Paper short abstract:

This communication studies the performance of the infanta Dona Beatriz as administrator of the archipelagos of Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde, an analysis that aims to be global and comparative, exploring her condition as a female ruler.

Paper long abstract:

The archipelagos of the Atlantic were the first spaces to be colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century. These became spaces of experimentation of a model for administrative, territorial organization and economic exploitation that would subsequently be applied to other areas of the Empire. This colonization process acquired a distinct manorial nature as it was, from an early stage, carried out by the House of Viseu (i.e. Prince Henry the Navigator and his heirs).

As from 1470 to mid 1480's this House was administered by a woman, the infanta Dona Beatriz, tutor to the new Duke, then a minor. For the first time in Portuguese History, an overseas territory concerned the purview of a woman. Her actions in the insular space revealed to be extremely important, both for the settlement of the archipelagos of Azores and Cape Verde, as well as the economic growth of Madeira.

However, her actions in the archipelagos and how she adapted to the various existing realities have never been analyzed in a global and comparative way. This is what we will do, by approaching issues such as how Beatriz exercised her power in the Atlantic; how the settlement and distribution of land was made during that period and how power was organized. We will also reflect about her condition as a female ruler and how that was regarded by her peers and by the men under her authority, as well as how she used the administration of these territories to uphold her power.