Chief Chronicler of the Kingdom of Portugal

Chief Chronicler of the Kingdom (Portuguese: Cronista-Mor do Reino) was a courtly position in the Kingdom of Portugal, formally instituted in 1434 by King Edward I. The Chief Chronicler was the official authority on Portuguese historiography,^[1] and the post was soon associated to the post of Keeper of the Royal Archives, already centralised in an autonomous way in the 1370s — a singularity in late medieval history in both its precocious creation and organisation.^[2]

The first to occupy the position was Fernão Lopes, in 1434. The last occupant was writer and politician Almeida Garrett, who was sacked in 1841, after fiercely criticising António José de Ávila (who was then Minister of the Exchequer), and no one was appointed to replace him. The following year, Minister of the Kingdom Costa Cabral issued a decree extinguishing the position of Chief Chronicler and transferring its responsibilities to the Keeper of the Royal Archives.^[3]

List of Chief Chroniclers of the Kingdom

The following list is sorted by date of appointment:^[4]

1434 – Fernão Lopes
1459 – Gomes Eanes de Zurara
1484 – Vasco Fernandes de Lucena
1497 – Rui de Pina
1525 – Fernão de Pina
1550 – D. António Pinheiro
1599 – Francisco de Andrade
1614 – Fr. Bernardo de Brito
1618 – João Baptista Lavanha
1625 – D. Manuel de Meneses
1630 – Fr. António Brandão
1644 – Fr. Francisco Brandão
1682 – Fr. Rafael de Jesus
1695 – José de Faria
1709 – Fr. Bernardo de Castelo Branco
1726 – Fr. Manuel dos Santos [pt]
1740 – Fr. Manuel da Rocha
1745 – Fr. António Botelho
1747 – Fr. José da Costa
1755 – Fr. António Caldeira
1784 – Fr. António da Mota
1807 – Fr. João Huet
1822 – João Bernardo da Rocha Loureiro
1823 – Fr. Cláudio da Conceição
1835 – João Bernardo da Rocha Loureiro
1838 – João Baptista de Almeida Garrett

References

^ Blackmore, Josiah (2002). Manifest Perdition: Shipwreck Narrative and the Disruption of Empire. University of Minnesota Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-8166-3849-7.
^ Costa Gomes, Rita (2005). "Zurara and the Empire: Reconsidering Fifteenth-Century Portuguese Historiography". Storia della Storiografia. 47: 56–89. ISBN 9788816720473. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
^ Decree. 30 November 1842. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
^ Ribeiro, José Silvestre (1807–1891). "Chronistas Móres". Historia dos estabelecimentos scientificos litterarios e artisticos de Portugal nos successsivos reinados da monarchia (in Portuguese). Vol. VI. Lisboa: Academia Real das Sciências. pp. 298–307.

[1] Blackmore, Josiah (2002). Manifest Perdition: Shipwreck Narrative and the Disruption of Empire. University of Minnesota Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-8166-3849-7.

[2] Costa Gomes, Rita (2005). "Zurara and the Empire: Reconsidering Fifteenth-Century Portuguese Historiography". Storia della Storiografia. 47: 56–89. ISBN 9788816720473. Retrieved 2018-04-03.

[3] Decree. 30 November 1842. Retrieved 2018-04-03.

[4] Ribeiro, José Silvestre (1807–1891). "Chronistas Móres". Historia dos estabelecimentos scientificos litterarios e artisticos de Portugal nos successsivos reinados da monarchia (in Portuguese). Vol. VI. Lisboa: Academia Real das Sciências. pp. 298–307.

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