Recognized in the Luso-Brazilian history as one of the greatest Portuguese statesmen of the end of the Eighteenth century, dom Rodrigo de Souza Coutinho matured his political ideas in Turin, where he remained along near twenty years as Minister Plenipotentiary at Piedmont's Court. During that time, he observed political systems of major European nations and formulated the basis of his reformist thinking, discussing controversial issues such as religious tolerance, combating leisure, and legal and tax reforms. Influenced by Italian and French Enlightenment authors, dom Rodrigo wrote in 1787 the Discurso sobre a Mendicidade, object of analysis in this article.
Enlightenment; reformism; Rodrigo de Souza Coutinho