21st century
João Manuel Filipe de Gouveia Monteiro was born in Coimbra on September 24, 1958 and trained as a historian at UC, under the mentorship of the distinguished medievalist José Mattoso (1933-2023). He received his doctorate in 1997 at FLUC, where he is a Full Professor, teaching Military History and History of Religions. At his university he was Pro-Rector for Culture (2003-2007) and Director of the University Press (2009-2011), and he collaborated in the candidacy for World Heritage Site. At the Faculty of Arts, he has served in all management bodies. He was a member of the UC General Council (2012-2016 and 2020-…). He was also a scholarship holder of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in England and had study and teaching experiences in Berlin (1979/80), Montpellier (2001/02), Bologna (2014) and Tenerife (2018).
Author of many studies and translations, he is a frequent guest on radio and television programmes. He collaborated with Maria Leonor Cruz Pontes, his wife, on several projects, namely «Cinco Joias de Coimbra» (2023 book), the Aljubarrota Military Camp and the Battle of Atoleiros Interpretation Center. With an enormous capacity for work and permanent curiosity, he has dedicated himself to studying languages and practicing the piano. He is a corresponding member of the Portuguese Academy of History. He founded the Iberian Association for Military History (4-16th C) and the Academy for the Meeting of Cultures and Religions.
He was Director of BGUC between 18 July 2019 and 11 May 2023, a period during which he expanded cultural extension activities in the areas of environmental education, the promotion of reading for young people and interculturality, with many dozens of annual events. He created a League of Friends of the Library (LIBUC), put into operation the BGUC Advisory Council, requalified the Conservation and Restoration Workshop, prepared an accessible reading room to welcome Students with Special Educational Needs and managed to remove the sales counter from the tourist circuit, renovating the atrium, where the Haas-Galinha printing press, whose restoration he promoted, is on display. He was responsible for managing the shutdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, and continued to provide access to documentation through digital media, to the satisfaction of users. During his leadership, BGUC took over the management of the UC's information systems and has two Deputy Directors, with regular semi-annual worker plenary meetings being held. A strong mark of his mandate was his zeal in safeguarding heritage, with an emphasis on the restoration of musical manuscripts and the protection of the Joanina Library, which underwent extensive restoration work during this period, in addition to the reduction in tourist flow.
José Augusto Cardoso Bernardes, born in Brenha (Figueira da Foz, 1958) is Full Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and spent his entire academic career at the University of Coimbra, receiving a PhD in Portuguese Literature in 1995. He was President of the Scientific Council of his Faculty (2004-2007) and elected Member of the General Council of the University (2008-2012). He was a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Blaise Pascal (Clermont-Ferrand), Oxford, Valencia, and Santa Barbara (California). He co-directed Biblos: Enciclopédia Verbo das Literaturas de Língua Portuguesa (1995-2005) and has a vast bibliography in the field of literary studies and also on Gil Vicente and Luís de Camões. He coordinated the Interuniversity Centre for Camonian Studies (2005-2006) and the Centre for Portuguese Literature (2007-2012).
He has developed relevant work in the area of Education, publishing studies such as A Literatura no Ensino Secundário (2004) and A Literatura e o Ensino do Português (with Rui Mateus, 2013). He was also a member of the National Council of Education and the Atomium Culture – European Institute for Science, Media and Democracy, an organization of the Council of Europe for Culture.
As Director of the General Library of the University of Coimbra, he was responsible for updating the anti-theft system, defining internal security circuits, for the investment in compact shelving (to solve the problem of the urgent lack of space in the new building ), for infrared heating in the Reading Room and in the São Pedro room, and for the acquisition of anoxic chambers for the disinfestation of the Library's collections. During his leadership, there was a notable increase in cultural activities, namely in the number, quality and circulation of exhibitions, for example for the UC hub in Alcobaça, and the continuation of a policy, already initiated by the previous Director, of greater public engagement of the Library, making the São Pedro Room available to external partnerships. He managed to renovate the Manuscripts and Rare Books Reading Room (2017) thanks to generous support from the Eng. António de Almeida Foundation, with direct support from its President, Doctor Fernando Aguiar-Branco. During his term, he duly celebrated the 500th Anniversary of the Library of the University of Coimbra (2013) with a varied cultural program, which included a large international conference and a project to digitize 500 documents, not only from BGUC but belonging to several others libraries of the University of Coimbra.
Carlos Manuel Batista Fiolhais was born in Lisbon on June 12, 1956. After attending the first grade of primary school there, he came to Coimbra, and continued his academic career in this city until completing his degree in Physics in 1978. He received a PhD in Theoretical Physics in 1982 at Goethe University, in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). He gave his “final lecture” in Coimbra, in 2021.
A renowned scientist, he has been Full Professor at the Department of Physics at the University of Coimbra since 2000, and one of the most internationally cited Portuguese scientists. He is also a recognized science popularizer, who has published many books aimed at younger audiences. Compulsive reader with a wide range of interests, from the visual arts – he won several painting prizes when he was a high-school student – to music, literature, comics, and cinema. He is a Grand Officer of the Order of Infante D. Henrique.
His action as Director of the General Library of the University of Coimbra, during two rectoral terms (2004-2011), was marked by a profound change to the Regulamento (2009), which created two areas of functional organization (Library Technical Services Area, and Reading, Reference and User Support Area) and the Integrated Service of the Libraries of the University of Coimbra (SIBUC), to assist the joint bibliographic information system of the University's libraries. In his second term, he resumed the publishing of the centenary Boletim da Biblioteca da Universidade de Coimbra, only in electronic format. From a heritage point of view, he is responsible for bringing the Coimbra Institute's collection to BGUC and purchasing the maps from the Nabais Conde Collection. From a logistical point of view, reference should be made to the reorganization of periodicals and the accommodation of the O Instituto archive and library on compact shelves. In terms of the services provided by BGUC, it was during his term that borrowing for home reading was extended to all readers. In his time, the Joanina Library stopped providing the services installed on its intermediate floor, and was fully opened to the tourist circuit.
20th century
He was born in Cernache (Coimbra), on January 17, 1938. He completed his primary studies in his homeland and attended high school in Coimbra. He enrolled in Romance Philology at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at UC, where he graduated, in 1960, with the thesis Balzac in Portugal: Contributions to the study of Balzac’s influence in Portugal and Brazil. Doctor in Portuguese Literature, from the University of Coimbra and Doctor Honoris causa from the Portuguese Catholic University, he was also a Number Academician of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences and the Portuguese Academy of History and a corresponding member of several foreign academies and scientific societies. He was Commander of the Ordine al Merito della Republica Italiana, Commander of the Royal Order of Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa and Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He passed away in Coimbra, on October 8, 2010.
His interests covered various fields and authors, with significant studies on the work of Father António Vieira, Camões (he was founder of the Interuniversity Centre for Camonian Studies, which was based at BGUC), António Ferreira, Camilo Castelo Branco (he was Director of the Museum of Camilo and the Centre for Camilian Studies of S. Miguel de Seide) and Eça de Queiroz, on theorization and literary criticism, textual criticism and history of Culture. In the last years of his life, he dedicated himself to managing the Casa da Infância Doutor Elysio de Moura, after serving as Ombudsman at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Coimbra.
In 1984, he began working as Deputy Director of Luís de Albuquerque. A bibliophile in whom erudition was combined with modernity, and a deep knowledge of the history and collection of the University's General Library, during the period which he was its Director, from 1988 to 2004, the year in which he resigned from his position. The library was enriched through invaluable acquisitions during his term: BGUC acquired the library of Oliveira Martins, the epistolaries of Eugénio de Castro, the 2nd Marquis of Alorna and Doctor Mário de Figueiredo, the musical science libraries of Lieutenant Manuel Joaquim and Doctor Maria Augusta Barbosa, the library of Colonel Belisário Pimenta. He also contributed decisively to modernizing the Library by acquiring, in 1995, the first integrated bibliographic management system, which associated several University libraries.
Luís Guilherme Furtado de Mendonça Castilho de Albuquerque was a native of Lisbon, where he was born on March 6, 1917. He was an Engineer Geographer by training, with a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Coimbra (1959) and a Doctor Honoris causa in History from Lisbon (1985). He was Professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology and stood out as a researcher in the history of nautical, cartography and maritime Expansion. Vice-Rector from 1978 to 1982. Grand Officer of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique and Grand Cross of the Military Order of Sant'Iago da Espada. He died on January 22, 1992.
Since his time as a young Mathematics assistant lecturer, Luís de Albuquerque was interested in the Humanities, collaborating, for example, in the prestigious magazine Vértice. His vast scientific production and the books from his library were donated to BGUC, where they are kept in a room bearing his name and used as a lecture and workshop room. In the last years of his life, he developed collaborations and selfless assistance in the most varied projects around the world. He had a short-lived political activity after the 25th of April, as Civil Governor of Coimbra (1974-1976).
He was Director of BGUC from 1978 until his retirement in 1987. Under his direction, the Library services and facilities were modernized, the bibliographic collection of Dr. José Vicente Gomes de Moura was acquired, as well as several 16th-century manuscripts, namely the Carta-portolano by Diogo Homem (ca. 1566) and the so-called Bastião Lopes codex (1568), in addition to having donated some manuscripts and documents himself.
His personal library was admitted to the BGUC by testamentary disposition executed by his daughter, Helena Albuquerque, and which has not yet been fully fulfilled. During the inauguration of the Sala Luís de Albuquerque (February 9, 2011), personal correspondence with Virgílio Ferreira was delivered and the intention of donating the remaining archive of her father was reiterated.
He was born in Braga, on June 11, 1916. He received his PhD in Law from the University of Coimbra, in 1941, and held the chair of History of Portuguese Law at this University, where he received the highest academic distinctions. A scholarship holder in Paris (1938-1939) and in Madrid (1939-1940), he began his academic career as Assistant to Doctor Paulo Merêa. Full Professor from 1948 and Director of his Faculty (1958-1961), he was also Rector of the University (1961-1962). He passed away in Porto, on March 11, 1977.
He belonged to the Drafting Committee of the Civil Code (1954-1966). He defended Portuguese positions against the Indian Union at the International Tribunal in The Hague (1957-1959). He was a legal advisor to the Council of Nobility, Lieutenant of D. Duarte Nuno (1960-1964) and a passionate philatelist, member of the Clube Filatélico de Portugal. Number Academician of the Portuguese Academy of History, he was Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and the University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain). His research focused on the fields of the history of Law, Education and Catholic Culture. He was a member of the Catholic organization Opus Dei, and contributed to the foundation of the Catholic University in Lisbon. Commander of the Order of Rio Branco (Brazil).
He was Director of the General Library between January 23, 1971 and the date of his death, with only one interruption (following the vote for its reorganization in the student plenary on 27 February 1975) after 11 March 1975 and until October 1976, when the case against him was archived. He obtained funds from the Minister to increase the number of staff at BGUC, for conservation and restoration work at the Joanina Library and in the Restricted Access Section of the new building, which he had inaugurated as rector. He was responsible for the definitive installation, in a dedicated room, of the very rich Library of Visconde da Trindade. He fostered the work on the collective catalogue of the UC libraries and on the national collective catalogue, which he already considered feasible using information technology.
César Joaquim da Silva de Oliveira Pegado was born in Margão (Goa, India), in 1909, the city where he studied for the first time. After attending the Liceu Nacional de Afonso de Albuquerque in Nova-Goa, he completed his secondary education at the Liceu Nacional de Nun' Álvares, in Castelo Branco. He enrolled at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Coimbra in 1929/30, having completed a degree in Historical-Geographical Sciences in 1933. He graduated with the Librarian-Archivist Course at the Faculty of Arts of Coimbra in 1937/38. He retired on May 22, 1975 and died in Coimbra in 1990.
His professional activity includes the presidency of the Organizing Committee of the Bibliographical Exhibition of the Civil Code, which took place in Coimbra (1959), the preparation of the volume Manuscript Catalogues of the General Library (codices 1709 to 1833), the collaboration in the Bibliografia Henriquina and the preparation of editions of works by António Caetano de Silva, António Caetano do Amaral, Frei Rafael de Jesus, Fernão Mendes Pinto, António Galvão, Joannes Jacobi, Afonso Álvares, Gaspar Nicolas and Bernardim Ribeiro, among others. He was a private school teacher in Coimbra for more than 30 years, founded the newspaper “Acção” and collaborated in numerous newspapers and magazines. He was a full member of the Coimbra Institute and a corresponding member of the Association of Portuguese Archaeologists.
After completing the course, he began working as a librarian at the General Library of the University of Coimbra, in 1939, becoming Chief Librarian in 1962. Between May 4, 1961 and December 4, 1962, during the impediment of the then Director (Manuel Lopes de Almeida) as Minister of National Education, he was appointed and served as interim Director of the General Library. He was again appointed interim Director between the departure of Manuel Lopes de Almeida and the inauguration of Guilherme Braga da Cruz (1970-1971).
He was born in Benavente (Santarém), on August 16, 1900. He began studying Medicine, but graduated in Historical and Geographical Sciences from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra, in 1929, entering the following year as an assistant professor for the same Faculty. He received his doctorate in 1940 and was editor of the magazine Biblos, in addition to directing the Ata Universitatis Conimbrigensis and the Revista da Universidade. He created the first institutions for higher education in Angola and Mozambique. He passed away in Coimbra, on December 15, 1980.
He had an active political career, as deputy and first secretary of the National Assembly (1937), chief of staff of the Minister of Public Instruction Eusébio Tamagnini (1934-1936), undersecretary of State (1940-1945) and, finally, on May 4 from 1961 to December 4, 1962, Minister of National Education. Member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, he was also Number Academic and President of the Portuguese Academy of History, from 1960 to 1962. He provided decisive materials for the history of the University of Coimbra, in an extensive series of studies. He received various honours and decorations from the Portuguese, Brazilian and Italian governments.
Director of the General Library for 25 years, with a brief interruption during his tenure as M.E.N., he was responsible for establishing the final program and carefully monitoring the project of the new building, its opening to the public and the renewal of the staff.
He was also responsible for changing the name from Central Library (according to the legislation of 1901 and 1911) to General Library. During his direction, the libraries of Visconde da Trindade and Pedro de Moura e Sá were incorporated into BGUC. He carried out notable editorial work that gave structure to BGUC's publication plan.
Damião António Peres was born in Lisbon, on July 8, 1889, where he received his education. He began his career as a high school teacher, from 1911 to 1918, and occasionally Rector, in Funchal and Lisbon (Liceu Gil Vicente). He was part of the Faculty of Arts of Porto, created in 1919 by Leonardo Coimbra, where he remained until its extinction in 1927/28. In 1929, he was invited to become a Professor at the Faculty of Arts at UC, where he joined in 1930. Doctor Honoris causa for Montpellier and Bordeaux, was one of the founders of the Portuguese Academy of History and a member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, where he was general secretary. He passed away in Porto, on October 26, 1976.
University professor, academic, historian with broad interests and covering very diverse eras, he is perhaps best known for having directed the monumental History of Portugal (1928-1954) by Companhia Editora do Minho, also known as Barcelos History. He was a distinguished numismatist, having catalogued the Indo-Portuguese coins at the Porto Municipal Museum. His name was honoured in the toponymy of this city and several Portuguese villages. He also founded and directed the first Magazine of Historical Studies (1924). After his retirement, he continued to research, publish and work, becoming director of the Portuguese Numismatic Museum, attached to the Casa da Moeda [National Mint].
He was Director of BGUC, between 1940 and 1943. Reappointed that year, he remained until the following year, when he went to Lisbon to serve as Director of the Portuguese Numismatic Museum and other appointed positions. Just as he did not leave a legacy at FLUC, in his area of the history of the Portuguese Expansion, he also did not leave any relevant marks on the organization of BGUC, having, however, written the first and very ambitious program for the “new building”, which planned a general reading room for 300 readers, in addition to two special rooms for Music and Print collections and individual illustrations.
João da Providência Sousa Costa was born in Viana do Castelo, on June 26, 1893. Graduated in Germanic Philology in 1916, he received his doctorate in 1919. Professor at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Coimbra, in addition to the positions of Director of the German Institutes, North American and Portuguese Studies, he also served as Secretary and Director of his Faculty (1939-1944; 1955-1963), having taught Bibliology and Librarianship on the Librarian-Archivist Degree. In 1963, he was substitute rector of the University. He passed away in Coimbra, on March 10, 1965.
He studied in Germany during a difficult period, personally and politically. A great scholar, he published a vast work that includes lectures and translations. His initiative, support and suggestions led to the creation of almost all of the magazines published by the Faculty of Arts of Coimbra, the creation of vacation courses at the same Faculty and even the installation of the Goethe-Institut in Portugal. Even today, his descendants remember him as a true “family man”, adding to his scientific skills the memory of a remarkable moral and civic dimension. He was posthumously awarded “Citizen of Honor” of Viana do Castelo, in 2019.
Between 1932 and 1933, he was appointed Director of the University's General Library, on a service commission, becoming its effective Director between 1934-1936 and 1938-1940. During this period, the Musical Manuscripts and Prints section was organized and extremely valuable musical codices were recovered, which prompted the first attempts to catalog these collections (Inventário dos Inéditos e Impressos Musicais, 1937), unfortunately not very rigorous and incomplete. It was during his administration that Night Reading in the General Library was established (through a specific Decree, dated May 23, 1934) by using overtime, and which remained in force until the 21st century. Many university outreach courses and lectures were also promoted and published. Under his leadership, the Librarian-Archivist Degree, which would bring so many benefits to the General Library, was created at FLUC.
Joaquim de Carvalho was born in Figueira da Foz, in 1892. He graduated from the University of Coimbra, first in Law (1914) and then in Philosophy (1915). A scholar, among others, of the work of Pedro Nunes, Francisco Sanchez, Luís Antonio Verney, Antero de Quental and Espinosa, he stood out as one of the most important historians of Portuguese philosophical culture. He died in Coimbra, on October 27, 1958.
He began his university career as an assistant in Philosophy (1916) and received his doctorate from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra in 1917, with a dissertation on António de Gouveia and Renaissance Aristotelianism. In 1918, he published his thesis on Leão Hebreu, a philosopher, rising to university teaching. He was Secretary of the Faculty of Arts from 1921 to 1935, Director of the Institute of Philosophy, in 1926, and Director of the Experimental Psychology Laboratory of the same Faculty, between 1938 and 1939. He founded and directed the Biblioteca Filosófica book series and a notable Philosophical Journal (1951-1958).
Between January 1927 and August 1931, at the invitation of the then Rector, Fernando de Almeida Ribeiro, he was Director of the General Library of the University of Coimbra. In this position, his activity was marked by an editorial penchant, which came from his very active role as director of the University Press, between 1921 and 1934. Alongside the merely typographic activity, the Press under his administration took on, in a very evident way, the role of a true publisher, and generally not aligned with the then political regime. To remove him from the Library, during a period of school holidays, his position as director for life was terminated, and to remove him from the management of the University Press, the latter was simply abolished by Salazar in 1934.
José Ernesto Marques Donato was born in Coimbra, in 1871, and was appointed to occupy a modest position as an “amanuense” in the Library, a role he performed with recognized value and ability, simultaneously enrolling at the University and obtaining a Bachelor's degree. «Clerk» in 1918, when he published his first work Os desacatos em Portugal, he became «Conservator» of the Library in 1923 and «Librarian» in 1926-27. He served several periods in the direction of the Library as a substitute/interim, under the directorships of Joaquim de Carvalho and Providência Costa, in 1923-1926; 1931-1934; 1936-1938, etc.
Ernesto Donato's entire family was involved in the UC, with his father, José Marques Perdigão Donato (1845-1926), also being «conservator of the Library» and substitute for the director. His brother, António Augusto Marques Donato, was custodian of the University, and his uncle, Francisco Lopes de Lima Macedo Júnior (1858-1939), who was also an «interim employee» of the Library, became regent of the music chair until its extinction, and a well-known composer of fifth-year performances. As an author, Ernesto Donato wrote the play «Vid'airada», the song «Máguas» with music by his uncle Francisco Lopes de Lima Macedo and an operetta titled «Entre Duas Avé-Marias», in partnership with Matos Miguens, the original of which is preserved in its entirety (text and orchestral score) in the Coimbra Municipal Historical Archive. He directed the bi-weekly democratic and social propaganda «Humanidade» (1912-1915) and, alongside several students linked to Theatre and Tuna, he was mentioned as having republican and Masonic inclinations. He was, however, confrere number 258 of the Confraria da Rainha Santa Isabel, in Coimbra.
At the Library, he did a lot of cataloging work, showing (always modestly) extensive erudition and clear research skills. He adapted and published the Catalogue of Manuscripts, prepared by Simões de Castro. He published the Catalogue of Manuscript Dissertations of the University of Coimbra (1917-1934), the Catalogue of the Cimélios ou Reservados (1922-1925), the Catalogue of Manuscripts of João Pedro Ribeiro (1920-1934), the Catlogue of the Vilancicos collection (1929) and prepared Indexes of the journal O Instituto, which he never published.
He was born in Santa Maria da Cabração (Ponte de Lima), on October 14, 1866. He received sacred orders at the Seminary of Braga, obtained a Doctorate degree from the Faculty of Theology in 1900 and was chaplain of the Chapel of the University of Coimbra. He was a professor of Greek and Hebrew at the Liceu de Coimbra (1901-1903; 1906- 1909) and at the Faculty of Theology, of which he was also Secretary. In 1911, with the extinction of this Faculty, it was transferred to the Faculty of Arts. He was also a teacher, from 1915, at the Escola Normal Superior de Coimbra, inspector of Primary Education (1901-1906) and member of the Superior Council of Public Instruction. Pedagogue and pioneer of Experimental Psychology studies in Portugal (scientific research took him to France, Switzerland and Belgium), he founded, in 1913, the Experimental Psychology Laboratory, which he directed until his death. He died in Coimbra, on January 17, 1924.
He played an important role in the history of teaching in Portugal. Pedagogue and pioneer of Experimental Psychology studies in Portugal (scientific research took him to France, Switzerland and Belgium), he founded, in 1913, the Experimental Psychology Laboratory, which he directed until his death. An active republican, alongside intense professional activity, he performed public functions and held significant political positions: Chief of the Office of the President of the Provisional Government (1911), President of Parliament, President of the Municipality of Coimbra (1918-1921), Member of Parliament (1919 and 1921) and Minister of Labour (1921-1922). In 1904, he was awarded the Order of Santiago.
He was Director of the Library of the University of Coimbra, from 1916 to 1924. During his administration, a new Regulation of the Library of the University of Coimbra came into force, published in the Government Gazette, 1st Series, nº 222, of 31.10.1919, continued his predecessor's efforts to modernize equipment and access to books in the Library, promoting the completion of the Library's new reading room and the construction of a "modern book storage facility" for the storage and exhibition of cymelia. He greatly boosted the organization and development of the catalogues and began the preparation of the Restricted Access Items Catalogue [Catálogo dos Reservados].
Born in Sousela (Lousada) on August 29, 1869, he received his doctorate from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra in 1898, the year in which he began teaching as a substitute lecturer in Ecclesiastical Law. From 1901 to 1910, he was regent of Economic Science and Economic Law, having also taught History of the Institutions of Roman Law, Common Ecclesiastical Law, Colonial Administration and Finance. Between 1913-1915 (the same period in which he directed the University Library) he was director of the Faculty of Law, where his reforming capacity was reflected in the renovation of the facilities, the creation of the Legal Institute and its library and the implementation of the reform of the legal studies, within the scope of which he published, with José Alberto dos Reis, the works The Faculty of Law and its teaching (1907) and Legal education in France and Italy (1910), among others. He was a writer for the Revista de Legislação e Jurisprudência. He died prematurely in Coimbra, in March 17, 1916, at the age of 46.
He is unanimously recognized for the total dedication and competence with which he carried out all the tasks and positions he assumed, also demonstrated in the extensive and consistent published work, of great thematic diversity. Without party affiliation, he intervened with equal commitment in public life, having held the positions of President of the Municipal Council of Coimbra (1905 to 1910) and Minister of the Navy and Overseas in the last government of the Monarchy (26 June to 5 October 1910).
He was Director of the University Library from 20 September 1913 to 1915 or 1916. During this period, in which he achieved better salaries for Library employees, the publication of the Bibliographic Bulletin of the Library of the University of Coimbra began, which replaced the Bibliographic Archive (1901-1913), complying with the provisions of the Decree of September 4, 1913, on the obligation to deliver to the Inspector of Erudite Libraries and Archives a list of Portuguese publications received under the Press Law. Under his direction, the new Reading Room was completed, and the catalogue system was modernized, for which he had a piece of furniture manufactured, the «fixed piece», a massive piece of furniture with drawers for storing the cards.
He was born in Nisa, in the district of Portalegre, on September 21, 1867. He completed his preparatory studies at the Liceu de Portalegre, enrolled at the University of Coimbra, in the first year of Theology, in 1888/89, and graduated in 1894. He received his doctorate in 1895 and, in 1896, he was appointed professor at the Faculty of Theology. With the creation of the Faculty of Arts, in 1911 – of which he was librarian (1911-1925) and Director (1925-1930) –, he came to govern the courses of Portuguese Literature, Portuguese Philology and Hebrew. He founded the Biblos magazine and the Boletim do Instituto Alemão. Between 1911-1913 and, again, in 1918-1919, he held the position of Rector of the University of Coimbra, having founded the prestigious Revista da Universidade de Coimbra (1912). He died in Santo Varão (Montemor-o-Velho), on September 30, 1932.
Author of a vast bibliography, he published, among others, Pátria e Família (1891), The Jews in Portugal (1895), A Hebrew Bible from the Library of the University of Coimbra (1903), Roman Coins from the University Library of Coimbra (1905), Portuguese Jews in Amsterdam (1911) and The University of Coimbra and the New Reform of Studies (1912). From 1898, he directed the collection Subsidies for the Study of Portuguese Literature, where he published numerous works of his own. He was a full member of Instituto de Coimbra, member of the Higher Council for Public Instruction and Secretary of the Council for Art and Archeology of the Second Circumscription. For a few days in 1926, from the 3rd to the 19th of June, he became Minister of Public Instruction in the short-lived government presided over by Mendes Cabeçadas.
Between 1900 and 1911, he was interim director of the University's General Library and effective director, between 1911 and 1913, although, still in 1911, due to his duties as Rector, he was temporarily replaced by his friend Francisco Martins. As Director of the Library, he was responsible for the new organization of the numismatic collection, the Cimélios and Super-Libros and Ex-Libris offices, the founding of the Library's Bibliographic Archive, the remodeling of cataloging services and the creation of a plan to increase and expand the Library buildings, which were already cramped and insufficient.
He was born in Campo Maior in 1848, but his life is barely known before he began an academic career, very late, at the age of 31: he enrolled in Theology in 1879, graduated in 1885 and received his doctorate the following year, thus becoming a colleague, for example, of the famous António Garcia Ribeiro de Vasconcelos, much younger than him. Professor at the Faculty of Theology, upon its extinction (1911) he was reappointed to the Faculty of Arts and was placed there in the 4th Group (History). There are no known relevant studies in this area, having published only one Funeral Oration... in the funeral... of... D. Luiz I (1890), Religion and patriotism: sermon... (1891), Portugal: discourse… (1892) and Religion and Science (1894). He was Member of the Order of Christ, from 1890. He died in 1916.
A priest of a generous nature, Francisco Martins supported some students throughout his life who demonstrated greater abilities and love for studying, but he established a special relationship with the promising Joaquim Mendes dos Remédios, who managed to transfer from the Portalegre seminary to Coimbra. The closeness of the two almost fellow countrymen is evidenced by the Portuguese, French and Latin books he gave him from his library and which, through the hand of his godson Mário Brandão, became part of the documentary collections of the General Library.
Francisco Martins was interim director of the Library on two occasions: the first period (1895?-1900) resulted from the need for an interim replacement of José Maria Rodrigues, appointed effective Librarian on March 9, 1894, but who was in Lisbon, participating in the renovation of Secondary Education and, on a service commission, serving as rector of the Liceu Nacional Central de Lisboa; the second period goes from 1911 to 1913 and is due to the need to replace Joaquim Mendes dos Remédios, during his first rectorship. Despite the interim nature of the situation, he was the first to call himself «Director» of the Library, in 1897. Before him, those responsible always signed with the title «Librarian of the University», as had been foreseen in the Pombaline Statutes. Perhaps due to his intervention, the new Reform of Studies at the University of Coimbra (Dec. 1901) will definitively establish the position of «Director». He worked on the design and publication of the «Metódico» Catalogue, a detailed classification for the arrangement of species on the shelves of learned libraries, the first edition of which dates back to 1900.
He was born in Gondim, Valença do Minho, on June 27, 1857. After attending the Seminary in Braga, where he completed the theological course, he finished his preparatory studies and entered the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, in 1878, with 21 years. He completed the first three years of this course and, in 1881, enrolled in Theology, graduating in 1886. He received his doctorate in 1888, with a thesis entitled Thought and Movement. He was named substitute lecturer and, in 1890/91, he took over the chair of Hebrew. “After having dedicated a large part of his life to the generous aspiration of making the Camonian epic the basis of national education”, he died in Lisbon, on January 20, 1942.
A renowned cammonista, philologist and fierce polemicist, he served as chaplain at the University and secretary of the Faculty of Theology, but interrupted his university teaching in Coimbra to collaborate in the reform of secondary education. Between 1895 and 1902, he was rector of the Liceu do Carmo, in Lisbon, moving this year to the Superior Course of Letters which, in 1911, gave rise to the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon, where he came to teach all the subjects of the group of Classical Philology. He was Director of the Center for Philological Studies at the University of Lisbon, member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, corresponding member of the Madrid Language Academy and the Brazilian Academy of Letters. In April 1922, already a holder in Lisbon, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Coimbra, in Romance Philology. Grand Officer of the Order of Instruction.
Holder of the position of Librarian at the University Library, from 1894 to 1911, his entire tenure was nominal because he maintained permanent duties in Lisbon during all these years. Appointed on March 9, 1894, he was soon temporarily replaced, first by Francisco Martins and then by Joaquim Mendes dos Remédios. During his direction, an architect from Lisbon (José Alexandre Soares, 10 Jan. 1910) prepared and presented a project to expand «a new room and its dependencies», a modern building of iron architecture that was never built.
16th to 19th century
He was born in Coimbra, on August 3, 1845. He studied at home, under the guidance of his uncle Joaquim Augusto Simões de Carvalho, lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy, only enrolling at the Liceu in 1857. In October 1863, he entered the Faculty of Theology, being forced, due to illness, to interrupt his studies. He resumed them in 1866, this time at the Faculty of Law, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in 1870 and graduated in 1871. More interested, however, in his research and studies, to which he had dedicated himself since his student days, he applied to a position of telegraphist, becoming an employee at the Coimbra Post Office. He died in this city, on April 19, 1932.
In 1871, while still a student, he was appointed full member of the Coimbra Institute where he served as secretary of the Archaeology Section and was a member of several editorial committees for the magazine O Instituto. He wrote for Archivo Pittoresco, published the Guia Histórico do Viajante em Coimbra e arredores..., O Guia do Viajante no Buçaco, founded the magazines Panorama Photographico and Portugal Pittoresco. The numerous writings dedicated to Coimbra and its region stand out in his works.
«A very distinguished and erudite bibliophile and bibliographer», a frequent visitor to the Library and knowledgeable about its funds, he already helped the institution in the task of reorganizing the catalogs during the interim direction of A. Filipe Simões, whom he succeeded. In 1884, by decree of February 23, he was appointed «to continue the cataloging and inventories...and to replace the librarian Bernardo de Serpa in his impediments», a situation that continued until 1894, the date on which José Maria Rodrigues was appointed Librarian, but without actually exercising it. He worked at the University Library for more than forty years, having left his name linked to the creation of the manuscript catalog and the cataloging of restricted access items, as well as to the Archivo bibliographico da Bibliotheca da Universidade and the Boletim Bibliográfico da Biblioteca da Universidade, where he extensively collaborated.
Born in Coimbra, on June 18, 1835. He graduated in Philosophy and Medicine (1872), Doctor in Medicine (1872), was Substitute Lecturer (1873) and Professor (1882) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra. During the long period of Bernardo de Serpa Pimentel's direction at the University Library, Augusto Fellipe (as he signed) Simões was proposed for the direction by his fellow professors, who saw in him «a scholar and a disciplinarian», necessary to correct the shortcomings of the Library. He was appointed interim Librarian by Rectoral Ordinance of January 3, 1879 and had an oustanding role there until November 1, 1884, when he died.
On January 13, 1859, he became a full member of the Coimbra Institute, where he developed an important activity, particularly committed to creating its Archeology Section and the respective museum, whose catalog he wrote. Among his vast bibliography, the following stand out: Relics of Roman-Byzantine architecture in Portugal... (1870), Religious architecture in Coimbra during the Middle Ages (1875), Introduction to the archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula (1878). He was Academician nº 1678 of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. While he was a teacher and lived in Évora, he had been Librarian at the city's Public Library, from 1864 to 1872. He published a Report on the Évora Public Library (1865) and the Report on the Renovation of the Cenáculo Museum (1869). He was editor of the weekly Archivo Pittoresco and contributed to numerous periodicals: in Lisbon, Artes e Letras, Arte, Ocidente, and Boletim Architectonico e D'Archeologia da Real Associação dos Arquitetos e Arqueólogos Portugueses. In Coimbra, in addition to the magazine O Instituto, he participated in Recreio Juvenil, Prelúdios Literários, Revista Académica (2nd series), Literatura Ilustrada, Panorama Fotográfico de Portugal, Portugal Pitoresco, Amigo do Estudos, Gazeta de Coimbra, O Conimbricense and Tribuno Popular.
At the University Library, he created team dynamics, involving all employees, despite poor motivation and outdated salaries, and dedicated special attention to the preservation and security of the collections, with the systematic cataloging of thousands of books from the holdings of the extinct convents.
Born in Covilhã, on December 15, 1826. He enrolled in the Philosophy Course on October 13, 1848, in Mathematics on October 13, 1849 and in Medicine on October 13, 1852. Bachelor's degree on July 3, 1856, licensed on July 9, 1859 and Doctor on July 17, 1859. He was Secretary of the Faculty of Medicine from 1861 to 1865, interim Administrator of the University Hospitals from 1886 to 1889 and effective Administrator from 1889 to 1902; Dean and Director of the Faculty of Medicine, from 1891 to 1893. He died in Coimbra, on January 11, 1903.
Involved in the left wing of the Historical Party, he had enormous capacity for work, having collaborated in several magazines and newspapers: in the political newspaper Liberdade (Coimbra, 1863-1866), and also O Instituto, Anuário Académico and Portugal Pittoresco. He published, among other works, Memória histórica e comemorativa da Faculdade de Medicina… (1873), Oração de sapiência recitada na Sala dos Actos Grandes da Universidade de Coimbra no dia 16 de Outubro de 1886 (1887) and Analyse e refutação do folheto do Sr. Dr. Sousa Refoios… (1895).
Appointed on an interim basis (Ordinance of July 6, 1871) to replace Bernardo de Serpa Pimentel, untimely dismissed by the government, he did not manage the University Press like his predecessor. He exerted, however, a decisive influence on the Library, whose issues were not completely foreign to him: he had participated in the commission appointed for the Inventory of the Bookstore of the Real Colégio de S. Pedro (1864). In fact, just 40 days after taking office, he managed to deliver an extended report that constitutes an essential piece for the history of the institution and that allows him to be considered the true author of some improvements that Bernardo de Serpa Pimentel, reappointed in office by Decree of May 26, 1872, would implement. Isabel Ramires even suggests that he was the author of most of the new Regulation (1873) and, above all, the decisive transition of the catalog from heavy handwritten volumes to mobile cards, the famous «verbetes», that Serpa Pimentel would so enthusiastically defend later. A competent numismatist, he also took charge of classifying the coins and medals and ordered a suitable display for these items for the Library.
Bernardo de Serpa Pimentel was born in Coimbra, on April 26, 1817. He graduated in Law in 1839 and, successively, was Substitute Lente, Prima Lente, Dean and Director of that Faculty. He became Vice-Rector (1883-1885) and was academic number 1678 of the Academy of Sciences, Peer of the Kingdom. He died in Coimbra, on February 9, 1895.
He published his speeches in the Chamber of Worthy Peers of the Kingdom and some of those given in academic events, but little was printed on his specialty, except for the Isenção da Real Capella da Universidade... and some lithographed notes (a textbook) from Theoria do Processo. He is more remembered as the author of a pamphlet about the Library, titled Breve notícia da Livraria da Universidade de Coimbra (1877?).
He had one of the longest mandates recorded in the direction of the University Library: by Ordinance of January 11, 1849, he was authorized to perform functions, on a substitute basis, during the absences of his father, Manuel de Serpa Machado, both in the direction of the Library and in the University Press. He was appointed Librarian on April 20, 1858, and was dismissed in 1871, as the two management positions, in the library and in the Press, had been separated by Decree. Appointed again on May 25, 1872, he held both positions until his retirement on February 17, 1894. This long «consulate» of Serpa Pimentel was neither the calmest nor the most dynamic, always falling behind the proposed objectives (already reduced in relation to previous more ambitious goals), with the excuse of insufficient resources in terms of funds and personnel. While he was in office, A. Filipe Simões and Augusto Mendes Simões de Castro served as directors of the Library on an interim basis. In 1871/72 Bernardo A. Serra de Mirabeau took over as his replacement.
Having established that he was not the proponent of the catalogs in «verbetes» (card files) nor perhaps the main author of the 1873 Regulation, it can also be almost certain that he did not have the idea of printing the catalogs, although the Haas-Galinha printing press was purchased for this purpose during his nominal administration. In the 1874 Report, he refers to the printing experiments he carried out, however without practical results.
Born on March 16, 1793 in Tendais (Cinfães). He received his doctorate in Law on July 2, 1817 and entered his academic career the following year, but was forced to abandon the University and the city under the Government of king Dom Miguel. He returned six years later with the restoration of the liberal government, and was appointed Lecturer of the Faculty of Law, by decree of June 2, 1834. He was Director of the Faculty of Law and Rector of the University, much contested by students, having retired as Lente de Prima by decree of December 6, 1860. He died in Coimbra, on December 16, 1881.
Deputy in the 1820s and after the Chartist regime, he collaborated in the drafting of the Political Constitution of the Portuguese Monarchy of 1822. He was Inspector of Finance and the State of the University and Member of the Board of Finance of the University. Noble knight of the Royal House, Peer of the Kingdom, elevated to 1st Viscount of São Jerónimo by Decree of King Luís I, of November 5, 1862. He published, among other works, Speeches given in Parliament as a deputy and at the University as professor and rector and Memoria sobre a fundação e progressos do Real Collegio das Ursulinas de Pereira (1850).
At the University Library, he replaced Manuel Serpa Machado, and was appointed on an interim basis by Ordinance of January 9, 1841 and effectively replaced him in 1858 (due to his death), a position he held until his retirement. However, he may have given little assistance to the administration of the Library, as he also served as General Director of Primary and Secondary Education (1842), as a member of that General Directorate (1845) and Vice-President of the Higher Council of Public Instruction. He may also not have served effectively during the period that coincides with his rectoral mandate.
He was born on September 13, 1804 in Funchal, where he studied until entering the University of Coimbra in 1825. His academic career was disturbed by the civil war, and he had to abandon his studies due to his liberal inclinations. He was imprisoned by the Miguelists and only took the 4th degree exam and obtained a bachelor's degree in 1835. He took a Private Examination and obtained a Law Degree on March 16, 1837 and a Doctor's degree on April 9, 1837. He was substitute lecturer in 1840 and professor in 1852. He died in Lisbon on November 28, 1865.
While still a student, he was the main editor of the Academico jornal politico e litterario newspaper published in Coimbra, from January 11, 1836 to June 28 of the same year. Delegate of the Royal Prosecutor of the District of Coimbra in August 1837, he had in this capacity to defend himself (1838) against the unfair accusations of the National Public Treasury, in the execution of an old debt to the University Finance Board. He participated in the revolutionary movement of 1846, becoming a member of the provisional government established following the Patuleia. Deputy and member of several parliamentary committees, he was a notable speaker. He was a member of the Public Instruction Commission in Parliament (elected in 1853, 1854 and 1860) and a member of the Higher Council for Public Instruction. He was a member of the Coimbra Institute.
He had forensic activity and was the author of several works in the area of Administrative Law. He published practical manuals, such as the Manual do rendeiro (1849) and, above all, the Manual dos juízes eleitos e seus escrivães... which had its seventh edition, in 1860, despite the opinion of his contemporary Francisco J. Duarte Nazareth (1805-1862 ) that «it leaves nothing to be desired» regarding the formulas and practice of processes in cases within the jurisdiction of elected judges. The student Augusto Guilherme de Sousa (1859) compiled his oral lessons in the first volume of Ensaio sobre as instituições de direito administrativo português.
His service at the University Library must have been short, perhaps he still served in 1841, although his name appears for the last time as «Interim Librarian» in a document sent to the Interim Vice-Rector, on November 15, 1840.
Manuel de Serpa Saraiva Machado was born in São João de Areias, on September 4, 1784. Liberal and Freemason, he quickly became a Lente de Prima at the Faculty of Law. He was a deputy and held practically all the academic positions available at his time: Interim Vice-Conservator of the University, Fiscal Prosecutor of the University's Finance, Secretary and later Director of the Faculty of Law and Director of the University Press. He was a Peer of the Kingdom, of His Majesty's Council and awarded the commendation of the Order of Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa, in 1853. He died in São João de Areias, on August 2, 1858.
He was appointed Librarian by royal charter of December 10, 1834, accumulating the position of director of the University Press (Ordinance of August 13, 1834). He served as director of the Library until 1858, except for a few months of absence to which he was forced on several occasions in order to take part in the legislative work in the Chamber of Senators and that of the Worthy Peers of the Kingdom, being replaced during those periods (from 1841) by the Professor of the Faculty of Law, Basílio Alberto de Sousa Pinto.
In his time, book deposits were created on the lower floors of the University Library, where the academic prison had been located. They housed the former libraries of the Colégio dos Militares, the Colégio de S. Paulo, S. José dos Marianos and part of the library of the Colégio de S. Bento and the Convento de Santa Cruz. In 1839, João Pedro Ribeiro's library, notable for its manuscripts, was incorporated into the University Library. Under his direction, the funds obtained for purchases were not always executed, but several catalogs were completed by official José Mendes Dinis. The situation of the Library at the end of Serpa Machado's mandate (his son Bernardo de Serpa Pimentel already serving on an interim basis) led to the creation of a commission for its «Examination», which in the academic year of 1854/55 made proposals to try to correct the outdated of catalogs and the misdirection of books «found elsewhere». Barreto-Feio refuses to pass a judgment on the directorship of Manuel de Serpa Machado, in 1857, a clear indication that such a judgment could only be unsatisfactory.
In the preserved university documentation, António Honorato de Caria e Moura claims to be a native of Cartaxo, although the date of his birth is unknown. It seems a mistake to associate him with the date of 1746, because having enrolled in Philosophy and Mathematics on October 10, 1796, under normal circumstances he would have been born at the end of the 70s of the 18th century. Graduated in Philosophy, he received his doctorate in Mathematics on April 28, 1805. He was Professor of Geometry, Phoronomy and Hydraulics and Councilor of the University, from 1814. He died on November 16, 1843.
He was dismissed on July 15, 1834, for political reasons. His reinstatement at the University was requested in 1837, in the Council of the Faculty of Mathematics, due to his literary merit, «recognized throughout the Kingdom». However, he was retired by decree of January 12, 1837, although he was soon appointed Director of the Astronomical Observatory, where he remained for a year. In addition to his assiduous collaboration and revision of the Astronomical Ephemerides published by the Observatory of the University of Coimbra, he left writen memories on various subjects of Geometry, Analysis and Mechanics, Synthetic Geometry and Tables to shorten the calculation of ascensions. He was Provider of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Coimbra, in 1842.
Appointed Librarian on an interim basis, on May 7, 1814, his appointment was confirmed by royal letter of July 6, 1815, having held this position (which he combined with that of librarian at his Faculty) for a period of almost twenty years. It was under his supervision that the building was improved, renovating the «reading cabinets» and creating the first Librarian's office, where the «Cimélios» were gathered, acquiring countless bibliography and creating the catalogs for Civil and Roman Law, History, Geography and Literary Miscellanies himself. The purchase of the Hebrew Bible, a parchment codex from the 15th century, acquired in the Netherlands by Doctor Manuel Pedro de Melo, stands out during his term in office.
Born in Porto, on August 31, 1746. Professor, jurist and politician, he graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1765, practicing law in Porto until November 1772, when he was called to the University of Coimbra to become a professor at the reformed Faculty of Law. At the Faculty of Law, he was appointed, in January 1790, to lead the first chair of Instituta and, in April 1795, appointed to lead the chair of National Law. He remained there until his retirement, in 1802. He died in Lisbon, on May 7, 1827.
His literary interests and knowledge of languages (French, English, German, Spanish, Latin and ancient Greek) led him to translate from German the Pastorals, by Gessner (Porto, 1778) and from Greek the Poetics, by Aristotle (Lisbon , 1779). He left in manuscript several historical memoirs and the monograph A Serra de Sintra. In the area of Law, his Preleções de Direito Pátrio stand out, later published in O Instituto and Jornal de Jurisprudência.
He was Deputy of the University Finance Board, Doctoral Dean of Elvas Cathedral (1788), and later of Faro Cathedral (1792) and Évora Cathedral (1799), Deputy of the Inquisition of Coimbra (1789), Royal Censor of Desembargo do Paço, member of the Government of the Kingdom and of the Regency of the Kingdom (1810-1820) and State Councilor (1823). He was also a knight of the Order of St. James of the Sword and a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and the Coimbra Institute.
Appointed by royal charter of March 13, 1798, he succeeded as Librarian to his friend António Ribeiro dos Santos. Of the identity of thought between the two enlighteners (who corresponded throughout their lives), it can be said that they were both named at the time as authors of the anonymous pamphlet The Kingdom of Stupidity, which shook the government of Principal Mendonça at the head of the University. He was responsible for an important reform of the Library Regulation (November 7, 1800). We assume that he continued to perform his duties for a few months after June 1802, when he was appointed Rector of the Real Colégio dos Nobres, in Lisbon, or at least expressed that desire.
Born in Massarelos, Porto, in 1745. He studied Humanities in Brazil and Canon Law at the University of Coimbra, where he received his doctorate and practiced teaching between 1779 and 1795, when he had to go to Lisbon, called to organize the Royal Public Library of the Court and Kingdom, currently the Portuguese National Library, created by Dona Maria I by charter of February 29, 1796. He was an effective member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, chronicler of the Casa de Bragança and royal censor. He died in Lisbon, in 1818.
A man of vast culture, open to modernity in the context of encyclopedism that characterized the Europe of Enlightenment, he dedicated himself to linguistic studies, but, in addition to the poetry he signed as Elpino Duriense, it was in historiography that he stood out most, producing countless studies on the sacred literature and the Hebrew people, the origins and progress of Portuguese poetry, the history of mathematics and the beginnings of typography in Portugal.
Replacing the quasi-medieval position of the «Keeper of the Library», the Pombaline reform created in 1772 a staff for the now called «Library», headed by a «Librarian». However, Dom José I did not appoint him, making it necessary for his daughter to appoint a young 32-year-old professor, Latinist, Hellenist and poet laureate as the «first Librarian», on October 9, 1777. António Ribeiro dos Santos was an Enlightenment intellectual, who carefully organized the Livraria's public service, even making a proposal for Regulations (Draft for Regulations) that were never enshrined in legal diploma. The Queen herself will take charge of, so to speak, decapitating the academic library that she had provided so well, tasking him with creating the Royal Public Library, in Lisbon.
As Librarian, he tried to fulfill the royal desire to «make the library visible», drafting the founding document of Portuguese librarianship, Minuta para o regimento da Livraria da Universidade de Coimbra, which defines its internal organization, promotes the enrichment of collections, expanding and updating them with new literary, artistic and scientific works, even if prohibited by the Royal Censorship Board. He proposed the institution of mandatory deposit of printed works (thus prefiguring the current Legal Deposit) and that for the selection of purchases to be made outside the country «bibliographies, newspapers, ephemerides, Mercuries and Gazettes, and other Books on New Literary works» should be consulted «so that the current state of Arts and sciences among Nations can be known».
He was born in Lisbon, in 1546. He studied in Salamanca and Valladolid, entering his academic career in Coimbra relatively late. Master in Arts, from 1592 onwards, he was appointed to the chair of Mathematics at the University of Coimbra, a position that had been vacant since Pedro da Cunha left. He retired on September 28, 1612, but did not stop teaching, and was reappointed for at least another four years. Of Jewish descent, despite having taken holy orders and being accepted as Tercenary of the Coimbra Cathedral, at the end of his life he would be accused of Judaizing and sentenced to life imprisonment, by order of the Inquisition. He died in Lisbon, probably in 1623.
A willful personality, it is known that he arranged to obtain a globe and two world maps, one of which was “colored”, for which he was duly compensated by the university. He published a Reportório dos tempos (Lisbon, 1585), republished several times; the fourth edition, with many changes made by the author, is titled Chronographia ou reportório dos tempos, o mais copioso que até agora saiu a luz [Chronographia or repertoire of times, the most copious that has come to light so far] (Lisbon: Jorge Rodrigues, 1602), in which he describes the new Gregorian calendar. He also published a commentary in Latin on Sacrobosco's Treatise on the Sphere, under the title Sphaerae utriusq(ue) tabella ad sphaere huius mundi faciliorem enuncleationem (Coimbra, 1593), and left several lessons and studies on judicial astrology in manuscript.
He was appointed to the position of «Keeper of the Archives» on August 22, 1598, but his tenure in an equivalent position at the Library is not known. Despite this, by that date, a catalog of the University Library and a new inventory had been drawn up (on his initiative?) at the beginning of the 17th century, listing 739 volumes. He actually served as «Keeper of the Library», if not before, at least after Pedro de Mariz's departure, and was responsible for unchaining the books, which were thus more likely to be stolen. In his house, when he was arrested by the Inquisition in 1620, they found some that must have belonged to the university holdings.
Despite his bachelor's degree in Canon Law and the tradition, attested by António Coelho Gasco, that he was born in Coimbra, Eline Birnebaum's thesis that he was born in Braga, between 1562 and 1569, seems more correct, while his father, António de Mariz, worked there for Archbishop D. Fr. Bartolomeu dos Mártires. His father became a notable royal printer at the University of Coimbra, from 1572 onwards, and the son was a corrector in his typography. On the frontispiece of his works it says Presbyter and bachelor of arts, but it can only be proven that he had a bachelor's degree in Canon Law, with first registration in 1584 and final approval on March 18, 1595. He died in Lisbon on November 24, 1615.
Born into a family of printers, it is no wonder that he became a man of books. He was interested in history and poetry. His best-known work is titled Diálogos de vária história … (Coimbra, 1594), and he was the first to publish, with the lives and praises of the monarchs, their “true” portraits. He also published a História do bem-aventurado São João de Sahagum (Lisbon, 1609) and the História admirável do santíssimo milagre de Sanctarem... (Lisbon, 1612), leaving other works in manuscript. Pedro de Mariz is also responsible for the first draft of a biography of Camões, thirty-three years after the poet's death, which accompanies the edition of Os Lusíadas with commentary by Manuel Correia (Lisbon, 1613).
At the University of Coimbra, he was appointed «corrector of the Press and Library Keeper» in 1601, and was tasked by the rector Afonso Furtado de Mendonça (1597-1605) with ordering books from Venice and other lands, a task he satisfied by spending in it five hundred thousand «reis». It was for these purchases that the super-libros with the university insignia was created and the date-colored calfskin bindings were ordered. It is unknown until when he continued to hold the position, as there is a mention that he was appointed clerk of Torre do Tombo, on September 20, 1605. Taking up residence in Lisbon, with easier access to the Court and power, he managed to accumulate the position of procurator of prisoners of the Holy Office, on September 25, 1612.
Estudou em Paris, onde ainda se encontrava por outubro/dezembro de 1536. No início do ano letivo de 1537/38, foi chamado por Frei Diogo de Murça para ensinar Lógica (Dialética) no real Colégio do Convento da Costa, em Guimarães, onde o grande humanista Nicolau Clenardo diz ter ouvido lição sua. Numa conhecida carta que escreveu a João Parvi (Petit), Clenardo assegura que «quiseram-me parecer [todos os mestres] bastante desempoeirados no seu assunto». Aí terá ensinado de 1537 a 1541. Nesse ano de 1541, já aparece integrado na universidade de Coimbra, como sucederia a outros mestres que ensinaram no Convento da Costa dos monges de S. Jerónimo: Gaspar Bordalo, Marcos Romeiro e Inácio de Morais.
Por alvará de 1 de julho de 1541, o seu ordenado seria de 30 mil réis a partir de 1 de outubro, além dos 12 mil réis de que já havia mercê por outra provisão. Nos anos seguintes, será reconduzido: encarregado de ler uma lição da Segunda Regra de Gramática, por um ano, a partir de 1 de outubro, por alvará de 19 de setembro de 1542; reconduzido na regência da Segunda Regra de latinidade por alvará de 20 de setembro de 1543 «emquanto eu houver por bem e não mandar contrairo»; nomeado lente da Terceira Regra de Latinidade com o ordenado anual de 40 mil réis por alvará de 23 de setembro de 1544. Deveria ler «pio modo & hordenança declarada nos estatutos nouos q ora êujo a esa vniuersydade», isto é, conforme os Estatutos (perdidos) dados à universidade nesse ano de 1544.
Contudo, ao contrário dos seus colegas universitários, escasseia documentação sobre António Caiado e o seu ensino. Francisco Carneiro de Figueiroa diz que ele foi Mestre de Gramática nos colégios de Santa Cruz e na universidade «e tão bem depois no Collegio das Artes, e havendo respeito a isso, lhe fez ElRey D. Sebastião mercê, por Provisão de 15 de Outubro de 1558, do officio de Feitor e Procurador do Collegio de S. Paulo e foi depois Guarda do Cartório e Livraria». O Beneficiado Leitão Ferreira ao transcrever a mesma informação, deixa claro que entende a Livraria da Universidade e não a do Colégio de S. Paulo: «e ultimamente o [oficio] de guarda do cartório, e da livraria da Universidade». Sobre o período em que tal aconteceu (porventura algures depois de 1559) não se encontrou até agora mais informação, sendo também nulas as notícias do teor do seu desempenho em tal ofício.
Little is known about the life of Fernão Lopes de Castanheda. He was born around 1500 in Santarém, where Lopo Fernandes de Castanheda had been an assize judge, before becoming judge in Estremoz (1502) and Coimbra (1503). He studied at the Convent of São Domingos and left for India in D. Nuno da Cunha's armada, in 1528, because his father had been appointed Ouvidor of Goa. He returned to Portugal on an unknown date (1538?), in poor health and fortune, but rich in knowledge about the East and the events he saw there and in some of which he took part, such as the siege of Diu in 1531. Student in Coimbra, in 1545, he was appointed beadle of the College of Arts, and gained favor with D. João III, obtaining from the king a “provision” of 10 thousand «reis» (September 25, 1545). He died in this city, in March 1559.
He was buried in the now demolished church of S. Pedro and on his grave he was identified as «the first writer of the history of the discovery of India». In fact, his best-known work is the History of the Discovery and Conquest of India by the Portuguese, published in 1552, in Coimbra, by the University printers João de Barreira and João Álvares. Due to the news it brought, namely news about China (Book IV), it was soon translated into French, Castilian, Italian and English.
In 1541, the rector Frei Diogo de Murça had begun to install the Library, moved from Lisbon in the «queen's wardrobe», adjacent to the Sala Grande dos Atos, in the Royal Palace. By 1545, it would be ready, as the keys were ordered to be paid to Martim Ferreira, on January 21st, but the rods, locks and chains for the books - which had to be installed chained to the shelves, as was the custom at that time - were still missing. The beadle Fernão Lopes de Castanheda then showed up with a royal letter of appointment as «keeper of the Archive and Library» (5 November 1545). He only took up the office of Library Keeper on July 19, 1547, with a salary of 6 thousand reis. Having also occasionally served as the University's «prints corrector», Fernão Lopes did not manage the archive, which the rector jealously kept in his quarters for many years. His performance in this position has received a favorable opinion in the university documentation. In what concerns the Library, he complied with the provisions set in the Statutes of 1544: «open its door twice every day, and each of them must be open for two hours (…) he must be present each time or have a man to take care of this, and then he will have his books cleaned, so that they don't get old, and free from dust, so that they are not eaten by worms».
He was appointed beadle on June 21, 1532, having been the last in that position in the Lisbon period of the University. The University Council sent him to the Court, in Évora, on August 8, 1534, to oppose the transfer of the University from Lisbon to Coimbra on its behalf. However, Nicolau Lopes, quickly realized that the royal decision was irrevocable and decided to support the transfer to Coimbra, perhaps with the ambition of becoming a professor. On July 21, 1536, he earned the degree of Bachelor in Canon Law. He will continue to sign minutes in Lisbon until February 17, 1537, and will stop writing them due to his absence. And «since the beadle of the Study has gone to Coimbra» (May 3, 1537), they appointed Francisco Carvalho to replace him. The fact that Nicolau Lopes had good knowledge of the university affairs, supported the transfer desired by the King, and received his predilection and royal favor will be evident in all the opposition he suffered in his academic life, and there was plenty. It is unknown when he died.
In Coimbra, as beadle and clerk, he took the oath of the first Rector D. Garcia de Almeida (24 Oct. 1537). He was appointed to the chair of Terça of Canon Law for a year and received his doctorate in Canon Law on November 8, 1537, resuming his duties as beadle on December 6, but without abandoning teaching. Perhaps to relieve him of work, D. João III appointed a second beadle, on September 11, 1539. Nicolau Lopes appeared as a beadle and clerk at the Coimbricense university on July 30, 1543, as witnessed by his signing the report of the visitation to the tent of the bookseller António de Santillana.
The university had a “Livraria” (library) since at least 1503, when more than seventy “books of all science” were transferred from the Old Schools (of Prince Henry) to the General Schools (of King Manuel), but no documents survive on how it was created, organized or whoever took care of it. Beadle Nicolau Lopes is the oldest known «keeper» of the library, when the university council gave him this responsibility, on January 24, 1534. Since August 31, 1532, he had been in possession of a key to the «ark of Study” and at the end of that year he is paid for the records he made of these documents. But he also made, with Luis Cardoso and João Landeiro, around 1532-1533, an inventory of the books (the first that we know of), which was only partially transcribed into the university books. The second, more complete inventory, from 1536, is also due to him.