| Paper 1523-a | The Memory of Infante D. Henrique: Genesis, Formation, and Classification of a Monumental Collection of Documents - the Monumenta Henricina
(Language: English)
Judite Antonieta Gonçalves de Freitas, Centro de Estudos da População, Economia & Sociedade (CEPESE), Universidade do Porto
Index terms: Historiography - Medieval, Maritime and Naval Studies, Politics and Diplomacy |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
The work we intend to present is connected with the studies of medieval and modern diplomatics. In fact, where Portuguese medieval historiography is concerned, there has been a little worry with the study of the genesis and formation of the collections of medieval documents produced during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Monumenta Henricina are a collection of medieval documents commemorating the 5th centenary of the death of Infante D. Henrique, produced between 1960 and 1974 under the direction of Manuel Lopes de Almeida and is composed of fifteen volumes with documentation concerning the action of the Portuguese overseas discoveries and expansion, including a vast collection of documents dating from 1421 to 1620. These documents reflect the main purposes of the overseas discoveries and expansion policy by Infante D. Henrique and his supporters, as well as the external impact of the Portuguese overseas expeditions, namely on the Cruzade Bulls for the overseas faith expansion, as found on the privileges obtained for fighting the Muslims (infidel). In this context, we want to explain the collecting, compiling, and editing conditions of that documentation, intending to produce a critical study of the collected documents, establishing their main questions and issues, their origin and the files where they were collected, the sequential publication order, etc. In short, we wish to present the fundamental characteristics of the formal structure of the compilation Monumenta Henricina, seeking the information that will enlighten us about its real production and organization conditions, and then proceed with the study of the documents included in this collection, in order to understand the conditions of the development of the Portuguese expansion at the time of Infante D. Henrique, finding out its main fundamentals.
Paper -b:
When Vasco da Gama arrived in Calicut in 1498, equipped with quite unsuitable gifts for the local ruler, some helpful North Africans took him aside and explained the Indian Ocean trading system to him. To buy pepper in Calicut he needed gold, which he could obtain from Kilwa in East Africa in return for textiles from Gujarat. To obtain spices directly from the Spice Islands, he would need gold or Indian textiles. To purchase African slaves, once again the currency was Indian textiles. This paper will explore the role played by textiles in Europe's entry into the Indian Ocean.
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