The emergence and evolution of the National Archive as a public service

Portuguese archives, which had evolved naturally and without major external disruptions until the end of the Ancien Régime, experienced significant structural upheavals following the advent of Liberalism. The 1820 revolution, directly influenced by events in late 18th-century France, imposed a new order on the country, substantially altering social, administrative, and financial structures. These changes affected archives, particularly the Torre do Tombo. Following the French example, the liberal bourgeoisie in power in Portugal implemented legislative changes, including the dissolution of numerous institutions and the nationalisation of their assets. This led to the relocation of many archives without adequate measures to safeguard their integrity. This situation led to a disruption of the "information systems," which had developed and consolidated in an integrated and coherent manner for centuries, with direct repercussions on the Crown Archive. On the one hand, administrative interests dictated the fate of documents from nationalised registries that were still useful for the State’s asset management; on the other, cultural interests were decisive for the safeguarding of many archives, whose documentation was deemed essential for the History of the Nation. Indeed, in the name of historiographical interests, legislation emerged mandating the compulsory transfer of documents considered indispensable for historical research to the Torre do Tombo Archive, with Alexandre Herculano undoubtedly being its principal advocate. Historicism was “responsible” for the disruption of many archives, but it also contributed to the development of disciplines that came to be regarded as auxiliaries to History, such as Palaeography, Diplomatics, and Archival Science. Notably, there was an increase in the production of tools for accessing information and transcriptions of documents, with the clear purpose of supporting historians in their search for documentary sources.

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