Luís da Cunha

D. Luís da Cunha

Luís da Cunha (born January 25, 1662 in Lisbon , † October 9, 1749 in Paris ) was a Portuguese diplomat under King John V.

Life

D. Luís da Cunha was born in Lisbon in 1662 as the son of the colonial administrator Antônio Álvares da Cunha and studied canon law at the University of Coimbra . In 1696 he began his diplomatic career as Portuguese ambassador in London , from 1712 Minister Plenipotentiary for the conclusion of the Peace of Utrecht and later Portuguese ambassador in Madrid . Until his death in 1749, D. Luís da Cunha was a Portuguese minister at the French court.

Services

Through his 40-year absence from Portugal, D. Luís da Cunha had acquired an etic perspective on his homeland, which he used to analyze and criticize the state, economy and culture. He is considered one of the great diagnosers of the country's problems in the 18th century. In his most important work, Testamento Político (1747) , he shared his concerns with the heir to the throne, Joseph I of Portugal . Above all, he criticizes the intolerance of the Church towards Portuguese Jews and New Christians and the economic loss the country suffered as a result of their emigration .

The enlightener saw a further shortcoming in the role of the church as landowner. Around a third of the Portuguese land belonged to the church, which did not have to pay any taxes to the state and often insufficiently tilled the land. In his opinion, the legal system also did not work quickly and efficiently enough and thus prevented the development of Portugal in comparison with the other European countries of the epoch .

Works

• Carta Escrita de Paris ou Insrução ao Serenissimo Principe D. José para quando Subisse ao Trono 1747, usually cited as Testamento Político .
• Instruções Políticas , 1736.

literature

• Pedro Calafate: Portugal Como Problema . Lisboa, PÚBLICO / FLAD, 2006, ISBN 989-619-069-0

Web links

• About the Testamento Político (Portuguese)
• About the person Luís da Cunha (Portuguese)