The “crimes against the righteous ministry of the Holy Office” in the captaincy of Minas Gerais (1701-1821)

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Abstract

In the context of delicts persecuted by the Portuguese Inquisition, in addition to practices such as Judaism, bigamy, sodomy, solicitation and sorcery; there was a set of actions understood as disturbing the proper functioning of the court and called “crimes against the righteous ministry of the Holy Office”. Thus, the Portuguese Inquisition was also interested in acting against those who impeded and disturbed its regular procedure, whether they were inquisitorial agents who abused their authority, or ordinary individuals who offered obstacles to the performance of the Holy Office. In view of this, we will seek to present, in this work, a mapping of the denunciations and processes involving the crimes against the Holy Office in the captaincy of Minas Gerais between 1701 and 1821. Initially, we will start with a broader reflection on the nature of the delict, to then analyze its behavior in Minas Gerais in the 18th century, focusing on the chronological and spatial distribution of the accusations, the practices implicated and the interests of those involved.