Transformations of a litigation practice: “Legal Actions for Freedom” processed in Mariana - 1750/69 and 1850/69

Abstract

With regularity, the Court of Law was called in to mediate conflicts around the attainment and enjoyment of freedom. The actions resulting from such disputes brought before the court of first instance in the city of Mariana are the sources of my research. I focus on distinct periods of its caseload - from 1750 to 1769 and from 1850 to 1869 - to highlight the changes in the organization of these processes, properly related to the specific contexts, mainly, to the institutional and political aspects.