Modos de governar, modos de governo: o governo-geral do Estado do Brasil entre a conservação da conquista e a manutenção do negócio (1642 1682)

Abstract

From the comparative examination of the regiments passed to the Governors General Antônio Telles da Silva, in 1642, Jerônimo de Ataíde, in 1653, and Field Master General Roque da Costa Barreto, in 1677, this paper aims at, in its the first part, determining and systematizing the duties and powers of the General Government in relation to the State administration of Brazil, seeking to present itself how the institution was organized from the formal point of view.The second part examines the administrative practices of those governments focusing on issues related to protection and conservation of Portuguese America, as well as its economic exploitation. The aim is, thus, verify the conditions of governance, the position of the Governor General within the administrative structure of America, its interface with society groups and their different interests, allowing to understand its effective operation and its penetration in society. The purpose is therefore to seize the application of procedural rules and its reception in the social body, identifying, from the articulation between the normative form, expressed in the regulations, and administrative practice, the scope and limits of the power of the Crown.