The confraternities, the urban elites, and the municipal power in Évora at the end of the Middle Ages

Abstract

This article derives from the question of whether the confraternities of the city of Évora played any role in the intense dispute for power that marked the municipal political life at the end of the medieval period. The question is relevant if we take into account that we are referring to entities that had a strong impact within the urban community and generated interactions that gave them enormous social capital that could prove to be relevant at different levels. This text is a contribution to answer the question initially postulated, focusing, more particularly, on the relationship that the confraternities of the city of Évora maintained with both the municipal political power and the ruling elite. The analysis naturally took into account the characteristics of these institutions, paying special attention to their social profile, while also considering the political reality of the city. This is a framework in which the strong process of oligarchizing stands out, which itself had been intensified, mainly from the mid-14th century, and which does not mean that there had not been disputes over the control of municipal power. On the contrary, during this period, there was an intense political struggle that forced the leaders to compromise in many aspects and to face, in various ways, growing opposition from some sectors of society that were excluded from power. The relevance of confraternities is to be understood in this political context, not so much for those who opposed or contested power, but above all, and perhaps surprisingly, for the oligarchy itself.