ABSTRACT
Between 1750 and 1807, 259 overseas subjects of the Portuguese monarchy used the justification of nobility process to receive coats of arms. This article uses quantitative methods to analyze their petitions and trace their social profile, especially of the Luso-Brazilian elites, noting that the new elites, particularly the officers of the militia, were the predominant social category. The study also found that the old elites were hardly representative in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro and very present in Pernambuco and Maranhão.
Keywords:
Nobility; Elites; Military; Overseas; Colonial Brazil
