Black Marriages in Lisbon, Portugal, 1611-1623

The Black Marriages in Lisbon, Portugal, 1611-1623 dataset is a contribution to the study of urban slavery and the African diaspora in early modern Portugal. It presents biographical information, such as name, birthplace, legal status, and parish residence, of 571 enslaved and freed Africans (286 men, 285 women) in Lisbon who pursued marriage—288 couples—between the years 1611 and 1623. The dataset also includes biographical information for hundreds of witnesses and over 100 fields. The dataset was created using justificações sumárias (summary justifications, or marriage files) from the archive of the Câmara Eclesiástica de Lisboa, located in Portugal’s National Archives. Justificações sumárias were investigative proceedings that permitted prospective spouses to prove their eligibility for marriage and the veracity of biographical information that might otherwise impede a marriage, namely the "malicious impediment" of enslavers. The dataset enriches our understanding of the slave trade to Portugal, the bonds of kinship and community forged in Lisbon, and the history of slave marriage.