Abstract
The Portuguese Restoration of 1640 put an end to the union of the Iberian Crowns. Historians normally explain it as the result of a mix of historical, economic, and social conditions. Religious beliefs, however, were one of the strongest motifs used to catapult the “revolution” against Spain, while explaining how such a small kingdom as Portugal was God’s chosen nation to lead humankind towards the end of time. This eschatological ideal is particularly important among members of the Society of Jesus. In this paper, it is our goal to further explore sixteenth-century theoretical conceptualizations regarding the establishment of tahe “Fifth Empire” as forecast in Daniel and in Revelation. For this, we will analyze the work of a Portuguese Jesuit, Antonio Vieira: the History of the Future and the Clavis Prophetarum. Vieira, in his two books concerning this concept of the end of time, fi rst follows a panegyric approach of the Portuguese people; and later, in light of biblical texts, explains Portuguese supremacy and the role to be played by the Portuguese monarch. It is our aim to demonstrate how texts such as Daniel and Revelation, given their timeless character, can be used in other historical moments of distress similar to those of the turn of the Era.
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