Alexandre Herculano
Encyclopedia
Alexandre Herculano de Carvalho e Araújo (born March 28, 1810 in Lisbon
– died September 13, 1877 in Santarém
), was a Portuguese
novel
ist and historian
.
was a foreman stonemason in the royal employ. Herculano received his early education, comprising Latin
, logic
and rhetoric
, at the Necessidades Monastery, and spent a year at the Royal Marine Academy studying mathematics with the intention of entering on a commercial career. In 1828 Portugal fell under the absolute rule of D. Miguel
, and Herculano, becoming involved in the unsuccessful military pronunciamento of August 1831, had to leave Portugal clandestinely and take refuge in England
and France
. In 1832 he accompanied the Liberal
expedition to Terceira Island
as a volunteer, and was one of D. Pedro's famous army of 7500 men who landed at the Mindelo and occupied Oporto. He took part in all the actions of the great siege, and at the same time served as a librarian in the city archives. He published his first volume of verses, A Voz de Propheta, in 1832, and two years later another entitled A Harpa do Crente.
Privation had made a man of him, and in these little books he proves himself a poet of deep feeling and considerable power of expression. The stirring incidents in the political emancipation of Portugal inspired his muse, and he describes the bitterness of exile, the adventurous expedition to Terceira, the heroic defence of Oporto, and the final combats of liberty. In 1837 he founded the Panorama in imitation of the English Penny Magazine
, and there and in Illustraco he published the historical tales which were afterwards collected into Lendas e Narrativas; in the same year he became royal librarian at the Ajuda Palace, which enabled him to continue his studies of the past. The Panorama had a large circulation and influence, and Herculano's biographical sketches of great men and his articles of literary and historical criticism did much to educate the middle class by acquainting them with the story of their nation, and with the progress of knowledge and the state of letters in foreign countries.
. Eurico treats of the fall of the Visigoth
ic monarchy and the beginnings of resistance in the Asturias which gave birth to the Christian
kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula
. A second book, Monge de Cister, published in 1848, describes the time of King João I
, when the middle class
and the municipalities first asserted their power and elected a king who stood in opposition to the nobility.
From an artistic standpoint, these stories are rather laboured productions, besides being ultra-romantic in tone; but it must be remembered that they were written mainly with an educational object, and, moreover, they deserve high praise for their style. Herculano had greater book-learning than Scott, but lacked descriptive talent and skill in dialogue. His touch is heavy, and these novels show no dramatic power, which accounts for his failure as a playwright, but their influence was as great as their followers were many, and they still find readers.
", a book written on critical lines and based on documents.
The difficulties he encountered in producing it were very great, for the foundations had been ill-prepared by his predecessors, and he was obliged to be artisan and architect at the same time. He had to collect manuscripts from all parts of Portugal, decipher, classify and weigh them before he could begin work, and then he found it necessary to break with precedents and destroy traditions. Serious students in Portugal and abroad welcomed the book as an historical work of the first rank, for its evidence of careful research, its able marshalling of facts, its scholarship and its painful accuracy, while the sculptural simplicity of the style and the correctness of the diction have made it a Portuguese classic.
, which was supposed to have seen the birth of the Portuguese monarchy, to the dimensions of a mere skirmish, and denied the apparition of Christ
to King Afonso
, a fable first circulated in the 15th century.
Herculano was denounced from the pulpit and by the press for his lack of patriotism
and piety, and after bearing the attack for some time his pride drove him to reply. In a letter to the cardinal patriarch of Lisbon
entitled Eu e o Clero (1850), he denounced the fanaticism and ignorance of the clergy in plain terms, and this provoked a fierce pamphlet war marked by much personal abuse. A professor of Arabic
in Lisbon intervened to sustain the accepted view of the battle, and charged Herculano and his supporter, Pascual de Gayangos
with ignorance of the Arab historians and of their language. The conduct of the controversy, which lasted some years, did credit to none of the contending parties, but Herculano's statement of the facts is now universally accepted as correct.
The second volume of his history appeared in 1847, the third in 1849, and the fourth in 1853.
and Christianity. His "History of the Origin and Establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal" (1854–1855), relating the thirty years' struggle between King John III and the Jews -- he to establish the tribunal and they to prevent him—was compiled, as the preface showed, to stem the ultramontane reaction, but nonetheless carried weight because it was a recital of events with little or no comment or evidence of passion in its author.
Next to these two books ("History of Portugal from the beginning of the monarchy to the end of the reign of Afonso III" and "History of the origin and establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal"), his study, "Condition of the working classes on the peninsula from the seventh to the twelfth century" ("Do Estado des classes servas na Peninsula desde o VII. ate o XII. seculo"), is Herculano's most valuable contribution to history.
, he left the Ajuda and retired to a country house near Santarém
.
Disillusioned with mankind and despairing of the future of his country, he spent the rest of his life devoted to agricultural pursuits, and rarely emerged from his retirement; when he did so, it was to fight political and religious reactionaries. Once, he defended the monastic orders, advocating their reform and not their suppression; he supported the rural clergy and idealized the village priest in his Pároco da Aldeia, an imitation, unconscious or otherwise, of Oliver Goldsmith
's "The Vicar of Wakefield".
Unfortunately, however, the brilliant epoch of the alliance of Liberalism
and Catholicism, represented, in terms of literature, by Chateaubriand
and by Lamartine
, to whose poetic school Herculano had belonged, was past. Fanatical attacks and the progress of events drove Herculano, a former champion of the Church, into conflict with ecclesiastical authorities.
His protest against the Concordat of February 21, 1857 between Portugal and the Holy See
, regulating the Portuguese Padroado in the East, his successful opposition to the entry of foreign religious orders, and his advocacy of civil marriage
, were the chief landmarks in his battle with Ultramontanism
, and his "Studies on Civil Marriage" ("Estudos sobre o Casamento Civil") were put on the Index
. Finally, in 1871, he attacked the dogma
s of the Immaculate Conception
and papal infallibility
, and, in doing so, he fell into line with the Old Catholics.
to mean a return via anarchy
to absolutism
. However, though he conducted political propaganda campaigns in the press in his early days, Herculano never exercised much influence in politics.
to Granville, in which he satirizes English character and customs, and he reveals an unexpected sense of humour. A rare capacity for tedious work, a dour Caton
ian rectitude, a passion for truth, pride, irritation when criticized, and independence of character are the marks of Herculano as a man.
He could be broken but never bent, and his rude frankness accorded with his hard, sombre face, and he often alienated men's sympathies though he seldom lost their respect. His lyricism is vigorous, feeling but austere, and almost entirely subjective and personal, while his pamphlets are distinguished by energy of conviction, strength of affirmation, and contempt for weaker and more ignorant opponents.
His History of Portugal is a great but incomplete monument. A lack of imagination and a deficit of the philosophic spirit prevented him from penetrating or drawing characters, but his analytical gift, joined to persevering toil and honesty of purpose, enabled him to present a faithful account of ascertained facts and a satisfactorily lucid explanation of political and economic events.
His remains lie in a majestic tomb in the Jerónimos Monastery
at Belém, near Lisbon, which was raised by public subscription to the greatest modern historian of Portugal and of the Iberian peninsula. His more important works have gone through many editions, and his name is still one to conjure with.
----
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
– died September 13, 1877 in Santarém
Santarém, Portugal
Santarém is a city in the Santarém Municipality in Portugal. The city itself has a population of 28,760 and the entire municipality has 64,124 inhabitants.It is the capital of Santarém District....
), was a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Early life
Herculano's family had humble origins. One of his grandfathersGrandparent
Grandparents are the parents of a person's own parent, whether that be a father or a mother. Every sexually-reproducing creature who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic grandparents, eight genetic great-grandparents, sixteen genetic great-great-grandparents, etc...
was a foreman stonemason in the royal employ. Herculano received his early education, comprising Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, at the Necessidades Monastery, and spent a year at the Royal Marine Academy studying mathematics with the intention of entering on a commercial career. In 1828 Portugal fell under the absolute rule of D. Miguel
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
, and Herculano, becoming involved in the unsuccessful military pronunciamento of August 1831, had to leave Portugal clandestinely and take refuge in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1832 he accompanied the Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
expedition to Terceira Island
Terceira Island
Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
as a volunteer, and was one of D. Pedro's famous army of 7500 men who landed at the Mindelo and occupied Oporto. He took part in all the actions of the great siege, and at the same time served as a librarian in the city archives. He published his first volume of verses, A Voz de Propheta, in 1832, and two years later another entitled A Harpa do Crente.
Privation had made a man of him, and in these little books he proves himself a poet of deep feeling and considerable power of expression. The stirring incidents in the political emancipation of Portugal inspired his muse, and he describes the bitterness of exile, the adventurous expedition to Terceira, the heroic defence of Oporto, and the final combats of liberty. In 1837 he founded the Panorama in imitation of the English Penny Magazine
Penny Magazine
The Penny Magazine, published every Saturday from 31 March 1832 to 31 October 1845, was an illustrated British magazine aimed at the working class. Charles Knight created it for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge in response to Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, which started two months...
, and there and in Illustraco he published the historical tales which were afterwards collected into Lendas e Narrativas; in the same year he became royal librarian at the Ajuda Palace, which enabled him to continue his studies of the past. The Panorama had a large circulation and influence, and Herculano's biographical sketches of great men and his articles of literary and historical criticism did much to educate the middle class by acquainting them with the story of their nation, and with the progress of knowledge and the state of letters in foreign countries.
Writings
Herculano introduced the historical novel into Portugal in 1844 by a book written in imitation of Walter ScottWalter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
. Eurico treats of the fall of the Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
ic monarchy and the beginnings of resistance in the Asturias which gave birth to the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. A second book, Monge de Cister, published in 1848, describes the time of King João I
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
, when the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
and the municipalities first asserted their power and elected a king who stood in opposition to the nobility.
From an artistic standpoint, these stories are rather laboured productions, besides being ultra-romantic in tone; but it must be remembered that they were written mainly with an educational object, and, moreover, they deserve high praise for their style. Herculano had greater book-learning than Scott, but lacked descriptive talent and skill in dialogue. His touch is heavy, and these novels show no dramatic power, which accounts for his failure as a playwright, but their influence was as great as their followers were many, and they still find readers.
Chronicles and Histories
These and editions of two old chronicles, the "Chronicle of Dom Sebastião" (1839) and the "Annals of king João III" (1844), prepared Herculano for his life's work, and the year 1846 saw the first volume of his "History of Portugal from the Beginning of the Monarchy to the end of the Reign of Afonso IIIAfonso III of Portugal
Afonso III , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , the Bolognian , the fifth King of Portugal and the first to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve, from 1249...
", a book written on critical lines and based on documents.
The difficulties he encountered in producing it were very great, for the foundations had been ill-prepared by his predecessors, and he was obliged to be artisan and architect at the same time. He had to collect manuscripts from all parts of Portugal, decipher, classify and weigh them before he could begin work, and then he found it necessary to break with precedents and destroy traditions. Serious students in Portugal and abroad welcomed the book as an historical work of the first rank, for its evidence of careful research, its able marshalling of facts, its scholarship and its painful accuracy, while the sculptural simplicity of the style and the correctness of the diction have made it a Portuguese classic.
Historiographic controversy
The first volume, however, gave rise to a celebrated controversy, because Herculano had reduced the famous battle of OuriqueBattle of Ourique
The Battle of Ourique saw the forces of Portuguese Prince Afonso Henriques defeat the Almoravid Moors led by Ali ibn Yusuf.-Background:...
, which was supposed to have seen the birth of the Portuguese monarchy, to the dimensions of a mere skirmish, and denied the apparition of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
to King Afonso
Afonso I of Portugal
Afonso I or Dom Afonso Henriques , more commonly known as Afonso Henriques , nicknamed "the Conqueror" , "the Founder" or "the Great" by the Portuguese, and El-Bortukali and Ibn-Arrik by the Moors whom he fought, was the first King of Portugal...
, a fable first circulated in the 15th century.
Herculano was denounced from the pulpit and by the press for his lack of patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
and piety, and after bearing the attack for some time his pride drove him to reply. In a letter to the cardinal patriarch of Lisbon
Patriarch of Lisbon
The Patriarch of Lisbon is an honorary title possessed by the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lisbon.The first patriarch of Lisbon was D. Tomás de Almeida, who was appointed in 1716 by Pope Clement XI...
entitled Eu e o Clero (1850), he denounced the fanaticism and ignorance of the clergy in plain terms, and this provoked a fierce pamphlet war marked by much personal abuse. A professor of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
in Lisbon intervened to sustain the accepted view of the battle, and charged Herculano and his supporter, Pascual de Gayangos
Pascual de Gayangos y Arce
Pascual de Gayangos y Arce was a Spanish scholar and orientalist.Born in Seville, he was the son of Brigadier José de Gayangos, intendente of Zacatecas, in New Spain. After completing his primary education in Madrid, at the age of thirteen he was sent to school at Pont-le-Voy near Blois...
with ignorance of the Arab historians and of their language. The conduct of the controversy, which lasted some years, did credit to none of the contending parties, but Herculano's statement of the facts is now universally accepted as correct.
The second volume of his history appeared in 1847, the third in 1849, and the fourth in 1853.
History of the Inquisition
In his youth, the excesses of absolutism had made Herculano a Liberal, and the attacks on his history turned this man, full of sentiment and deep religious conviction, into an anti-clerical who began to distinguish between political CatholicismCatholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and Christianity. His "History of the Origin and Establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal" (1854–1855), relating the thirty years' struggle between King John III and the Jews -- he to establish the tribunal and they to prevent him—was compiled, as the preface showed, to stem the ultramontane reaction, but nonetheless carried weight because it was a recital of events with little or no comment or evidence of passion in its author.
Next to these two books ("History of Portugal from the beginning of the monarchy to the end of the reign of Afonso III" and "History of the origin and establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal"), his study, "Condition of the working classes on the peninsula from the seventh to the twelfth century" ("Do Estado des classes servas na Peninsula desde o VII. ate o XII. seculo"), is Herculano's most valuable contribution to history.
Retirement
In 1856 he began editing a series of Portugalliae monumenta historica, but personal differences between him and the keeper of the Archive office, which he was forced to frequent, caused him to interrupt his historical studies, and on the death of his friend King Pedro VPedro V of Portugal
* Duke of Barcelos* Marquis of Vila Viçosa* Count of Ourém* Count of Barcelos* Count of Arraiolos* Count of Guimarães-Honours:* Knight of the Garter* Knight of the Golden Fleece-Ancestry:...
, he left the Ajuda and retired to a country house near Santarém
Santarém, Portugal
Santarém is a city in the Santarém Municipality in Portugal. The city itself has a population of 28,760 and the entire municipality has 64,124 inhabitants.It is the capital of Santarém District....
.
Disillusioned with mankind and despairing of the future of his country, he spent the rest of his life devoted to agricultural pursuits, and rarely emerged from his retirement; when he did so, it was to fight political and religious reactionaries. Once, he defended the monastic orders, advocating their reform and not their suppression; he supported the rural clergy and idealized the village priest in his Pároco da Aldeia, an imitation, unconscious or otherwise, of Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
's "The Vicar of Wakefield".
Unfortunately, however, the brilliant epoch of the alliance of Liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and Catholicism, represented, in terms of literature, by Chateaubriand
François-René de Chateaubriand
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian. He is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature.-Early life and exile:...
and by Lamartine
Alphonse de Lamartine
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine was a French writer, poet and politician who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic.-Career:...
, to whose poetic school Herculano had belonged, was past. Fanatical attacks and the progress of events drove Herculano, a former champion of the Church, into conflict with ecclesiastical authorities.
His protest against the Concordat of February 21, 1857 between Portugal and the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, regulating the Portuguese Padroado in the East, his successful opposition to the entry of foreign religious orders, and his advocacy of civil marriage
Civil marriage
Civil marriage is marriage performed by a government official and not a religious organization.-History:Every country maintaining a population registry of its residents keeps track of marital status, and most countries believe that it is their responsibility to register married couples. Most...
, were the chief landmarks in his battle with Ultramontanism
Ultramontanism
Ultramontanism is a religious philosophy within the Roman Catholic community that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope...
, and his "Studies on Civil Marriage" ("Estudos sobre o Casamento Civil") were put on the Index
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church. A first version was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559, and a revised and somewhat relaxed form was authorized at the Council of Trent...
. Finally, in 1871, he attacked the dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
s of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
and papal infallibility
Papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error when in his official capacity he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals...
, and, in doing so, he fell into line with the Old Catholics.
Political legacy
In the domain of letters he remained until his death a veritable pontiff, and an article or book of his was an event celebrated from one end of Portugal to the other. The nation continued to look up to him for intellecual leadership, but, in his later years, lacking hope himself, he could not stimulate others or use to advantage the powers conferred upon him. In politics he remained a constitutional Liberal of the old type, and, for him, the people were the middle classes in opposition to the lower, which he saw to have been the supporters of tyranny in all ages, while he considered radicalismPolitical radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
to mean a return via anarchy
Anarchy
Anarchy , has more than one colloquial definition. In the United States, the term "anarchy" typically is meant to refer to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority...
to absolutism
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
. However, though he conducted political propaganda campaigns in the press in his early days, Herculano never exercised much influence in politics.
Character
Grave as most of his writings are, they include a short description of a crossing from JerseyJersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
to Granville, in which he satirizes English character and customs, and he reveals an unexpected sense of humour. A rare capacity for tedious work, a dour Caton
Caton
Caton can refer to:* Hiram Caton, Australian academic* Martin Caton, Welsh politician.* Reginald Caton, British publisher.* Richard Caton, , English physician* Steve Caton, musician.* Caton, New York, a town in Steuben County....
ian rectitude, a passion for truth, pride, irritation when criticized, and independence of character are the marks of Herculano as a man.
He could be broken but never bent, and his rude frankness accorded with his hard, sombre face, and he often alienated men's sympathies though he seldom lost their respect. His lyricism is vigorous, feeling but austere, and almost entirely subjective and personal, while his pamphlets are distinguished by energy of conviction, strength of affirmation, and contempt for weaker and more ignorant opponents.
His History of Portugal is a great but incomplete monument. A lack of imagination and a deficit of the philosophic spirit prevented him from penetrating or drawing characters, but his analytical gift, joined to persevering toil and honesty of purpose, enabled him to present a faithful account of ascertained facts and a satisfactorily lucid explanation of political and economic events.
His remains lie in a majestic tomb in the Jerónimos Monastery
Jerónimos Monastery
The Hieronymites Monastery is located near the shore of the parish of Belém, in the municipality of Lisbon, Portugal...
at Belém, near Lisbon, which was raised by public subscription to the greatest modern historian of Portugal and of the Iberian peninsula. His more important works have gone through many editions, and his name is still one to conjure with.
Family life
In 1866, Herculano married an old love of his, Mariana Hermínia de Meira, born about 1830, with whom he had no children.Poetry
- The Voice of the Prophet (A Voz do Profeta) 1836
- The Believer’s Harp (A Harpa do Crente) 1838
- Poems (Poesias) - 1850
Theatre
- The Frontier of Africa, or Three Nights of Heartburn (O Fronteiro de África ou três noites aziagas) A drama based on Portuguese history, in three acts, staged in Lisbon, in 1838, at the Salitre Theatre, revived in Rio de Janeiro in 1862
- The Princes in Ceuta (Os Infantes em Ceuta) 1842
Novels
- The Vicar of Aldeia (O Pároco de Aldeia) 1851
- The Galician: Life, Sayings, and Deeds of Lázaro Tomé (O Galego: Vida, ditos e feitos de Lázaro Tomé)
Historical novels
- The Fool (O Bobo) 1828-1843
- The Monastic (‘’O Monasticon’’)
- Eurico, the Presbyter: The Visigoth Era (Eurico, o Presbítero: Época Visigótica) 1844
- The Monk at the Cistern; in the time of João I (O Monge de Cister; Época de D. João I) 1848
- Legends and stories, Volume 1 (Lendas e narrativas, 1.º tomo) 1851
- The mayor of Santarém (O Alcaide de Santarém 950-961)
- (Arras por Foro de Espanha 1371-2)
- The Castle of Faria (O Castelo de Faria 1373)
- The Vaulted Ceiling (A Abóbada 1401)
- Legends and stories, Volume 2 (Lendas e narrativas, 2.º tomo) 1851
- Breaking the Halo: Spanish Tales of the Eighth Century (Destruição de Áuria: Lendas Espanholas (século VIII))
- The Black Bishop (O Bispo Negro 1130)
- The Death of the Reader (A Morte do Lidador 1170)
- The Emprazado: Chronicle of Spain (O Emprazado: Crónica de Espanha 1312)
- The Assassinated Master: Chronicle of the Templars (O Mestre Assassinado: Crónica dos Templários 1320)
- Master Gil: A Chronicle of the Fifteenth Century (Mestre Gil: Crónica (Século XV))
- Three Months in Calcutta: First Account of the Indian States, 1498 (Três Meses em Calecut: Primeira Crónica dos Estados da Índia, 1498)
- The Chronicler: To live and believe in another time (O Cronista: Viver e Crer de Outro Tempo)
Histories
- "History of Portugal from the beginning of the monarchy to the end of the reign of Afonso III" (História de Portugal: 1.ª época, desde a origem da monarquia até D. Afonso III) 1846-1853
- "History of the origin and establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal" (História da Origem e Estabelecimento da Inquisição em Portugal) 1854-1859
- Historical Monuments of Portugal (Portugaliae Monumenta Historica) 1856-1873
Pamphlets
- Pamphlets: Public Questions, Volume 1 (Opúsculos: Questões Públicas, Tomo I)
- The Voice of the Prophet (A Voz do Profeta) 1837
- Theatre, Ethics, Censorship (Teatro, Moral, Censura) 1841
- The Exits (Os Egressos) 1842
- On the Economic System (Da Instituição das Caixas Económicas) 1844
- The Nuns of Lorvão (As Freiras de Lorvão) 1853
- The Condition of the Church’s Records of the Kingdom (Do Estado dos Arquivos Eclesiásticos do Reino) 1857
- The Suppression of Lectures in the Barracks (A Supressão das Conferências do Casino) 1871
- Pamphlets: Public Questions, Volume 2 (Opúsculos: Questões Públicas, Tomo II)
- Patriotic Monuments (Monumentos Pátrios) 1838
- On Intellectual Property (Da Propriedade Literária) 1851-1852
- Letter to the Academy of Sciences (Carta à Academia das Ciências) 1856
- Mousinho da Silveira 1856
- Letter to the Members of the Cintra Club (Carta aos Eleitores do Círculo de Cintra) 1858
- Manifest of the Popular Association for the Advancement of Education of Women (Manifesto da Associação Popular Promotora da Educação do Sexo Feminino) 1858
- Pamphlets: Controversies and Historical Studies, Volume 1 (Opúsculos: Controvérsias e Estudos Históricos, Tomo I)
- The Battle of Ourique (A Batalha de Ourique):
- I. Me and the Clergy (Eu e o Clero) 1850
- II. Peaceful Considerations (Considerações Pacificas) 1850
- III. Solemn Words (Solemnia Verba) 1850
- IV. Solemn Words (Solemnia Verba) 1850
- V. The Science of an Arab Academic (A Ciência Arábico-Académica) 1851
- "Condition of the working classes on the peninsula from the seventh to the twelfth century" (Do estado das classes servas na Península, desde o VIII até o XII Século) 1858
- The Battle of Ourique (A Batalha de Ourique):
- Pamphlets: Public Questions, Volume 3 (Opúsculos: Questões Públicas, Tomo III)
- The Ties that Bind (Os Vínculos) 1856
- Immigration (A Emigração) 1870-1875
- Pamphlets: Controversies and Historical Studies, Volume 2 (Opúsculos: Controvérsias e Estudos Históricos, Tomo II)
- Portuguese historians (Historiadores portugueses) 1839-1840:
- Fernão Lopes
- Gomes Eanes de Azurara
- Vasco Fernandes de Lucena and Rui de Pina
- Garcia de Resende
- Letters about the History of Portugal (Cartas Sobre a História de Portugal) 1842
- Answer to the Criticisms of Vilhena Saldanha (Resposta às Censuras de Vilhena Saldanha) 1846
- Letter to the Editor of the Universal Review (Carta ao Redactor da Revista Universal)
- On the Existence and non-Existence of Feudalism in Portugal (Da Existência e não Existência do Feudalismo em Portugal) 1875-1877
- Explanations (Esclarecimentos):
- A. Gothic Destinies (Sortes Góticas)
- B. Feudalism (Feudo)
- Portuguese historians (Historiadores portugueses) 1839-1840:
- Pamphlets: Controversies and Historical Studies, Volume 4 (Opúsculos: Controvérsias e Estudos Históricos, Tomo IV)
- An Old Newtown (Uma Vila-Nova Antiga)
- Random Thoughts about an Obscure Man (Cogitações Soltas de um Homem Obscuro)
- Portuguese Archeology (Arqueologia Portuguesa):
- The Adventure of Cardinal Alexandrino (Viagem de Cardeal Alexandrino);
- Characteristic of Lisbon (Aspecto de Lisboa);
- The Adventure of Two Knights (Viagem dos Cavaleiros Tron e Lippomani)
- A Little Light in the Thick Darkness (Pouca luz em muitas trevas)
- Notes on the History of Royal Virtue (Apontamentos para a historia dos bens da coroa)
- Pamphlets: Public Questions, Volume 4 (Opúsculos: Questões Públicas, Tomo IV)
- Two Eras and Two Monuments, or the Royal Farm at Mafra (Duas Épocas e Dois Monumentos ou a Granja Real de Mafra)
- Brief Thoughts on Some Aspects of the Farm Economy (Breves Reflexões Sobre Alguns Pontos de Economia Agrícola)
- The Farm of Calhariz (A Granja do Calhariz)
- A Legal Project (Projecto de Decreto)
- Peace and the National Interest (O País e a Nação)
- Representation of Belém City Hall to the National Government (Representação da Câmara Municipal de Belém ao Governo)
- Representation of Belém City Hall to Parliament (Representação da Câmara Municipal de Belém ao Parlamento)
- Agricultural Subsidy Project (Projecto de Caixa de Socorros Agrícolas)
- On the Question of Forais (Sobre a Questão dos Forais)
- Pamphlets on Literature:
- What is the condition of our literature? What path will it take? (Qual é o Estado da Nossa Literatura? Qual é o Trilho que Ela Hoje Tem a Seguir?)
- Poetry: Imitation, Beauty, Unity (Poesia: Imitação—Belo—Unidade)
- Origins of Modern Theatre: Portuguese Theatre up to the End of the Sixteenth Century (Origens do Teatro Moderno: Teatro Português até aos Fins do Século XVI)
- Accounts of Portuguese Chivalry (Novelas de Cavalaria Portuguesas)
- History of Modern Theatre: Spanish Theatre (Historia do Teatro Moderno: Teatro Espanhol)
- Popular Portuguese Beliefs or Popular Superstitions (Crenças Populares Portuguesas ou Superstições Populares)
- The House of Gonzalo, a Comedy in Five Acts: An Opinion (A Casa de Gonçalo, Comédia em Cinco Actos: Parecer)
- Historic Praise for Sebastian Xavier Botelho (Elogio Histórico de Sebastião Xavier Botelho)
- Lady Maria Teles, a Drama in Five Acts: An Opinion (D. Maria Teles, Drama em Cinco Actos: Parecer)
- Lady Leonor de Almeida, Marquess of Alorna (D. Leonor de Almeida, Marquesa de Alorna)
Other works
- From the Isle of Jersey to Granville (De Jersey a Granville) 1831
- Estudos sobre o casamento civil: por occasião do opusculo do sr. Visconde de Seabra sobre este assumpto - 1866 (Digitalized at Google)
Sources
- Antonio de Serpa Pimentel, Alexandre Herculano e seu tempo. (Lisbon, 1881)
- A Romero Ortiz, La Litteratura Portuguesa en el siglo XIX. (Madrid, 1869)
- Moniz Barreto, Revssi de Portugal. (July 1889)
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