Antonio Vieira

António Vieira was a Portuguese Jesuit priest who played an active role in both Portuguese and Brazilian history. He was a prolific writer and a powerful orator who defended the rights of the indigenous peoples, the enslaved Africans, and the persecuted Jews in the Portuguese Empire. He also served as a diplomat and a royal adviser to King John IV of Portugal and his successors. Vieira was born in Lisbon in 1608 to a mulatto woman and a civil servant. He moved with his parents to Brazil in 1614, where he received his education at the Jesuit college in Bahia. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1625 and was ordained a priest in 1635. He soon distinguished himself as an orator, delivering patriotic sermons that praised Portugal’s role in the Christianization of the world. He also showed a keen interest in the culture and languages of the native Brazilians, whom he considered to be potential converts and allies. In 1640, when John IV restored the independence of Portugal from Spain, Vieira returned to Lisbon with the viceroy’s son to congratulate the new king. He impressed John IV with his talents and was appointed as his tutor, royal preacher, and member of the Royal Council. He also became involved in various diplomatic missions, traveling to Rome, London, The Hague, and Paris to promote Portugal’s interests abroad. He advocated for the creation of commercial companies, the reform of the Inquisition, and the admission of Jewish and foreign traders to Portugal. Vieira returned to Brazil in 1652, where he resumed his missionary work among the indigenous peoples. He also denounced the cruelty and exploitation of the African slaves by the Portuguese colonists. He founded several missions in the Amazon region and tried to protect the natives from enslavement by the colonists and the bandeirantes (frontiersmen). He also supported the establishment of a separate bishopric for Brazil, which was achieved in 1676. However, Vieira’s views and actions aroused opposition from various sectors of society. He was accused of being unpatriotic, heretical, and sympathetic to the Jews. He was arrested by the Inquisition in 1661 and exiled to Portugal in 1665. He spent several years defending himself from charges of heresy and appealing for his release. He was finally freed in 1669 and went to Rome, where he received support from Pope Clement IX. He returned to Portugal in 1675 but was again exiled to Brazil in 1681. Vieira spent his last years in Bahia, where he continued to write and preach. He died there in 1697 at the age of 89. He left behind a vast literary legacy that includes hundreds of sermons, letters, state papers, prophetic texts, and other works. He is regarded as one of the greatest figures of Portuguese literature and culture, as well as a champion of human rights and social justice.