Publication Date
2009
Categories
Since the beginning of the settlement of Madeira, ordered by king Dom Joao I during the 1420s, Joao Gonçalves Zarco took residence in Funchal, where he built a house and took possession of lands which he successfully cleaned and cultivated. In a letter from 1 November 1450, Infante Dom Henrique, Lord of the Archipelago, created the captaincy of Funchal, thus legitimating Zarco's authority over a territory which was already almost entirely under his jurisdiction.
It is not precisely known when the municipality of Funchal was created. However, it is prior to 3 August 1461, date of the notes and chapters of Dom Fernando, related to matters presented to Infante Dom Henrique, his uncle and adoptive father, about aspects like the nomination of judges, councillors, and procurator for the council of Funchal, and the building of the Town Hall. Therefore, it is admissible to think that the council of Funchal was created during the last years of Zarco's life, i.e., in the 1450s.
The creation of the town of Funchal was a sign of acknowledgement of the success of the settlement process of the island, which was led by captain Zarco in its early stages. In fact, woods, dye plants and cereals created wealth which motivated the first settlers.
In the second half of the 15th century, the sugar cane became a promising culture. New settlers arrived to the island and the reed beds prospered. Sugar cane turned Funchal's harbour into a compulsory port of call for international trade.
The sugar cane wealth, the local elite ambitions and the terrain's characteristics explain the dismembering of the council of Funchal, which led to the creation of two new municipalities: Ponta do Sol, in 1501, and Calheta, in the following year.
Promoting Funchal's town status corresponds to a project of the Lord of the Archipelago, duke Dom Manuel, who would later become king of Portugal. Considering the success of the settlement process and the economic prosperity, resulting from the production and trade of the sugar cane, he wanted to create a bishopric in Funchal, which would have jurisdiction over the overseas territories. In 1485, with this goal in mind, the donatory captain laid an urban plan for the town's centre, where he included the construction of a Mother-church and the Town Hall.
The new church was consecrated in 1508 by bishop Dom Joao Lobo, the first prelate to visit the island. On 21 August of that same year, as the temple was almost finished, the Fortunate king awarded the title of town to Funchal, due to its development and to the quality of its inhabitants and in the hope of a greater growth.
It is then put into motion the creation of the bishopric of the new town. A bull from Pope Leo X, dated from 12 June 1514, created Funchal's bishopric. Its vast territory included all the lands discovered by the Portuguese.
During the second half of the 1500s, three intertwined moments marked the new town. In October 1566, a corsairs' sack, commanded the French Bertrand de Montluc, caused panic, the damage and desecration of several religious temples, numerous deaths, plenty of robberies, and the economic ruin of some families. By the time's currency, the sack's profit was of more than a million cruzados.
As a consequence of the French incursion, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) arrived to the island, and a few years later, created a school dedicated to Catholic indoctrination and teaching of Latin, Rhetoric and Moral Theology.
Also a result of the corsair attack was the coming of the Master Mason to the Crown, Mateus Fernandes, sent by king Dom Sebastiao in the following year. His goal was to lay down plans for the island's fortification, which included the construction of new fortresses and of defensive walls around the town.
In the early stages of the Iberian Union, Filipe II created a new authority position in Funchal: the governor-general, who predominately had military functions. This new position resulted from the fear Filipe II had of the archipelago of Madeira taking the side of Dom Antonio, Prior of Crato. This position existed until the liberal reforms made by Mouzinho da Silveira.
The creation of the general-government marked the end of the political relevance of the donatory captains in the island of Madeira. After that, the captaincies of Funchal and Machico only granted aristocratic honours and revenues.
The 16th century witnesses a strong investment in wine production, which meant the progressive conversion of reed beds into vineyards. The sugar cane rentability had drastically decreased. In the early decades, trading had also declined due to the Union's embargo to the Netherlands. To deepen the economic situation, privateers and pirates showed up regularly near the archipelago, and attacked ships carrying merchandise and people from the littoral zone.
Alongside the rich cultures for export, there was subsistence agriculture. Nonetheless, due to its insufficiency, cereal import was a dominant concern for the people of Funchal.
In 1660, for the first and only time in Madeira's history, a woman received the captaincy of Funchal, along with the title of duchess of Calheta. Dona Mariana de Alencastre Vasconcelos e Camara became donatory captain of Funchal, as the 8th captain, her brother, died without descendants. Dona Mariana was a brave woman who participated in the Portuguese Restoration War, faced numerous lawsuits, even to be recognised as her father and brother's successor, and had important roles in the royal court.
The controversy around the performance of the governor-general reached rebellion proportions in 1668, when a movement led by the dean of Funchal's Mother-church removed Dom Francisco de Mascarenhas and elected a gentleman from Madeira for the position. This insurrection was obviously condemned by the Crown, and a Corregidor of crime was sent to the island to make an enquiry over the behaviour of the overthrown governor and the mutineers.
The permanent surveillance of the coastline was a dominant preoccupation. The defence of Funchal was essentially based in the capacity to prevent the entry of enemies in the bay or in the nearby coves. The sack of Porto Santo in 1617, by the Turks from Algiers, forced to rethink the fortification processes. For better security, several fortresses and defensive walls were built around the town and in other locations, which were considered easily reachable. The defensive wall of Funchal was finished in 1689.
The Spanish military garrison did not hierarchically depend from the general-governor, but was the warranty for the Iberian Union sovereignty and ensured the defence of the island in cooperation with other military forces. It was largely contested and, in several occasions, requests for its closing were made. The claim was it was dispensable, especially due to its huge expenses and frequent disagreements between the captains and soldiers and Funchal's other authorities. After 1640, there was still a military garrison in the fortress of Sao Lourenço, but under the command of the governor.
During the 1600s, regarding the Catholic Church, it is worth mentioning the construction of the new church in the Jesuit school, the foundation of the convents of Nossa Senhora da Encarnaçao, Nossa Senhora das Merces, Recolhimento do Bom Jesus and of Casa das Carmelitas (House of Carmelites), with its temple, and the creation of the monastery of Sao Francisco and convent of Santa Clara, in the last decades of the 15th century, in the town of Funchal.
The Catholic Church was omnipresent in Funchal's daily life, through several organizations, from the most secluded chapel or parish to the monastery, from the brotherhood to the laymen of the Holy Office of the Inquisition. However, the spiritual bonds did not soothe this society's characteristic disputes.
In the 18th century (1766), the captaincy of Funchal ended, and with it, finished the life of an institution which had been effective in terms of administration during the 15th century, and had even been a model for other areas of settlement or colonization in the Atlantic. However, it had for long been agonising due to not being able to correspond to the real needs of the territory or of a State in progressive growth.
Economically, during the 1700s, wine reached high levels of export and the British dominated the wine trade. Due to the high reputation of Madeira's wine in colonial markets, Funchal became a very important port of call for the maritime routes of the East and West Indies, especially for the loading of barrels and rest.
In this century, it is developed the system of colonia (the landlords owned the lands, the tenants cultivated it and, every year, they gave a part of the harvest to the owners). This agricultural system only knew its end with the publishing of the Regional Legislative Decree n. º 13/77/M, from 18 October. Colonia system marked Madeira's society for more than 2 centuries and a half, especially due to certain humiliating obligations imposed to the tenants and by the arbitrary acts committed by some land owners. Frequently, colonia contracts led families to ruin and condemned rural workers and their families to emigration.
After the Liberal Revolution, Funchal's press was essential for the development of the people's consciousness, which during the 19th century strongly opposed the Central Government, weakly motivated for the development of the archipelago and almost deaf to the main claims of the islanders. In this context, the autonomic movement was born, and Funchal's district got a special administrative condition in 1901. It is the beginning of a journey that finished with the achievement of political and administrative autonomy, set by the 1976 Constitution of the Portuguese Republic.
In the 1800s, Madeira became a famous sanatorium for tuberculosis treatment. To Funchal, arrived many foreigners who looked for the mild climate, the desired health, the natural beauties of the "Flower of the Ocean" or for new species for scientific studies. Tourism will determine the new route for the first Portuguese town set outside the peninsular space.
Bibliography:
ARAGÃO, António (1987). Para a História do Funchal. 2.ª ed., Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Direcção Regional dos Assuntos Culturais. CARITA, Rui (1989-1999). História da Madeira. Funchal: Secretaria Regional da Educação, 5 vols. PEREIRA, Fernando Jasmins (1991). Estudos sobre História da Madeira. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo, Cultura e Emigração - Centro de Estudos de História do Atlântico (org., estudo introdutório e índices por Miguel Jasmins Rodrigues). SILVA, Padre Fernando Augusto da e MENESES, Carlos Azevedo de (1998). Elucidário Madeirense. Fac-símile da 2.ª ed. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Direcção Regional dos Assuntos Culturais, 3 vols. VERÍSSIMO, Nelson (2000). Relações de Poder na Sociedade Madeirense do século XVII. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Direcção Regional dos Assuntos Culturais. VIEIRA, Alberto (1987). O comércio inter-insular nos séculos XV e XVI: Madeira, Açores e Canárias. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Centro de Estudos de História do Atlântico.
Translated by: Marília Pavão
It is not precisely known when the municipality of Funchal was created. However, it is prior to 3 August 1461, date of the notes and chapters of Dom Fernando, related to matters presented to Infante Dom Henrique, his uncle and adoptive father, about aspects like the nomination of judges, councillors, and procurator for the council of Funchal, and the building of the Town Hall. Therefore, it is admissible to think that the council of Funchal was created during the last years of Zarco's life, i.e., in the 1450s.
The creation of the town of Funchal was a sign of acknowledgement of the success of the settlement process of the island, which was led by captain Zarco in its early stages. In fact, woods, dye plants and cereals created wealth which motivated the first settlers.
In the second half of the 15th century, the sugar cane became a promising culture. New settlers arrived to the island and the reed beds prospered. Sugar cane turned Funchal's harbour into a compulsory port of call for international trade.
The sugar cane wealth, the local elite ambitions and the terrain's characteristics explain the dismembering of the council of Funchal, which led to the creation of two new municipalities: Ponta do Sol, in 1501, and Calheta, in the following year.
Promoting Funchal's town status corresponds to a project of the Lord of the Archipelago, duke Dom Manuel, who would later become king of Portugal. Considering the success of the settlement process and the economic prosperity, resulting from the production and trade of the sugar cane, he wanted to create a bishopric in Funchal, which would have jurisdiction over the overseas territories. In 1485, with this goal in mind, the donatory captain laid an urban plan for the town's centre, where he included the construction of a Mother-church and the Town Hall.
The new church was consecrated in 1508 by bishop Dom Joao Lobo, the first prelate to visit the island. On 21 August of that same year, as the temple was almost finished, the Fortunate king awarded the title of town to Funchal, due to its development and to the quality of its inhabitants and in the hope of a greater growth.
It is then put into motion the creation of the bishopric of the new town. A bull from Pope Leo X, dated from 12 June 1514, created Funchal's bishopric. Its vast territory included all the lands discovered by the Portuguese.
During the second half of the 1500s, three intertwined moments marked the new town. In October 1566, a corsairs' sack, commanded the French Bertrand de Montluc, caused panic, the damage and desecration of several religious temples, numerous deaths, plenty of robberies, and the economic ruin of some families. By the time's currency, the sack's profit was of more than a million cruzados.
As a consequence of the French incursion, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) arrived to the island, and a few years later, created a school dedicated to Catholic indoctrination and teaching of Latin, Rhetoric and Moral Theology.
Also a result of the corsair attack was the coming of the Master Mason to the Crown, Mateus Fernandes, sent by king Dom Sebastiao in the following year. His goal was to lay down plans for the island's fortification, which included the construction of new fortresses and of defensive walls around the town.
In the early stages of the Iberian Union, Filipe II created a new authority position in Funchal: the governor-general, who predominately had military functions. This new position resulted from the fear Filipe II had of the archipelago of Madeira taking the side of Dom Antonio, Prior of Crato. This position existed until the liberal reforms made by Mouzinho da Silveira.
The creation of the general-government marked the end of the political relevance of the donatory captains in the island of Madeira. After that, the captaincies of Funchal and Machico only granted aristocratic honours and revenues.
The 16th century witnesses a strong investment in wine production, which meant the progressive conversion of reed beds into vineyards. The sugar cane rentability had drastically decreased. In the early decades, trading had also declined due to the Union's embargo to the Netherlands. To deepen the economic situation, privateers and pirates showed up regularly near the archipelago, and attacked ships carrying merchandise and people from the littoral zone.
Alongside the rich cultures for export, there was subsistence agriculture. Nonetheless, due to its insufficiency, cereal import was a dominant concern for the people of Funchal.
In 1660, for the first and only time in Madeira's history, a woman received the captaincy of Funchal, along with the title of duchess of Calheta. Dona Mariana de Alencastre Vasconcelos e Camara became donatory captain of Funchal, as the 8th captain, her brother, died without descendants. Dona Mariana was a brave woman who participated in the Portuguese Restoration War, faced numerous lawsuits, even to be recognised as her father and brother's successor, and had important roles in the royal court.
The controversy around the performance of the governor-general reached rebellion proportions in 1668, when a movement led by the dean of Funchal's Mother-church removed Dom Francisco de Mascarenhas and elected a gentleman from Madeira for the position. This insurrection was obviously condemned by the Crown, and a Corregidor of crime was sent to the island to make an enquiry over the behaviour of the overthrown governor and the mutineers.
The permanent surveillance of the coastline was a dominant preoccupation. The defence of Funchal was essentially based in the capacity to prevent the entry of enemies in the bay or in the nearby coves. The sack of Porto Santo in 1617, by the Turks from Algiers, forced to rethink the fortification processes. For better security, several fortresses and defensive walls were built around the town and in other locations, which were considered easily reachable. The defensive wall of Funchal was finished in 1689.
The Spanish military garrison did not hierarchically depend from the general-governor, but was the warranty for the Iberian Union sovereignty and ensured the defence of the island in cooperation with other military forces. It was largely contested and, in several occasions, requests for its closing were made. The claim was it was dispensable, especially due to its huge expenses and frequent disagreements between the captains and soldiers and Funchal's other authorities. After 1640, there was still a military garrison in the fortress of Sao Lourenço, but under the command of the governor.
During the 1600s, regarding the Catholic Church, it is worth mentioning the construction of the new church in the Jesuit school, the foundation of the convents of Nossa Senhora da Encarnaçao, Nossa Senhora das Merces, Recolhimento do Bom Jesus and of Casa das Carmelitas (House of Carmelites), with its temple, and the creation of the monastery of Sao Francisco and convent of Santa Clara, in the last decades of the 15th century, in the town of Funchal.
The Catholic Church was omnipresent in Funchal's daily life, through several organizations, from the most secluded chapel or parish to the monastery, from the brotherhood to the laymen of the Holy Office of the Inquisition. However, the spiritual bonds did not soothe this society's characteristic disputes.
In the 18th century (1766), the captaincy of Funchal ended, and with it, finished the life of an institution which had been effective in terms of administration during the 15th century, and had even been a model for other areas of settlement or colonization in the Atlantic. However, it had for long been agonising due to not being able to correspond to the real needs of the territory or of a State in progressive growth.
Economically, during the 1700s, wine reached high levels of export and the British dominated the wine trade. Due to the high reputation of Madeira's wine in colonial markets, Funchal became a very important port of call for the maritime routes of the East and West Indies, especially for the loading of barrels and rest.
In this century, it is developed the system of colonia (the landlords owned the lands, the tenants cultivated it and, every year, they gave a part of the harvest to the owners). This agricultural system only knew its end with the publishing of the Regional Legislative Decree n. º 13/77/M, from 18 October. Colonia system marked Madeira's society for more than 2 centuries and a half, especially due to certain humiliating obligations imposed to the tenants and by the arbitrary acts committed by some land owners. Frequently, colonia contracts led families to ruin and condemned rural workers and their families to emigration.
After the Liberal Revolution, Funchal's press was essential for the development of the people's consciousness, which during the 19th century strongly opposed the Central Government, weakly motivated for the development of the archipelago and almost deaf to the main claims of the islanders. In this context, the autonomic movement was born, and Funchal's district got a special administrative condition in 1901. It is the beginning of a journey that finished with the achievement of political and administrative autonomy, set by the 1976 Constitution of the Portuguese Republic.
In the 1800s, Madeira became a famous sanatorium for tuberculosis treatment. To Funchal, arrived many foreigners who looked for the mild climate, the desired health, the natural beauties of the "Flower of the Ocean" or for new species for scientific studies. Tourism will determine the new route for the first Portuguese town set outside the peninsular space.
Bibliography:
ARAGÃO, António (1987). Para a História do Funchal. 2.ª ed., Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Direcção Regional dos Assuntos Culturais. CARITA, Rui (1989-1999). História da Madeira. Funchal: Secretaria Regional da Educação, 5 vols. PEREIRA, Fernando Jasmins (1991). Estudos sobre História da Madeira. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo, Cultura e Emigração - Centro de Estudos de História do Atlântico (org., estudo introdutório e índices por Miguel Jasmins Rodrigues). SILVA, Padre Fernando Augusto da e MENESES, Carlos Azevedo de (1998). Elucidário Madeirense. Fac-símile da 2.ª ed. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Direcção Regional dos Assuntos Culturais, 3 vols. VERÍSSIMO, Nelson (2000). Relações de Poder na Sociedade Madeirense do século XVII. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Direcção Regional dos Assuntos Culturais. VIEIRA, Alberto (1987). O comércio inter-insular nos séculos XV e XVI: Madeira, Açores e Canárias. Funchal: Secretaria Regional do Turismo e Cultura - Centro de Estudos de História do Atlântico.
Translated by: Marília Pavão