Nepotism, Illegitimacy and Papal Protection in the Construction of a Career: Rodrigo Pires de Oliveira, Bishop of Lamego (1311–1330)

Saraiva, Anísio Miguel de Sousa

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Year:: 2008
Contributor:: Saraiva, Anísio Miguel de Sousa (author)
Genre:: articles
Subject:: Catholic Church > Portugal > 14th century; Privileges and immunities, Ecclesiastical; Genealogy; Nepotism
Extent:: 13 p.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26300/w36z-er15

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Abstract:: Dom Rodrigo de Oliveira was one of many fourteenth-century Portuguese clergymen who reached the top of the ecclesiastical hierarchy as a result of the widespread practice of nepotism. The social fabric that catapulted this cleric into the religious hierarchy and the subsequent development of his cursus honorum reflect an era in which kinship and protectionism were essential for a career in the clergy. As the illegitimate son of the influential Archbishop of Braga, Dom Martinho Pires de Oliveira (1296–1313), Dom Rodrigo benefited from the support of the archbishop (who favored his relations and dependants as part of a far-reaching strategy), and from the indispensable protection of Popes Boniface VIII and Clement V, thanks to the archbishop’s prominence and influence at the Papal Court. Dom Rodrigo de Oliveira’s career began in the chapter of Évora (a city where his paternal family were influential) before he had attained the regulation age of fourteen. From there, he moved on to become prior of the important collegiate church of Santa Maria de Guimarães, then Dean of Évora, and soon afterwards, Bishop of Lamego, a position he received by pontifical appointment after having failed to be elected to the office of Bishop of Évora. Thus, it was in this context that the profile of Dom Rodrigo was constructed, supported mainly by a strategy of favor dictated by family interests, and benefiting widely from papal protection through the successive concession of prerogatives of privilege and exception.; D. Rodrigo de Oliveira foi um dos muitos clérigos portugueses trecentistas que alcançaram o topo da hierarquia eclesiástica, graças à prática difundida do nepotismo. O tecido social que catapultou este clérigo na hierarquia religiosa e o percurso subsequente do seu cursus honorum refletem uma época em que o parentesco e o protecionismo eram elementos essenciais para poder ter uma carreira no clero. Filho ilegítimo do influente arcebispo de Braga, D. Martinho Pires de Oliveira (1296–1313), D. Rodrigo beneficiou-se do apoio do arcebispo (quem favoreceu as relacões que tinha com os seus dependentes como parte de uma estratégia de longo alcance), e da proteção indispensável dos papas Bonifácio VIII e Clemente V, graças à proeminente influência que o arcebispo tinha na Casa Pontifícia. A carreira de D. Rodrigo de Oliveira comecou em Évora (uma cidade onde a sua família paterna tinha exercido muita influência), quando ainda não possuía a idade regulamentar de catorze anos. Em seguida tornou-se prior da importante colegiada de Santa Maria de Guimarães, daí virou deão de Évora e, pouco depois, bispo de Lamego, posiçao em que foi nomeado pelo pontífice, após não ter sido eleito para bispo de Évora. Foi neste contexto, portanto, que se construiu o perfil de D. Rodrigo, sustentado principalmente numa estratégia de favorecimento baseada em interesses familiares e amplamente beneficiada pela proteção papal, através da concessão sucessiva de prerrogativas de privilégio e de excepção.

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Saraiva, Anísio Miguel de Sousa, "Nepotism, Illegitimacy and Papal Protection in the Construction of a Career: Rodrigo Pires de Oliveira, Bishop of Lamego (1311–1330)" (2008). e-Journal of Portuguese History. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.26300/w36z-er15

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e-Journal of Portuguese History Vol. 6, no. 1

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e-Journal of Portuguese History

The e-Journal of Portuguese History (e-JPH) (ISSN: 1645-6432) is an international peer-reviewed scholarly journal with the objective of providing publication of work on historical subjects, especially those concerning themes and topics of Portuguese history analyzed in a comparative perspective. It …

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