Opúsculos por Alexandre Herculano - Tomo 05

This volume gathers three of Alexandre Herculno’s earlier writings, long familiar to nineteenth‑century scholars but now largely hidden from modern readers. First come the series of letters that first appeared in the Revista universal lisbonense in 1842, where the author passionately sketches the origins of Portugal, its early institutions and the relationships between its social classes. The letters were meant as a prelude to a larger work and reveal a vivid, almost journalistic, enthusiasm for uncovering forgotten facts.

The heart of the book is an ambitious, unfinished manuscript on the existence of feudalism in Portugal. Written in 1875, it spans eight complete chapters and a fragment, offering detailed argumentation, comparative analysis with Spanish land‑ownership history, and a clear methodological framework. Though Herculano never brought the project to completion, the manuscript provides a rare glimpse into his rigorous scholarly process and remains a valuable touchstone for anyone interested in the foundations of Portuguese medieval history.