Talks by Helder Carvalhal
How can the emergence of Early Modern States be explained? Many classic studies have generally em... more How can the emergence of Early Modern States be explained? Many classic studies have generally emphasized the confluence of several facts in this process for the Iberian cases (Castile and Portugal). According to them, what we call today Early Modern State was shaped thanks to the enlargement of the institutions, the appearance of a corporate identity, the military revolution and the subsequent taxation system. The same has been asserted for explaining this process in the Spanish American colonies, where cities, local institutions, and their capacity to struggle -specially over its defense systems and means of taxation- acquired a very key role in this processes. However, is this also accurate to explain what happened in the Portuguese Empire, and more specifically, in Brazil?
At the beginning of the Seventeenth century, the Dutch attempted several times to take the capital of the colony, Bahia, with no success. In spite of these failures, it showed the Hispanic Monarchy the necessity of fortifying and defending the city against its enemies. Right after the 1605's attack, the Crown levied a new tax on the wine to afford the construction of fortresses together with a new set of defense projects in the surroundings of Bahia. Complaints against the imposition arose quickly, as well as the grievances towards the appropriation of the public space by the royal authority. By taking this case as a lens, this paper will revisit some issues regarding Early Modern State building and its connections with the military revolution. First, it will present the political specificities of Brazil at this moment. Second, it will analyze the spatial control from the strategic point of view, identifying the different fortresses built in this period as tools of empowerment. Finally, it will try to identify the effects that the military revolution had on the state formation in Brazil, mainly connected with warfare, statecraft and its relation with the rise of taxation and fiscal systems.
Talk presented in International Congress 'The Military Revolution in Portugal and its Empire (15th-18th centuries)', organized by CIDEHUS - University of Évora (29th-30th May 2018)
The aim of this paper is to discuss the Portuguese participation in the conquest of Tunis (1535),... more The aim of this paper is to discuss the Portuguese participation in the conquest of Tunis (1535), a military enterprise conducted by Charles V that has gathered efforts from the majority of the Christendom connected to the Habsburgs. This debate will consider two different but complementary perspectives: the military perspective, regarding the crusade dynamic and war in the Mediterranean; and the social perspective, that has to do with composition of the two groups of Portuguese soldiers that we will talk about. Both of these components are directly connected with strong political implications, since intervention in the Mediterranean has risen considerable discussion during the rule of King João III of Portugal.
The aim of this paper is to analyse cultural exchanges regarding military developments between th... more The aim of this paper is to analyse cultural exchanges regarding military developments between the Italian peninsula and Portugal in the first half of the 16th century.
Papers by Helder Carvalhal
American Journal of Human Biology, e23210, 2018
In 2018, thirty years will have passed since the release of the first edition of Geoffrey Parker ... more In 2018, thirty years will have passed since the release of the first edition of Geoffrey Parker ́s ground-breaking work The Military Revolution: Military Innovation and the Rise of the West, 1500-1800 (2nd edition in 1996). It is somehow surprising that, after three decades, most historiography on Portugal and its early modern overseas empire has by and large ignored the Military Revolution debate, especially if one regards the state of existent scholarship on other countries. Likewise, there were few attempts to include the Portuguese case in more general and comparative discussions on the Military Revolution. In order to overcome this situation, the objective of this congress is to debate the subject of Military Revolution applied to early modern Portugal and its empire. Thus, we welcome papers relating to the following topics:
The Military Revolution: theoretical and methodological perspectives - Changes in military architecture
- Increase of the size of armies: implications and consequences
- War and its relation with the rise of fiscal state
- Development of military tactics
- Cultural exchange and dissemination of military knowledge
![Research paper thumbnail of Knightly Masculinity, Court Games and Material Culture in Late-medieval Portugal: The Case of Constable Afonso (c.1480–1504) [Gender & History, vol. 28, Issue 2, August 2016, pp. 387-400]](https://a.academia-assets.com/images/blank-paper.jpg)
This article explores the ways in which gender was used in order to transform an exiled and unedu... more This article explores the ways in which gender was used in order to transform an exiled and uneducated illegitimate child into a prince. Our study revolves around a member of the royal family, Afonso (c.1480–1504), who was brought up in hiding by peasants and who later, as a teenager, was reincorporated into the court. We argue that the keys to this process of rehabilitation were, on one hand, family politics centred around different configurations and on the other, his introduction into a court environment marked by the ideals of chivalry. Within this dynamic, material culture played a key role, because it gave the prince all the visual attributes of his new status, as well as allowing him the means to create a new self. We shall briefly introduce Afonso and his family context in order to give an insight into his life within changing political and dynastic contexts. Then, we will analyse the expression of manhood in the Portuguese court, using the spectacles at the court as a basis for observation, thus relating gender to material culture in a courtly environment.
This article discusses the social mobility strategies of the Teles de Meneses family throughout t... more This article discusses the social mobility strategies of the Teles de Meneses family throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, seeking to understand their influence on the family's social evolution and improved ranking at the court. Marriage policy and service in the Iberian courts are analyzed over three different generations and from two standpoints: first, the preservation of the family's pre-acquired status; second, the diversification of the services performed in the various settings where its influence could be exercised. This will highlight the reasons behind the social evolution of this family and the subsequent granting of titles to some of its members.
Fragmenta Historica, nº 2 (2014), 39-67
O presente texto possui como objectivo principal discutir as políticas de patrocínio do Ducado da... more O presente texto possui como objectivo principal discutir as políticas de patrocínio do Ducado da Guarda e do seu titular, o Infante D. Fernando (1507-1534), tendo em conta o contexto de criação deste senhorio face à política régia de controlo da alta nobreza. Numa primeira fase, a análise da forma como o património foi composto e administrado possibilitará a compreensão parcial do valor da casa enquanto unidade económica e a comparação com os demais senhorios coevos. Em seguida, partindo do conjunto de recursos reunido por esta plataforma de poder, proceder-se-á a uma estimativa do potencial de atracção que o senhorio poderia oferecer. Finalmente, tais valores serão, entre outras variáveis, interpretados com base nos mecanismos de recrutamento clientelar e nas práticas administrativas adoptadas neste caso de estudo // [eng: The main objective of this paper is to discuss the political patronage of the Duchy of Guarda and its holder, Infante Fernando (1507-1534), having in account the context of creation of this lordship and the control of the high nobility promoted by the Crown. In a first stage, an analysis of the composition and administration of the patrimonial assets will allow a partial understanding of the lordship´s value as an economical unit and provide its comparison with others seigniorial houses of the period. Then, the amount of resources gathered by this platform of power will generate an estimate of the attraction potential that this house could offer. Finally, these values, among other variables, will be interpreted based on the mechanisms that ensure clientele recruitment and administrative practices adopted in this case study].
7 Mares - Revista dos Pós-Graduandos em História Moderna, nº 4, 2014
Book Chapters by Helder Carvalhal
Jeremy Black (ed) - Global Military Transformations: Change and Continuity, 1450-1800, 2023
This article discusses recent historiographical trends regarding the evolution of warfare in Port... more This article discusses recent historiographical trends regarding the evolution of warfare in Portugal and its overseas empire in the early modern period. It presents a reassessment of the state of art on the Portuguese case in the early modern world (in the kingdom of Portugal in Europe and its overseas empire), followed by some contributions for an ongoing research agenda. It is divided in three parts, presenting overviews of the situation in Europe, overseas and at sea. It concludes that it is difficult to sustain that the Portuguese case supports the case for a link between an alleged military revolution and unilinear state-formation or Western military exceptionalism
Wage Earners in India 1500–1900 : Regional Approaches in an International Context, 2021
![Research paper thumbnail of Fiscalidade, redistribuição e poder senhorial no Portugal Quinhentista [eng: Taxation, redistribution and seigniorial power in sixteenth century Portugal]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/61456710/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Finanças, Economia e Instituições no Portugal Moderno, séculos XVI-XVIII, 2019
O presente capítulo examina a relação entre fiscalidade, redistribuição de recursos, e poder senh... more O presente capítulo examina a relação entre fiscalidade, redistribuição de recursos, e poder senhorial em Portugal durante a primeira metade do século XVI, usando como caso de estudo os descendentes masculinos do rei D. Manuel I (r.1495-1521) - os infantes. Pretende responder a duas questões centrais: a) de que modo a monarquia redistribuiu recursos entre os seus dependentes, desde as doações dos senhorios ao subsequente financiamento anual das respectivas casas; b) até que ponto a evolução das reformas das instituições régias afectou o poder de redistribuição e manutenção de uma considerável rede clientelar, alimentada pelo favor régio e/ou principesco. A literatura especializada indicou por várias vezes que a política fiscal desenvolvida pelos Avis durante o século XV (especialmente no caso das sisas) permitiu um alargamento do respectivo poder redistributivo, que acabou por beneficiar, entre outros, os descendentes dos monarcas D. João I (r.1383-1433) e D. Duarte (r.1433-1437). Assuntos não tão bem estudados residem em saber se os descendentes manuelinos teriam eventualmente benefícios semelhantes, ou mesmo se os efeitos das reformas institucionais desta primeira metade de Quinhentos tiveram efeitos nesta base redistributiva de ordem régia. Argumenta-se que, durante este período, não ocorreram mudanças substanciais na maneira como estes recursos eram redistribuídos. A excepção reside no incremento da tendência régia para diversificar as origens do financiamento aos seus membros, dado um conjunto de variáveis como as referidas reformas institucionais, a importância do comércio de além-mar, as consequências da política matrimonial, e a interferência régia na jurisdição eclesiástica. Como tal, e para demonstrar este argumento, a análise incidirá nas duas questões acima mencionadas, relacionadas com a redistribuição de recursos às casas dos infantes e com os efeitos da evolução da fiscalidade na manutenção das respectivas clientelas régias e/ou principescas
Royal and Elite Households in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. More than just a Castle, ed. Theresa Earenfight, Leiden & New York, Brill , 2018
Estudios sobre Guerra Y Sociedad en la Monarquía Hispánica. Guerra Marítima, estrategia, organización y cultura militar (1500-1700), eds. Enrique García Hernán y Davide Maffi
Uploads
Talks by Helder Carvalhal
At the beginning of the Seventeenth century, the Dutch attempted several times to take the capital of the colony, Bahia, with no success. In spite of these failures, it showed the Hispanic Monarchy the necessity of fortifying and defending the city against its enemies. Right after the 1605's attack, the Crown levied a new tax on the wine to afford the construction of fortresses together with a new set of defense projects in the surroundings of Bahia. Complaints against the imposition arose quickly, as well as the grievances towards the appropriation of the public space by the royal authority. By taking this case as a lens, this paper will revisit some issues regarding Early Modern State building and its connections with the military revolution. First, it will present the political specificities of Brazil at this moment. Second, it will analyze the spatial control from the strategic point of view, identifying the different fortresses built in this period as tools of empowerment. Finally, it will try to identify the effects that the military revolution had on the state formation in Brazil, mainly connected with warfare, statecraft and its relation with the rise of taxation and fiscal systems.
Talk presented in International Congress 'The Military Revolution in Portugal and its Empire (15th-18th centuries)', organized by CIDEHUS - University of Évora (29th-30th May 2018)
Papers by Helder Carvalhal
The Military Revolution: theoretical and methodological perspectives - Changes in military architecture
- Increase of the size of armies: implications and consequences
- War and its relation with the rise of fiscal state
- Development of military tactics
- Cultural exchange and dissemination of military knowledge
Book Chapters by Helder Carvalhal
At the beginning of the Seventeenth century, the Dutch attempted several times to take the capital of the colony, Bahia, with no success. In spite of these failures, it showed the Hispanic Monarchy the necessity of fortifying and defending the city against its enemies. Right after the 1605's attack, the Crown levied a new tax on the wine to afford the construction of fortresses together with a new set of defense projects in the surroundings of Bahia. Complaints against the imposition arose quickly, as well as the grievances towards the appropriation of the public space by the royal authority. By taking this case as a lens, this paper will revisit some issues regarding Early Modern State building and its connections with the military revolution. First, it will present the political specificities of Brazil at this moment. Second, it will analyze the spatial control from the strategic point of view, identifying the different fortresses built in this period as tools of empowerment. Finally, it will try to identify the effects that the military revolution had on the state formation in Brazil, mainly connected with warfare, statecraft and its relation with the rise of taxation and fiscal systems.
Talk presented in International Congress 'The Military Revolution in Portugal and its Empire (15th-18th centuries)', organized by CIDEHUS - University of Évora (29th-30th May 2018)
The Military Revolution: theoretical and methodological perspectives - Changes in military architecture
- Increase of the size of armies: implications and consequences
- War and its relation with the rise of fiscal state
- Development of military tactics
- Cultural exchange and dissemination of military knowledge
The existence of a military revolution in the early modern period has been much debated within international historiography and this volume fills a significant gap in its relation to the history of Portugal and its overseas empire. It examines different forms of military change in specifically Portuguese case studies, but also adopts a global perspective through the analysis of different contexts and episodes in Africa, America, and Asia. Contributors explore whether there is evidence of what could be defined as aspects of a military revolution, or, alternatively, whether other explanatory models are needed to account for different forms of military change. As such, it offers the reader a variety of perspectives that contribute to the debate over the applicability of the Military Revolution concept to Portugal and its empire during the early modern period. Broken down into four thematic parts and broad in both chronological and geographical scope, the book deepens our understanding of the art of warfare in Portugal and its empire and demonstrates how the Military Revolution debate can be used to examine military change in a global perspective.
This is an essential text for scholars and students of military history, military architecture, global history, Asian history and the history of Iberian empires.