Appealls from Overseas

Civil Appeals and Grievances from Portuguese America to the Casa da Suplicação in Lisbon (1754-1822)

Abstract

The paper  aims  to  contribute  to the understanding  of  how  the  royal  jurisdiction worked in Portuguese America, which is seen as part  of  the  Portuguese  Oversees  Empire,  and, therefore,  related  to  its  appealing  system. The plurality of normative orders and jurisdictions, as well as the description of the many levels of royal jurisdiction, are the starting point of the research. We focus mainly on the analysis of civil appeals and grievances coming originally from Portuguese America to the Casa da Suplicação in Lisbon in the second half of the 18th century and  in the  first  decades  of  the  19th  century. We  carried  out  a  quantitative and  qualitative analysis  that  included  the  number  of  appeals, their  geographical  and  jurisdictional  origins, their chronological  aspect,  and  specially  the litigants involved in the disputes. After carefully examining  the  appeals,  we  attempt  to  clarify the role of royal jurisdiction in the dynamics of litigation in Portuguese America.