Difusão, status social e controle de armas na Mariana setecentista (1707-1736)

Abstract

The central objective of this work was to study the spread and control of arms at the Mariana in the first three decades of the eighteenth century and the role they are in the process of differentiation of individuals in a society marked by the culture of Ancient Regime. In this sense, we try to understand the principles of action of the crown through the law on weapons, its expression in the colony and the profile of the distribution of weapons among the settlers. The analysis of evidence allowed us to observe that despite the intention by the authorities to control the use of weapons, there was a significant spread of these instruments in relation to the various segments of the population. Noticed a higher concentration of armaments under the power of local elite, so that these actors had better able to provide services for the benefit of the empire, increasing your chances of negotiating with the Crown, in that the metropolis depended on the armed force of individuals to maintain order.