A quem serve a lei do rei: o comércio ilegal de pau-brasil em Pernambuco nas últimas décadas do século XVIII

Abstract

Smuggling was, and is, a constant in contemporary Brazilian society, developing a social role for each niche. But this is not a current, contemporary practice, it has been present in the country since the beginning of Portuguese colonization, and as well as today, it had its social role. Among many other smuggled products, brazilwood stands out, exploited since the moment the Portuguese arrived in this land, and proving to be a great source of profit, immediately became a target for misuse. Taking its trade as a monopoly, the Portuguese Crown tried hard to combat the misuse of Brazilwood, but it was not always successful in this fight, as shown in documents covering from 1786 to 1791 and dealing with the smuggling of Brazilwood in Pernambuco even after two centuries of Portuguese domination.