Geopolitics and migration in the context of Utrecht: Portuguese settlers in Southern Brazil

Abstract

In this article, we will focus on the diplomatic negotiations between Spain and Portugal regarding the Colony of Sacramento and on the Portuguese migrations that took place from the Treaty of Utrecht (1715) to the Treaty of Madrid (1750). After the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, Portugal regained the New Colony of Sacramento, which was recognized as the most southern point in the Portuguese empire in the Americas. This was also due to the British pressure and the initiative of the English ambassador in Utrecht and in Madrid. However, the returning of the stronghold of Sacramento and its territory in 1716 did not put an end to a long negotiation between the two crowns. Besides, faced with the necessity of preserving its sovereignty in the regions of southern Brazil, the Portuguese monarchy promoted the strategic occupation of those territories by using settlers coming from its European domains, namely from Trás-os-Montes and from the Azores.