Did the Portuguese believe in their myths? Essay on ethical implications, figurations of the historian and functions of history in Alexandre Herculano (1846): a reading of the polemic of Ourique in the light of the present time in Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Santos, Evandro dos
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Anos 90 (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/anos90/article/view/112174
• topic: história da historiografia; história e mito; ética historiográfica; Alexandre Herculano.; História da Historiografia

This article, written as an essay, examines a specific section of the work of the Portuguese historian Alexandre Herculano (1810-1877). Recognized for his indelible importance for the Portuguese historiography produced in the 19th century, being also a journalist, writer, and public administrator, this important scholar surprised the clergy of his country by publishing, in 1846, the first volume of his History of Portugal. When reconstructing the historical past that would help explain the national origins, after the liberal wars of 1832-1834, Herculano devised an excerpt on the founding tradition, associated with the belief in the appearance of Christ to Prince Afonso Henriques, and its impossible historical and documentary proof. Therefore, the general objective of this study is to problematize the ethical implications assumed by the Portuguese historian when establishing different discursive pieces in his work with the past, in particular, concerning the myth of Catholic origin and the problems demarcated in the present 19th century Portugal since history, as a product of the search for truth, should also help to solve. In theoretical terms, the article presents analytical possibilities and results supported by debates in the area of ​​history of historiography, especially concerning the study of ethics for historians at different temporalities.