Contributions on the study of assistence in Braga at the end of Middle Age (XII-XVth centuries): structures, institutions and representations

Abstract

This study aims to contribute to the historiography of Christian assistance and charity in Braga from the 12th to 15th centuries, adopting an evolutionary perspective over an extended period. Based on a documentary and bibliographical analysis, this study will identify the main institutions and assistance structures, as well as their connection to the city’s physical and symbolic space, to understand the political, social and economic relationships between them and the institutions of religious and civil governance and administration. At the same time, this study will examine how these assistance institutions functioned as a unifying force in society, often playing a role in mass control.