The Case of the New Christians of Lamego as an Example of Resistance against the Portuguese Inquisition in Sixteenth Century Portugal Susana Bastos Mateus and James W. Nelson Novoa* The article presents a particular case of Portuguese New Christian resistance to the establishment of the tribunal of the Holy Office in Portugal. Basing itself on Portuguese and Vatican documents the article depicts the New Christian community in Lamego which organized itself to present their case in Rome using a variety of strategies against the civil and ecclesiastical authorities in the kingdom. It presents the concrete example of several prominent figures who were instrumental in constructing a network to challenge the creation of the tribunal in Portugal. The work of the nineteenth century Portuguese historian, Alexandre Herculano (1810-1877), opened new doors in what was an often inaccessible or forgotten field of research, the early establishment and functioning of the tribunal of the Holy Office in Portugal, which was formally instated there in 1536 and only abolished in 1821.1 As was demonstrated by Herculano and reiterated by subsequent scholars, the main priority of the Holy Office in Portugal was the obliteration of the perceived persistence of Jewish religious practices and beliefs among those individuals converted in 1497 and their descendents. Much of Herculano’s work was occupied with the negotiations and dealings pursuant to the establishment of the tribunal, which, after receiving initial approval from Pope Clement VII (1478-1534; papacy 1523-1534), finally got off the ground under Paul III (1468-1549; papacy 1534-1549). When the creation of the tribunal was first decreed, various elements came into play which stalled its opening. Often lengthy negotiations were needed to break the stalemate which had developed between Rome and the Portuguese monarch who oversaw the tribunal, King João III of Portugal (1502-1552, reigned 1521-1552). * Both authors are beneficiaries of fellowships from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia of Portugal and are linked to the Cátedra de Estudos Sefarditas “Alberto Benveniste” of the University of Lisbon. 1 For an analysis of Herculano’s pioneering work in the context of inquistiorial studies, see the introduction by Jorge Borges de Macedo to História da Origem e do Estabelecimento da Inquisição em Portugal, in the Portuguese edition of 1975-1976. The English translation is by John C. Branner, with an introduction by Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, New York 1972. [Hispania Judaica 6 5769/2008] Susana Bastos Mateus and James W. Nelson Novoa The struggle over the institution of the Inquisition in Portugal was waged by intermediaries on both sides, by diplomatic representatives on the part of the Portuguese monarch and by representatives of the Portuguese New Christians. Both sides worked in the midst of the Curia in Rome to benefit their respective sides and to impress upon the Curia the justness of their respective causes. Hence, any serious study of the efforts of the Portuguese New Christians to combat the establishment and functioning of the Inquisition must necessarily take into account Rome and the mass of documents in Roman archives relevant to the matter. A case in point of the early functioning of the Inquisition and the New Christian attempts to combat it occurred in the 1530’s and 1540’s in Lamego, a town in the north of Portugal, where a short-lived tribunal of the Holy Office operated between 1541 and 1546. These events can be reconstructed from a careful study of archival sources, both Portuguese and Roman, which can lead us to a greater understanding of the mechanisms of the initial period of establishment of the Inquisition and its functioning. The presentation of these facts, it is hoped, will give us further insights into the cohabitation of New Christians with their Old Christian neighbours in sixteenth century Portugal and the activities of these New Christians in organizing their defense before the Holy See in the same period. Lamego was a prominent Portuguese diocese of approximately 2,171 people, according to the figures available on the Portuguese population between the years 1527-1532.2 Among the oldest apostolic sees in Portugal with a bishop since the sixth century, the city was of considerable ecclesiastical importance.3 Since the thirteenth century Lamego had an important Jewish presence. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and especially after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, the Jewish population grew significantly. The town was comparable to other urban centres with important Jewish populations in the Portuguese inner Beira region, such as Trancoso and Guarda.4 In 1492, Lamego was one of several Portuguese centres which absorbed a significant number of Jews from Castile. This can be easily explained by its relative proximity to the Castilian border and the easy access to it by navigation along the Douro river. In addition, Lamego was 2 See João José Alves Dias, ‘A População’, Nova História de Portugal. Dir. Joel Serrão e A.H. de Oliveira Marques, V – Portugal do Renascimento à Crise Dinástica. Coord. João José Alves Dias, Lisboa 1998, pp. 18-20. 3 On the religious history of Lamego, see Joaquim de Azevedo, Historia ecclesiastica da cidade e bispado de Lamego, Porto, 1877; Gonçalves da Costa, História do bispado e cidade de Lamego, 6 vols, Braga 1992; João Soalheiro, ‘Diocese de Lamego’, Dicionário de história religiosa de Portugal, Rio de Mouro 2001, pp. 419-423. 4 On the Jewish presence in the fifteenth century and on the first generation of New Christians, see the article by Maria José Pimenta Ferro Tavares, ‘Os Cristãos Novos em terras da comarca da Beira’, Rumos e escrita da história: Estudos em homenagem a A. A. Marques de Almeida, Lisboa 2006, pp. 557-579. [84] New Christians of Lamego located in an important region for agricultural and textile production, being in contact with productive regions on both banks of the Douro river, in an area which linked the provinces of Beira and Trás-os-Montes.5 The production of wine and olive oil, as well as silk and linen,6 were among the most important activities in the city at the time.7 The Establishment of the Holy Office in Lamego In 1541, King João III decreed the institution of a tribunal of the Holy Office in Lamego, among other towns in Portugal. After the establishment of the two principle tribunals, in Lisbon and Evora, other tribunals were created which functioned for a short period of time. This was the case of the short lived tribunals of Porto, Tomar and Lamego.8 In this period, the tribunal of Coimbra was also established; it would function again in 1565. It seems probable that these tribunals functioned precariously, especially with regard to the officials who were in charge of them. This could be one of the reasons they ceased to exist in 1548. Despite the various studies that have been made on the establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal, the information regarding the tribunals of 1541 is not entirely clear, especially with regard to their administrative structure. Through the analysis of the existing documents, it is possible to conclude that many of these tribunals were strictly linked to the bishop or diocese or to the diocesan authorities in general.9 In 1541, in a letter addressed to the recently named bishop of Lamego,10 D. 5 See the information provided by António Borges Coelho, Quadros para uma viagem a Portugal no séc. XVI, Lisboa 1986, pp. 164-165. 6 António Borges Coelho presents data which corroborate the importance of the textile industry. See ibidem, p. 167. 7 For a description of the economy of Lamego in the first decades of the sixteenth century, see Rui Fernandes, Descrição do terreno ao redor de Lamego duas léguas: 1531-1532, introdução, transcrição actualizada e fixação crítica do texto de Amândio Morais Barros, Lamego 2001. 8 On the establishment of the first tribunals and especially on the normative texts which regulated their first years of functioning, see I.S. Révah, ‘L’installation de l’inquisition à Coimbra en 1541 et le premier règlement du Saint-Office portugais’, Études Portugaises, Paris 1975, pp. 121-153. 9 On the social importance of bishops and their definition as a power elite, see José Pedro Paiva, ‘Definir uma elite de poder: os bispos em Portugal (1495-1777)’, Optima pars: Elites ibero-americanas do Antigo Regime. Nuno G.F. Monteiro, Pedro Cardim e Mafalda Soares da Cunha ed., Lisboa 2005, pp. 47-63. 10 The previous bishop of Lamego, D. Fernando de Meneses Coutinho e Vasconcelos, was tranferred to the see of Lisbon, and was replaced in Lamego by Agostinho Ribeiro, [85] Susana Bastos Mateus and James W. Nelson Novoa Agostinho Ribeiro, King João III presented some of the aspects of the tribunal of the Holy Office which the monarch intended to establish in Lamego.11 In the words of the Portuguese king, it was necessary to install an Inquisition in all of Portugal, “assentei com o Infante meu Irmão que vos a fisesseis nesse vosso Bispado, e no de Viseu, com hum letrado de muita confiança”. 12 With respect to the officials, João III stated that since procurators, ushers, clerks and solicitors are necessary for the running of the tribunal, it is important that they be people of utter trustworthiness: porque para isso são necessarios offiçiaes: Prometor, Meirinho, escrivão, e solicitador e estes convem que sejão pessoas de confiança; folgarey de vos informardes se nesse vosso Bispado avera pessoas que sejão autas para isso, e em que aja as callidades que deve deter, quem nestes cargos ouver de servir. E porque agora seria bem que elles não tivessem ordenado, me paresse que deveis buscar pessoas que sirvão sem elle, porque para prometor e Escrivão podereis achar alguns que folguem de o ser.13 In addition to the bishop, Agostinho Ribeiro, and the inquisitor, Manuel D’Almada,14 the names of other members of the tribunal are revealed in these documents: the notary, Diogo Rodrigues, the usher, Sebastião Rodrigues,15 deputy of the Holy Office of Lamego, Dr.