Departamento de História e Estudos Políticos e Internacionais

Este texto procura abordar as tendências dos fluxos e perfis da emigração para os territórios ultramarinos, a partir do estudo desenvolvido em torno de Vila do Conde na segunda metade do século XVI. Para o fazer, recorreu-se aos registos paroquiais e notariais disponibilizados pelo Cedopormar, 1 com os quais se pretendeu desenhar um quadro que se espera que possa trazer alguma luz sobre quem são estas pessoas que deixavam o reino e se dirigiam aos espaços ultramarinos. Através do cruzamento dos registos compulsados nestas duas tipologias de fontes, este contributo pretende chegar a algumas conclusões relativamente aos destinos de preferência dos emigrantes, aos tempos e períodos de fixação nas ilhas atlânticas, África, Ásia e América, ao perfil dos indivíduos e ao seu estatuto socioprofissional.

Using Vila do Conde parish and notary records, this article seeks to determine
the marital status of migrants who left Portugal between 1560 and 1651 to Overseas Empire,
such as the Atlantic archipelagos, Africa, Asia and America. We try to understand the family structure,
in order to understand if this emigration was done individually or if the relatives were involved,
either in a joint departure or through a later union in the destination territory. Finally, we
will verify the family composition of migrants and the influence that this may have on the choice
of a destination, due to their characteristics, such as the weather and the distance to the kingdom.

This paper demonstrates the connection between the emigrants’ professional specialization and their choice of an overseas destination and the best time to emigrate during the period from 1560 to 1651. Using Vila do Conde parish and notary records, this research extracts information on the emigrants’ professions and compares it with the local economic and social trends, demonstrating that this was an important emigration factor to those looking for a better life, since their profession allowed them a better adjustment to the economic and social realities at the destination.

This paper aims to approach the flows and profiles of emigration to the overseas territories, departing from a study focused on Vila do Conde in the second half of the XVIth century. To do that, this work resorted to parish and notarial registers, available through Cedopormar, in order to draw a picture that hopefully will bring some light about who is this people that left the kingdom heading to overseas territories. By crossing these two kinds of documents the paper intends to achieve some conclusions about the emigrants’ favorite destinies, the time periods of settlement in the Atlantic archipelagos, Africa, Asia and America, as well as their profiles and their socio-professional status.