author
Manuel do Valle de Moura
1564–1650
A Portuguese theologian and inquisitorial official, he is best known for a remarkable 1620 Latin study of charms, healing rituals, and superstition. His writing opens a window onto how early modern Portugal tried to understand magic, religion, and everyday belief.
1 Audiobook
Paródia ao primeiro canto dos Lusíadas de Camões por quatro estudantes de Évora em 1589
by Manuel Luiz Freire, Manuel do Valle de Moura, active 1589-1619 Bartolomeu Varela, active 1608 Luís Mendes de Vasconcelos
About the author
Born in Arraiolos and later active in Évora, Manuel do Vale de Moura was a Portuguese scholar trained in both theology and law. Reference works describe him as a doctor of theology from the University of Évora, educated in law at Coimbra, and later abbot of Santa Cristina de Barroso.
He also served as tutor to D. Alexandre, son of the Duke of Braganza, and as a deputy of the Inquisition in Évora. Modern scholarship highlights him mainly for De incantationibus seu ensalmis (1620), a substantial Latin work examining popular healing practices, charms, superstition, and related religious questions.
That book has made him especially interesting to historians of demonology, magic, and the Portuguese Inquisition. Although several works are attributed to him, the 1620 treatise is the one most clearly documented and the reason he is still remembered today.