The Patrimonial State and Patron-Client Relations in Iberia and Latin America: Sources of "The System" in the Fifteenth-Century Writings of the Infante D. Pedro of Portugal

Abstract

This paper examines the social thought of the Infante D. Pedro of Portugal (1392-1449), second son of King D. Joao I, as expressed in his Livro da Virtuosa Bemfeitoria (On Virtuous Benefits). Using Seneca's idea of the gift, D. Pedro proposed a model of society based on reciprocity, in which gifts (benefits) are exchanged for loyalty. The result is the elimination of poverty and the integration of society, while at the same time the medieval ideal of hierarchy is preserved. The model developed by the Portuguese prince is interpreted as a prototype of the corporate, patrimonial state and the patterns of patronage and clientage reported by students of Latin American and Iberian politics. In this paper I discuss the life and thought of the Infante D. Pedro of Portugal (1392-1449), the son of King D. Joao I (1385-1433), the founder of the House of Avis. My specific objective is to examine the recommendations for the reduction and elimination of poverty in human society made by the Infante in a book entitled Livro da Virtuosa Bemfeitoria. My interest in the Portuguese prince is related to my studies in the culture and society of the contemporary New World. In the writings of the fifteenth century scholar-prince I believe that I have found a model for the corporate, patrimonial state (Wiarda 1973) and for systems of patronage and clientage, two cultural patterns that have been reported and much discussed by modern day students of Latin America (Foster 1961, 1963; Greenfield 1968, 1972, 1976a, 1976b; Powell 1970; Strickon and Greenfield 1972). Since D. Pedro was writing at a time prior to the discovery of the New World, and the social systems and cultural patterns he discusses are found in the ETHNOHISTORY 24/2 (Spring 1977) 163 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.92 on Tue, 21 Jun 2016 06:54:05 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 164 SIDNEY M. GREENFIELD Luso-Hispanic successor states of the Americas, the sources of these New World patterns may reasonably be traced to the Old World. Historically, the significance of D. Pedro lies in the fact that he was both a formulator of social theories and an active member of the royal household at a time when Portugal had ascended to the leadership of Europe. He was the son of one king and the brother of another; and when D. Duarte (1433-1438) died after but five years on the throne, Pedro served as regent during one of the formative decades in Portuguese history. During the period of his regency (1439-1447) the conquests and discoveries were begun in earnest after a delay caused by internal dissension as to the course to be taken in foreign policy. Pedro was in large measure responsible for the change in policy that led to the conquests and overseas expansion. And, perhaps more important, he also set the precedent for the way the Portuguese government, through its incipient patrimonial state apparatus and a national and international system of patron-client relations, was to integrate the new lands, peoples and resources. The model for the system implemented during his regency, which was to be re-established after a temporary hiatus during the reign of King D. Joao II (1481-1497) who was Pedro's grandson was that developed by D. Pedro in the Livro da Virtuosa Bemfeitoria. The Life and Achievements of the Infante D. Pedro The Infante D. Pedro was born on December 9, 1392, the fourth child, second to survive, of King D. Joao I of Portugal and his English queen, Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt (see genealogical chart). Pedro's father, the founder of the House of Avis, had been the illegitimate son. of King D. Pedro I (1357-1367). When the latter's only son D. Fernando (1367-1383) died without a legitimate male heir, the crown, in theory, was to have passed to his daughter, D. Beatriz. Beatriz, however, was the wife of Juan I, King of Castile, at the time of her father's death. With her on its throne, Portugal would have again become a part of the neighboring This content downloaded from 157.55.39.92 on Tue, 21 Jun 2016 06:54:05 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms The Patrimonial State and Patron-Client Relations 165