Narrative and legitimacy in the Portuguese Restoration War: Early steps toward its justification in literature (1641-1644)

Abstract

The present article explores the early steps taken toward the international legitimization of King Joao IV of Portugal by means of books and printed leaflets, outlining the context in which each work was published and the main arguments made by each author. Such writings were fundamental to publicizing the official version of the restoration movement abroad, which was until then only known of in Portugal. Dedicated to this task were the “republics”, formed by men from a wide variety of social backgrounds and professions whose primary concern was to promote the things of the res publica. During the campaign, the republics were challenged by Castilian Juan Caramuel Lobkowitz, who wrote a response to the Kingdom of Portugal’s manifesto, prompting a further response from various Portuguese authors. The result was to spark a controversy that involved various European countries and lasted for years.