The Portuguese Liberal Courts and the Reform of the Secular Clergy (1821-1822)

After the Liberal Revolution of 1820, the Cortes Gerais e Extraordinárias (General and Extraordinary Courts), starting their work on January 26, 1821, in addition to the production of the Liberal Constitution of 1822, aimed at dismantling the structure of the Ancien Régime, in order to lay the foundations for the promotion of a new liberal and bourgeois society. One of the most profound and necessary reforms involved the “religious question”, targeting the Portuguese clergy, both regular and secular. Since this was a complex situation, the members of the Courts sought to reaffirm the power of the State over the Church. This article presents the measures and results obtained by the Courts regarding the secular clergy, which was assumed as one of the main themes of the debate until the closing of the Courts in November 1822