Antíteses ISSN: 1984-3356 [email protected] Universidade Estadual de Londrina Brasil Vilardaga, José Carlos Identidades instáveis: UM PADRE PORTUGUÊS NO IMPÉRIO DOS FELIPES Antíteses, vol. 7, núm. 13, enero-junio, 2014, pp. 517-534 Universidade Estadual de Londrina Londrina, Brasil Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=193331342023 Abstract This article presents part of the trajectory of the Portuguese priest Lourenço de Mendonça, who was active in the American sphere of Catholic Habsburg monarchy in the first half of the seventeenth century. Linked early in his career to the networks centered on Madrid, this priest had a long Episcopal career in the Viceroyalty of Peru, especially in the Potosi region. He later moved to the captaincies of southern Portuguese America, where he was the first bishop of Rio de Janeiro in 1639. He was taken by surprise by the Portuguese “Restoration” of 1640, when his loyalty to the new dynasty was questioned. He remained tied to Spain to the end, from which he claimed recognition. Lourenço de Mendonça was involved in mining projects in Spanish and Portuguese America; he was active and ambiguous in the debates about the presence of the Portuguese in Peru and he participated in the accusations against the violent actions of the inhabitants of São Paulo regarding indigenous people. The trajectory of Lourenço de Mendonça helps to problematize the possibilities of transition – both human and identitary - in relation to the Spanish empire and the particular context of the Iberian Union of the Crowns (1580-1640). Keywords Catholic Monarchy, Lourenço de Mendonça, Identities, Iberian Union, Connections. How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative.