fortifications, remittance of funds (notably ten thousand xerafins or cruzados), and proposals for leadership succession within the Fidalgo fleet, including the recommended appointment of Drey VIAR de Lucellad. The document also records internal disciplinary matters, such as the conduct of Captain Sebastião Pereira, and broader diplomatic and commercial relations with Canton. Despite some marginal annotations containing anachronistic or illegible elements—such as the suspect date “1798” and uncertain terms like “prataxo” or “farenças”—the core content aligns with known historical contexts of Portuguese Asia in 1656. However, several passages are flagged as potentially unreliable due to orthographic anomalies, transcriptional errors, or suspected hallucination, necessitating cautious scholarly interpretation and further verification against original manuscripts in the AHU collection.

This document is a petition submitted by Captain D. Pedro Rodrigues Teixeira, a prominent figure in the governance of Macau, requesting royal favours in recognition of his long-standing service to the Crown in Asian territories. The text records the granting of the habit of Christ—denoting membership in the Military Order of Christ—as an honour previously bestowed in acknowledgment of his loyalty, alongside financial provisions amounting to four thousand réis for the dowry of his daughter. The petitioner further requests the deferred captaincy of Mombasa for one of his daughters and equitable compensation for the loss of the fortress of Pancelllos due to shipwreck, seeking recompense proportional to the value of the habit. Marginal annotations indicate review by the Overseas Council, referencing Teixeira’s residence in Macau and the purpose of the request as securing marital provision for his daughters. Archival markings include references to “Macau, Cx. 1, doc. 67” and a possible folio designation “4º”, with a blue “AHU” stamp confirming provenance from the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino. Significant portions of the main text are illegible due to deterioration, and several signatures and seals remain indecipherable. The document reflects seventeenth-century Portuguese imperial administrative practices, particularly the use of chivalric honours and territorial grants as instruments of patronage and colonial governance.

This 17th-century Portuguese colonial document, dated circa 1654, is an administrative or military dispatch originating from Macau, China, and held within the Historical Archive of Macau. It comprises a formal letter addressed to a high-ranking colonial official, likely the governor, invoking religious and dynastic legitimacy in the context of Portuguese imperial authority in Asia. The text references key figures including Dom Brás—interpreted as a scribal error for Dom João IV—and allusions to Dom Afonso Henriques, symbolising national restoration and divine providence following the end of the Iberian Union (1580–1640). Central themes include the moral and spiritual justification of Portuguese rule, the deposition of tyranny, and appeals to divine intervention for relief from political and material hardships afflicting Macau. The document mentions obscure geographical terms such as "ascatorpens" and "Lande Ingatto," alongside the "route of the Six Reigns," possibly denoting trade or military routes in maritime Asia. A marginal archival reference ("Macau, Cx. 4, doc. 65") indicates its provenance within a classified colonial archive. Seals bearing inscriptions from the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino confirm its institutional custody. Written in early modern Portuguese with archaic orthography and syntactic irregularities, the document reflects post-Restoration nationalist rhetoric interwoven with Catholic providentialism. It serves as a valuable source for studying Portuguese colonial ideology, administrative practices, and discourses of sovereignty in 17th-century Asia.

This is a seventeenth-century administrative document dated 10 March 1650, originating from the Portuguese imperial administration and bearing archival identification marks consistent with holdings of the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU). The document records royal appointments and financial disbursements related to the governance and military administration of Portugal’s overseas territories, with specific reference to India and Angola. It outlines the delegation of commissions to several individuals: Dom Rodrigo de Sá, a military officer in Lisbon previously active in India; Francisco Luís, a councillor and former captain-major of a nau who also served in Angola and São Miguel; António de Sousa Coutinho and Francelino da Elyva, both long-serving officials in India; and Cartilho Fernandes Pereira, to whom a sum of 6,500 cruzados was disbursed in Lisbon. The text emphasises criteria for appointment, including proven loyalty, administrative experience, and familiarity with local conditions, particularly favouring those with prior service in India for roles requiring institutional stability. A circular colonial stamp referencing the “Império Português” and “Fundado em 1500” appears alongside handwritten annotations indicating archival classification. Signed by João Miguel Ribeiro, the document reflects centralised decision-making within the Portuguese crown’s bureaucratic framework during the mid-seventeenth century. Its language and structure provide insight into the mechanisms of colonial administration, personnel selection, and fiscal authorisation in the early modern period. This transcription preserves original orthography and textual irregularities for scholarly accuracy.

This 17th-century administrative petition, dated 15 March 1649, forms part of the deliberations of the Overseas Council (Conselho Ultramarino) concerning Luís de Miranda Henriques, a Portuguese subject resident in Macau. Submitted through legal representation, the document records Henriques’ request for the revocation and renewal of two royal warrants (*alvarás*) originally issued on 22 March 1643, granting him rights to a voyage from India to China for the benefit of his daughters, Donas Catharina and Leonor de Miranda, with the facultative right to renounce them. The petitioner asserts that due to ongoing military conflict and continuous service to the Crown in the Indian territories, he was unable to return to Portugal within the stipulated two-year period to renew the warrants. The Council recommends reissuing the *alvarás* under the same conditions, extending the renewal deadline by an additional two years and allowing succession by lawful heirs should the beneficiaries predecease their entitlement. Endorsed by officials including Salvador de Sá de Meneses and Diogo Lobo do Amaral, the document reflects bureaucratic procedures governing colonial trade privileges and royal patronage within the Portuguese Empire. Located in the Arquivo Histórico Colonial (reference AHU, Macau, Cx. I, doc. 63), this record provides insight into imperial administration, familial inheritance strategies, and the logistical constraints affecting colonial subjects’ compliance with metropolitan legal requirements during the mid-17th century.

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This 17th-century administrative document, dated 14 July 1648, originates from the Portuguese Overseas Council (Conselho Ultramarino) in Lisbon and concerns a petition submitted by Father António Francisco Cardim, General Procurator of the Jesuit Province of Japan. The petition requests the restoration of an annual endowment of one thousand cruzados to the College of Macau, originally granted by King Dom Sebastião in 1574 from the customs revenues of Malacca, and later confirmed and extended by subsequent monarchs, including King Filipe II in perpetuity from 1614. Following the Dutch capture of Malacca, the funding was reassigned to revenues from the Aljofar pearl fisheries in Goa, but payment was suspended during the viceroyalty of the Count of Aveiras. The document records the Council’s deliberation on this matter, citing testimony regarding the continued missionary activity of the Jesuits across Japan, Cochin China, Tonkin, Cambodia, and Laos, despite persecution and financial hardship. It notes the province’s growing spiritual successes—including mass baptisms—and its severe economic distress, with current revenues insufficient to sustain operations. The Council recommends reinstating the grant from Aljofar revenues and formally recognising the monarch as founder of the College of Macau, following the precedent of royal patronage in Goa and Cochin. Accompanying royal charters from 1579, 1607, 1614, and 1618 are referenced as legal substantiation. A marginal royal dispatch dated 26 March 1649 approves the Council’s recommendation. The document is part of the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU) collections, specifically the India/Macau series, and reflects key aspects of Iberian colonial administration, ecclesiastical finance, and Jesuit missionary policy in East Asia during the early modern period.

Obs.: Resolução favorável do rei.

Obs.: Resolução do rei de 1647/02/21, mandando avisar o Conselho da Fazenda para que se execute o referido decreto.

Obs.: Resolução favorável do rei 1 anexo.

Obs.: O rei nomeia para o cargo D. Brás de Castro. Anexos: Minuta e cópia da consulta.