The dynamics of a shared periphery

Southeast Asia and the institutional relations between the Inquisitions of Mexico and Goa in the 17th century

Abstract

In 1640, the secession of the Portuguese Crown from the Habsburg Monarchy put on hold the practice of cooperation among the tribunals of the Iberian inquisitions, which, to varying degrees, had been going on since the founding of the Portuguese Holy Office. In Southeast Asia and East Asia, a situation of open warfare between Portugal and Spain never ensued as in the Iberian Peninsula. The caution shown by the Philippine governors towards locations such as Macau and Borrobos (Macáçar) – informal establishments with different degrees of institutionalization – and the expectation that their inhabitants would declare allegiance for Philip IV made possible an informal communication between vassals of both Crowns. At the same time, it created a favorable environment for the exchange of information and inquisitorial correspondence between the Inquisitions of Mexico and Goa when, in the Iberian Peninsula, such practices were interrupted. This paper intends to demonstrate how the configuration of the Iberian empires in Asia created conditions for the continuity of inquisitorial cooperation despite the Restoration wars between the two Crowns or the trade prohibitions established after the end of the conflict.