Astronomy and Diplomacy at the Court of King João V of Portugal

Abstract

During the reign of King João V of Portugal (r.1707-1750), astronomy took part in a movement of cultural renewal and gave impulse to notable international exchanges, which were promoted by the absolutist monarch himself. Using the Portuguese diplomatic network and the extensive epistolary networks of their own Society, a group of Jesuit astronomers – with Neapolitan Giovanni Battista Carbone in the leading role – developed an efficient program of precise celestial observations. This program met João V’s political agenda in several ways: the creation of new observatories and the publication of results in European academic journals increased the prestige of the monarchy and a novel cartography of Brazil improved the geographical knowledge of the colony.