De fidalgos a escravos: a sociedade em Montemor-o-Novo nos séculos XVIII e XIX através do Livro dos Irmãos de Nossa Senhora do Rosário (1712-1880)

The aim of this article is to present the composition of Montemor-o-Novo society based on the contents of the book of entries of brothers of the Brotherhood of the Rosary of that town, which covers the period between 1712 and 1880. The same religious association was established in the Dominican monastery in this Alentejo town and was probably founded by free blacks in the 16th century, the period from which the oldest references are preserved. The main interest of this document is that it gives an approximate idea of the importance of the trades and economic activities that developed in the town during this period, given that there is no complete statistical source on the town during the Ancien Régime. The open nature of the Rosário brotherhoods, which admitted all types of people, including slaves, provides a comprehensive insight into the diversity of professions of Montemor-o-Novo’s residents.