New paper by Nuno Gonçalo Monteiro (ICS-Ulisboa) entitled “O casamento de Mariana Vitória e de Gregório, ou o “defeito do mulatismo”“, in the Revista de História da Sociedade e da Cultura – Vol. 23 N.º 1 (2023). This issue of the journal is dedicated to the theme of “Mestizaje in the Modern World” and the text is available in open access.
Abstract: The story is based mainly on judicial sources and refers to the context following the last phase of the Pombaline legislation. Dating from 1781-1783 and taking place in Lisbon, it constitutes one of the cases in which unmarried children under 25 years intended to marry against the will of their parents or guardians. This intention led to proceedings before the Mesa Desembargo do Paço and to a consultation. The case under analysis stands out due to the singularity of the arguments invoked and debated, partic-ularly about the “defect of mulatism”. The final consultation of the board of the supreme court of the kingdom, which was favourable to the engaged copule and then signed by the monarch, suggests that in the kingdom of Portugal and the Algarve (where the 1773 Alvará applied), not only was it prohibited to classify someone as a freedman, but this in-hibition could be equated to the legal suppression of the “mulatto” precept, assimilating the condition of freedman to that of mulatto.
Keywords: Marriage, Pombaline legislation, freedmen, mulattoes, blood purity.