Nas veredas do Império : guerra, política e mobilidades através da trajetória do Visconde de Serro Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul, c.1790 - c.1870)

Abstract

The purpose of this Thesis is to analyse the trajectory of João da Silva Tavares, Baron and then Viscount of Serro Alegre, during the 19th. century. Mainly characterized by his performance in the spheres of war and politics, the trajectory of Silva Tavares was marked by social, economic and spatial mobility, and all of these elements directly linked. The Viscount managed to ascend social and economically, by navigating through many paths of the Empire that was being built in Brazil in that time. His strategies allow us to compare the distinct moments of his life with the societies that he was inserted in different contexts, at the same time that enable us to explore typical socioeconomic hierarchies that were in place in Brazil’s southernmost province. The analysis of certain circumstances of his trajectory, furthermore, gives the opportunity to address conjunctural and structural phenomena of the Brazilian Empire – especially wars, political disputes, and migrations. For that reason, we accessed a diverse set of sources, such as biographical narratives, letters, post mortem inventories, ecclesiastical records and nominative lists. The text is divided into three chapters: the first one, “Rising”, focuses on the early years of Silva Tavares life and his trajectory until the beginning of the Ragamuffin War; the second chapter, entitled “Moving”, addresses two turning points of Serro Alegre’s life: his military activities during the Ragamuffin War and his subsequent migration to Bagé; the third, “Rebuilding”, is dedicated to the last years of his trajectory, revealing his insertion into Bagé and into the Brazilian Empire structures.