"THE HARD CHAINS OF A SUBORDINATE GOVERNMENT": political culture, negotiations and governance in Paraíba port authority (c. 1764-1797).

Abstract

In the second half of the 18th century, the territories of the captaincy of the State of North Brazil were,by royal resolution, attached administratively to the government of Pernambuco. In the case of Real Captaincy ofParaiba, the annexation lasted for forty years and institutionalized long-established social networks among theelites of  Paraíba  and their  counterparts from  the  neighboring state  of  Pernambuco. This articleis a micro-analytical observation of the  so-called political consequences attached  to the  captaincy  fromthe dynamics of the local elites of Paraiba, set in the context of the Portuguese Empire of the eighteenth century,looking,  on  the  other hand,  the  relations that  shaped their  ties  to Pernambuco, precisely with  thegovernors-general of the  captaincy and  the  merchants of  Recife's  Square. In defense  of its  business  withthe commercial circuits of Recife, these local elites have left, including the rage against the governor of Paraiba,exacerbating tensions and intrusions of jurisdictions in a government employee.