Lineage and merits: notes on the concept of nobility and the nominations of captains general at the end of the 18th century

This article proposes some historiographic considerations on the social stances of some governors who took part in the Portuguese conquests between 1796 and 1803. Firstly, I address the notion of honour and nobility which the Portuguese bourgeoisie supported as opposed to what they called “the ennobled”, that is, the people who ascended to the Crown for their “talent” and university degrees; secondly, I dispute the recruitment of governors and vice-kings, which, historiography says, were positions that gave access to the highest of Portuguese aristocracy and were paid with noble titles by the king. Lastly, I point out how university degrees became an additional – and valuable – asset for the selection of captains general, and I also analyse the first generation of governors – formed after the educational reforms undertaken by Marquis of Pombal –, which contributed to the overseas conquests at the turn of the 18th to the 19th century.