Unveiling Historical Regimes of Normativity
Investigating the Impact of the Irmandade de Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia in the Portuguese Empire
The Irmandade de Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia was a charitable brotherhood that emerged in Lisbon in 1498 and spread, at the same time as the ‘Iberian mundialization’, into the multiple spaces of the Portuguese empire. As an institution comprised of members of elites, it established a space for the pursuit of privileges, affirmation of power and rights, and also for conflicts within the Portuguese empire. Within this institution, debates were held and local decisions taken.
In her doctoral project, Karoline Marques Machado aims to analyze the role of the Irmandade de Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia during the Early Modern Period to understand how these institutions established themselves in the most distinct areas of the Portuguese Crown. She argues that the spaces of meetings and decision-making within the Misericórdia favored the creation of alliances, certainly decisive, capable of influencing other spheres of the established societies.