A First Approach to the Law and Institutions of Dutch Brazil (1630–1654)

Abstract

This article covers a study on the administrative, legal and political organization of the period known as Dutch Brazil (1630-1654). The general objective is to analyze the three main regulations in force during the period – the Order of Government of 1629, the Instruction of 1636 and the Instruction of 1645 – and their effectiveness in the government of the Dutch colony of Brazil. A particular focus lies on the local government institutions – the municipal councils – that already existed during Portuguese rule and were absorbed and modified by the Dutch, resulting in peculiar hybrid institutions. The method used will be inductive through the use of historiographical sources and bibliographic research.

Keywords: History of Law, Dutch Brazil, Institutional History, municipal councils, colonization