The trajectory of the Pinto de Miranda family by the Portuguese empire: economic and social ascendancy (second half of the eighteenth century)

Abstract

The article analyzes the life history of the brothers Antônio Pinto de Miranda and Baltazar Pinto de Miranda, who became important businessmen of the Portuguese Empire during the second half of the 18th century. For that, we analyzed primary sources that allowed the reconstitution of its trajectories, through a nominative methodological approach, focused on the case study and for a qualitative analysis of the sources. Thus, the emphasis of our research was on the collection of documentation that allowed us to evaluate both the process and the elements that guided the economic and social ascendancy of our characters to the Portuguese merchant elite, such as, for example, positions in administrative positions and acquisition of insignia that confer social distinction, in order to combine the results of the research with the context of which it was part.