Dilemmas & conflicts in the restored São Paulo: the formation and consolidation of the agricultural production of São Paulo towards the foreign market (1765-1802)

Author(s)

Pablo Oller Mont Serrath

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2007-12-06

Examining board members

Vera Lucia Amaral Ferlini; Raquel Glezer; Joaquim Antero Romero Magalhães

• Advisor: Vera Lucia Amaral Ferlini

Abstract

In the Portuguese America, as of the second half of the 18th century, it was remarkable the effort made by the metropolitan police for a greater administrative centralization with the purpose to maintain, expand and develop the colonial domains. The measures adopted since the reign of d. José I and the ministry of Marquês de Pombal did not cease with the ascension of d. Maria I, in 1777, nor with the reigning of prince d. João VI, as of 1792. It may be said that with the succeeding Secretaries of State, Martinho de Mello e Castro and d. Rodrigo de Souza Coutinho, there was, in the colonial plan, a certain acceleration of the process initiated by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Mello. An exceptional case of the directives adopted during such period was the restoration of São Paulo as a general captaincy, in 1765, aiming not only at the territorial conquest needs and frontier defense, but also the economical incentive and development of the captaincy. In order to develop the export agriculture, the Portuguese Crown depended on the colonial elite of São Paulo, possessor of a previously accumulated wealth. The purpose of this paper is to study the relation between the colonial elite and the different governors and general captains of the captaincies of São Paulo, as agents for the decisions and royal power, during the formation and consolidation of the agricultural production of São Paulo towards the foreign market. (AU)