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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.
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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.
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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.
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