Para el sosiego y quietud del reino. En torno a Felipe II y el poder eclesiástico en el Portugal de finales del siglo XVI

Abstract

Negotiations with churchmen in the Cortes of Tomar focused on preserving the convenient status quo that Portuguese church retained, compared with the Spanish church. This position arose from the factors conditioning the relationship between the Portuguese crown and ecclesiastical power from the second half of the sixteenth century, characterised by the need to define a Catholic confessional strategy. The main aims and methods of this strategy were already established by the time Philip II became king in 1580. With the aim of outlining some elements of the religious policies of Philip II in Portugal, this paper —on the one hand— traces the implementation of strategies dealing with ecclesiastical opposition to Philips accession. On the other hand, it addresses continuity in the confessional guidelines defined before 1580.