PUNISHED AND AT THE SERVICE OF THE PORTUGUESE EMPIRE:

THE USE OF BANISHMENT IN PORTUGUESE EXPANSION

Abstract

It is notorious that the practice of banishment was present throughout the process of Portuguese expansion (15th-18th century) as part of the colonizing agenda. Based on this statement, the aim of this article is to revisit aspects relating to banishment and its respective use in the Atlantic. It is understood that banishment was a powerful ally in the colonies of the Portuguese Empire, both for providing labor and for settlement. There are countless cases of convicts being requested to supply labor in the Portuguese colonies and convicts being sent to populate colonies with a low population of Portuguese. This text therefore understands that the convict had a social function and proposes to analyze how the convict was a fundamental element in the social dynamics of the Portuguese Empire.