With regard to the historical thinking of Barbosa Colen, his writing reveals cross-contamination between the journalist, politician and historian. This is clearly visible in all his work, from the liveliness of historical pictures he created and the psychological density attributed to the players, suggesting throughout the narrative the evolution of the characters’ behaviour. Colen developed a critical historical method, emphasising in his research an attention to the concrete (describing the environment in which the action takes place and its details). He did not limit himself to reporting only great events of the past, but also the small clichés of the life of statesmen or other figures mentioned, which is clearly visible, for example, in his description of how Queen D. Maria II is presented in the discourse of the crown in 1848, alluding to the ’recollection of those who saw her then and the celebration conserved in memory‘ (Entre Duas Revoluções, vol.I, p.3).

Among his intellectual references as an author, the presence of gate-keepers, such as Alexandre Herculano and Oliveira Martins, is evident. Reference to the work of Luz Soriano must be noted, taking into account the time he portrayed. For Barbosa Colen, the influence of Herculano is evident from the importance given to the individual in the historical outcome. However, it should be noted that in his writings, the way people are characterised allows for the identification of a basic moral and psychological typology (Historia de Portugal: Popular and Illustrada, vol. IX, p. 2). For instance, with certain significant figures, their weight is defined by defining their historical frameworks and their evolution. One of the people who stood out in Portuguese political history of the time he covered was António Bernardo da Costa Cabral (First Count of Tomar), pointing out his important role in public life and administration. Another person he emphasised was D. Maria II, identified as the ‘most relevant figure of her dynasty‘ (ibid., vol.XI, p. 605) stressing her intelligence, personal energy and politics. Another case is the Duke of Saldanha, who, in addition to his military qualities and political versatility, Colen also points out the ‘puerile vanity of the Marshal’ (Entre Duas Revoluções, vol. II, p. 414). The weight of these three characters in his definition of the time can be summarized by the following passage: ’D. Maria II, the Count of Tomar and Saldanha are, in the time we are depicting, the three great, dominant figures, expressing – the strength of will in he who leads, the power of initiative in he who governs, the strength of courage in he who battles‘ (ibid., vol. II, p. 435).

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