“All the expenses that seem necessary to him for the good government and state of the Holy Office”: the battle for the custody of the confiscation of the goods of heretics (1649-1657)

Abstract:

The law of 1649, promulgated by Dom Joao IV, exempted the new christians that invested their capitals in the General Company of Commerce of Brazil from the inquisitorial confiscation. However, its publication resulted in a great battle for the custody of the goods of the heretics, that was fundamental for the operation of the machine of the Holy Office. Thus, this article seeks to understand the debates about the confiscation of heretic assets and their political and literary repercussions.

Keywords:
Portugal; Early Modern; Inquisition; Monarchy; Confiscation of property