José da Cunha Brochado: Secretario de embajada a embajador extraordinario

Abstract

This article points out some aspects of José da Cunha Brochado’s trajectory. He was one of the most prominent individuals in the political landscape of the history of Portugal, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, starting his journey on the stage of international relations as secretary of embassy of d. Luís Álvares de Castro, second marquess of Cascais, in Paris, between 1695-1704. In his letters and memories, Brochado revealed not only aspects related to the royal life but, more specifically, related to the one adopted by d. Luís Álvares de Castro’s behavior. It is noticed that, being in European courts demanded not only political knowledge, but also the ability to circulate in many different environments and live with very different social and cultural habits. Brochado believed he had those characteristics.