The Livro Preto of the Monastery of Grijó (1449–1452)

A Multidisciplinary Study of a Late Medieval Monastic Cartulary

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14195/2182-7974_39_1_2

Keywords:

Livro Preto, Monastery of Grijó, Diplomatics, Palaeography, Codicology

Abstract

The Livro Preto of the Monastery of São Salvador de Grijó, compiled between 1449 and 1452 at the initiative of Prior João Álvares and produced within the framework of the Desembargo Régio under the supervision of Fernão Lopes, reflects the adaptive strategies of medieval monastic communities in response to political and legal uncertainty. Commissioned by royal charter of King Afonso V, the codex gathers 43 documents (1122–1434) from the royal archive with the aim of reaffirming the monastery’s rights and patrimony following the Battle of Alfarrobeira. This study analyses the cartulary through two principal axes: the historical context and motivations behind its compilation, and its diplomatic, palaeographic, and codicological features. The Livro Preto thus emerges as an instrument of legitimisation and resistance, asserting the identity and autonomy of the Augustinian community within the political and ecclesiastical landscape of late medieval Portugal.

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Published

2026-07-29

Issue

Vol. 39 No. 1 (2026): Archives, Sources and Historical Sciences

Section

Estudos

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Boletim do Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows sharing the work with recognition of authorship and initial publication in Boletim do Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra journal.