Tropas e o poder local : a gente de guerra na Comarca de Alagoas (c. 1750 - c. 1817)

Abstract

This work consists on understanding the structure of the defense organizations established in the southern part of the Captaincy of Pernambuco, that is, in the Comarca of Alagoas, between 1750 and 1817. Given the circumstances that permeated the administrative networks on the second half of the eighteenth century in Portuguese America, with the population increasing, and the intensification of military recruitment, we aim to discuss how this context influenced the local troops, and, through a comparative analysis with other military contingents, we also seek to understand the importance of the military of the Comarca of Alagoas in the Captaincy through its military agenda. In addition, by the characterization of the social profile of militia men, we investigate the insertion of these individuals in this society, discussing their integration through mechanisms of social promotion inside and outside the troops.