Theory and praxis of the professionalisation of the Portuguese navy: The navy officer corps, 1750-1807

Abstract

During the second half of the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century, the most important European monarchies carried out reforms of their navies. Naval officers, who underwent a thorough process of professionalisation – training, education, functions, missions, promotions – were the best exponent of the new idea of the navy being put forward. Portugal was an eminently maritime monarchy, but the professionalisation of the navy did not begin until the second half of the eighteenth century. The reforms culminated in the 1780s and the 1790s, when naval officers and cadets were organised according to a different structure and new regulations were issued. By applying a comparative approach, the central avenue of analysis will be twofold: on one hand, reviewing the theory behind the process; and on the other hand, examining the praxis, in order to determine if these theories were effectively implemented.