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This Society was founded in 1875 precisely to define and guide the colonialist interests of the Portuguese. Luciano Cordeiro was one of its founders and main players, bringing his work as a historian to the colonial intent. He authored works on the population and initial colonisation of Angola, as well as other works on the Orient. As regards the presence of the Portuguese in Africa, his studies on African hydrography in the sixteenth century and a highly innovative study on "Viagens, explorações e conquistas dos Portugueses" [“Travels, explorations and conquests of the Portuguese”] (1881) (Cordeiro, Questões Histórico-Coloniais [Historical and Colonial Issues], 1936) are particularly noteworthy, the latter a well-documented piece on the European penetration into the African bushlands. This was a time when it was particularly useful to know more about the period prior to the arrival of the Portuguese. Those engaged in colonisation never dispensed with the aid of history to substantiate their interests. This was also why Luciano Cordeiro participated in the mission representing the country at the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference.
Behind these publications - often aroused by the vicissitudes of international politics - was the intention of gathering materials to be used later in a work synthesising the discoveries, the lack of which was already being felt. However, the purpose was not to advance a synthesis of the history of the discoveries and expansion - or even of colonisation, as was understood in the 19th century, although such synthesis was known to be necessary. The focus was to be on issues of the present time, but since they revolved around a right granted by permanence, they had to be justified by history. History - and the need for a history of the discoveries - penetrated society and awakened educated spirits, and the few existing history buffs were devoted to this undertaking. There was a pressing need to highlight Portugal's priority in many of the geographical maritime discoveries and see it accepted by the other countries with colonial interests.
The Academia das Ciências de Lisboa acknowledged the need to write and publish a História dos Descobrimentos [A History of the Discoveries], although no considerable development of the History of the Discoveries had occurred. Furthermore, the historians - or those with an interest in history - also agreed that the lack of indispensable knowledge from many of the sources hampered all progress in this work of synthesis.
