Acceso usuarios
Coimbra (Sé Nova), Portugal
In this article, Maria Helena da Cruz Coelho has examined the role of the Cortes of Portugal, comprising the standard three Estates, and formally established since 1254 at least, during the dynasty of the Avis. Its founder, John I, was elected by the Cortes in 1385 and the Cortes was actively involved in the politics of the period. The article is focused on the regency of Peter from 1439 to 1488. The Regent Peter was notable for being a highly educated and scholarly ruler, who wrote a book on political thought, ‘A Virtuosa Benfeitoria’. Thus it is possible to compare his stated principles of good government with the governmental record of his regency. The article does this with particular reference to the grievances articulated in the Cortes by the third Estate against the misconduct of royal officers and the extortions and abuses of feudal landlords. The conclusion is that although the Regent was genuinely trying to alleviate the grievances expressed in the Cortes, the endemic warfare of the period meant that he had to preside over ever increasing burdens on the third Estate and tolerate the extension of the powers of the ruling elites.
