With the patronage support of the Millennium bcp Foundation, last 13 May – the day of Marquês de Pombal’s birth in 1699 – the first volume of Book I (“Escritos de Inglaterra – 1738-1739”) was presented to the public at Town Hall of Lisbon Municipality.

The “Obra Completa Pombalina” project, which will consist of fifty volumes, is the result of five years of research based on his written work, with the scientific coordination of Professors José Eduardo Franco, Pedro Calafate and Viriato Soromenho Marques.

To develop this project, a vast scientific team of 30 researchers and 125 national and international experts on the Age of Enlightenment was set up with the patronage support of the Millennium bcp Foundation, as well as Lisbon Municipality, Oeiras Municipality, Pombal Municipality, Sernancelhe Municipality, Marquês de Pombal Foundation, Jerónimo Martins Group and the University of Coimbra.

According to the project coordinators, the historical importance of the Marquês de Pombal and his political and diplomatic actions are well known, which made him one of the most notable Portuguese politicians with an unquestionable international projection. Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, diplomat of the Portuguese court at the English and the Austrian courts, and later “Prime Minister” of D. José I, left to posterity a vast work written by him or directly inspired.

This text was based on the following articles:

DNMadeira online – https://www.dnoticias.pt/2024/5/12/405129-madeirense-jose-eduardo-franco-na-concepcao-e-direccao-da-obra-completa-pombalina/

Lisbon Information – https://informacao.lisboa.pt/noticias/detalhe/vida-e-obra-do-marques-de-pombal-apresentadas-em-50-volumes

Credits: all photos by Florentino Bernardes Franco.