José Mattoso (1933-2023)

In Memoriam

Jubilee Professor at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at NOVA University (FCSH). He finished the Philosophy and Theology Course at the Benedictine Monastery of Singeverga (1951-1957), where he entered at the age of 17. Graduated from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium, 1960) and PhD from the same University (1966). Professor at the Faculty of Letters of Lisbon (1971-1978), having also lectured in several other university institutions in Portugal and abroad. 

He specialized in Social, Cultural, Religious and Political History of the Middle Ages: : A Nobreza Medieval Portuguesa. A Família e o Poder (1st ed. 1981), Ricos-Homens, Infanções e Cavaleiros. A Nobreza Medieval Portuguesa nos Séculos XI e XII (1st ed. 1982), Religião e Cultura na Idade Média Portuguesa (1st ed. 1982), Portugal Medieval. Novas Interpretações (1st ed. 1985), Identificação de um País. Ensaio sobre as Origens de Portugal. 1096-1325, I – Oposição, II – Composição (1st ed. 1985), Fragmentos de uma Composição Medieval (1st ed. 1987), A Escrita da História (1st ed. 1988), História de Portugal (direcção) (8 vols., 1992-1993), Naquele Tempo. Ensaios de História Medieval (1st ed. 2000), A Abadia de Pendorada das Origens a 1160 (portuguese translation of the degree thesis), O Monaquismo Ibérico e Cluny (portuguese translation of the doctoral thesis, 2002) – these and other titles reprinted in Obras Completas (12 vols., 2000-2002) –,  D. Afonso Henriques (1st ed. 2006), Património de Origem Portuguesa no Mundo (dir.) (2010), História da Vida Privada em Portugal (dir.) (4 vols., 2010-2011), The Historiography of Medieval Portugal (c. 1950-2010) (dir.) (2011), Levantar o Céu – Os Labirintos da Sabedoria (1st ed. 2012) and A História Contemplativa (1st ed. 2020).

In addition to various positions of scientific and administrative responsibility at the FCSH, among which stands out that of Vice-Rector of the NOVA University (1991-1995), he was also Coordinator of the Commission for the Reform and Restructuring of the National Archives of Torre do Tombo (1986-1988), President of the Portuguese Institute of Archives (1988-1990), Director of the Institute of National Archives / Torre do Tombo (1996-1998) and Vice-President of the Higher Council of Archives (1999). He was Académico de Número of the Portuguese Academy of History and member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.  

Among the scientific and cultural awards he has received are the Augusto Botelho da Costa Veiga Prize of the Portuguese Academy of History (1982), the Alfredo Pimenta Prize (1985), the Pen Club Essay Prize (1986), the Pessoa Prize (1987), the Prix Böhus-Szögyény of the Confédération Internationale de Généalogie et d'Héraldique (1991), the Latin Union Prize (2007) and the Árvore da Vida - Padre Manuel Antunes Prize (2019). 

He was the Founding Member of IEM and was Director of the journal Medievalista (2006-2007 and 2009-2014).