Podcast Summary: "Acontece que no es poco | Y tras neutralizar a la aristocracia, a por los jesuitas portugueses (3)"

Host: Nieves Concostrina

Co-host: Carla

Date: January 14, 2026

Overview

In this engaging episode of "Acontece que no es poco," Nieves Concostrina continues her deep dive into one of the darkest periods of Portuguese history: the campaign of the Marquês de Pombal against both the aristocracy and the powerful Jesuit order. The focus is on the Marquês’ systematic efforts to modernize Portugal through force, culminating in the dramatic expulsion of the Jesuits. The episode is part three in a series, maintaining an irreverent, lucid tone, blending rigorous history with wit and directness.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Marquês de Pombal and the Age of "Despotismo Ilustrado" (Enlightened Absolutism)

• Nieves explains the 18th-century wave of "despotismo ilustrado" that swept across European monarchies, coining the phrase, “todo para el pueblo, pero sin el pueblo” (“everything for the people, but without the people”) [01:25].
• Monarchs like Carlos III (Spain), Federico II (Prussia), Louis XVI (France), and José I (Portugal) all professed enlightenment, but the decisions remained strictly top-down, rooted in absolute monarchy.
• The Marquês de Pombal, despite not being king, wielded ruthless power: reshaping Portugal by force, targeting reactionary aristocrats and "conspiratorial" Jesuits who threatened his reforms.

2. The Pretext for Attacking the Jesuits

• The official excuse was the Jesuits’ supposed involvement in an assassination attempt on the king—a charge made without evidence. The Marquês couldn’t easily stage executions or show trials for the clerics as he did with the nobility, so he approached it differently [03:53].
• Notable quote:
  "El marqués de Pombal no iba solo a por tres o cuatro jesuitas, él iba por todos. Pero lo que decía antes, tenemos que poner contexto." (Nieves, 03:53)

3. The Jesuit Gabriel Malagrida: Scapegoat and Foe

• Nieves singles out Malagrida, influential among Lisbon's elite, as a prime target. After the devastating Lisbon earthquake (1755), Malagrida published a book blaming the disaster on sin, inflaming public fears and contradicting Pombal's efforts to calm and rationalize the population [05:30].
• Notable quote:
  "Según el jesuita, el terremoto era consecuencia, y abro comillas, de nuestros pecados intolerables." (Nieves, 05:30)
• The incident provided ammunition to Pombal’s campaign: Malagrida’s stance was seen as undermining efforts to rationalize disaster response and maintain royal authority.

4. The Power and Reach of the Jesuits

• The Jesuits' influence spanned all Catholic monarchies, acting as confessors to kings and educators to the elite—“tenían la educación en sus manos. Ellos adoctrinaban a los más pudientes y los más pudientes comían de su mano” [07:58].
• Their power often rivaled that of the state itself, earning them enemies among reformist monarchs across Europe.
• Notable quote:
  “A veces actuaban como un Estado dentro de los distintos Estados.” (Nieves, 08:28)
• By mid-18th century, countries like Spain, France, Portugal, and others started expelling them, often on invented pretexts. Pombal led the way in Portugal, moving swiftly after the execution of the Távora family.

5. The Context from the Americas: The Jesuit "Reducciones"

• The hosts discuss the Jesuit reductions in South America—communities built to gather, Christianize, and tightly control indigenous Guaraní populations. These settlements were economically and socially self-sufficient—"urbanísticamente impecables" (Nieves, 10:51).
• Nieves references the film The Mission as a lens on these events, with the Jesuits resisting royal control, arming the Guaraní, and causing military confrontations with Spain and Portugal after a 1750 border agreement [12:16].
• Notable quote:
  "Ellos comerciaban, ellos mandaban, ellos hacían y deshacían en sus reducciones, en sus estados, dentro del Estado." (Nieves, 13:50)
• In Brazil, the Marquês wanted to found commercial companies, but the Jesuits saw this as infringement on their economic monopoly, intensifying the conflict.

6. The Aftermath: The Expulsion and Suppression of the Jesuits

• The expulsion in Portugal was rapid: Távora executions on January 13, 1759, and Jesuit expulsion decree just six days later (January 19, 1759). This policy soon spread to other Catholic monarchies.
• Ultimately, the pressure led the Pope to suppress the order altogether—satirically framed by Nieves as “inspiración del Espíritu Santo” [14:40].
• The Jesuits, according to Nieves, showed “una sorprendente capacidad de regeneración económica”—quickly rebuilding elsewhere.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Enlightened Absolutism:
  “Rey y progreso son términos antagónicos...” (Nieves, 01:35)
• On Confession as Control:
  “La confesión la inventó la Iglesia solo para robarte la información y mantenerte atrapado.” (Nieves, 08:05)
• On the Expulsion:
  “De todos no quedó ni uno en territorio portugués. Bueno, ni americano.” (Nieves, 09:26)
• On the economic resilience of the Jesuits:
  “Nadie se preocupe por ellos, porque tuvieron una sorprendente capacidad de regeneración económica.” (Nieves, 15:24)
• The irreverent summary of papal action:
  “Es el mismo palomo que se lió con la María Espalda de José. Bueno, pues ese le dijo al Papa, cárgate a estos.” (Nieves, 14:47)

Key Segment Timestamps

• 01:25 - Definition and context of "despotismo ilustrado"
• 03:36 - Pretexts for attacking aristocracy vs. the Jesuits
• 05:18 - Malagrida's book and clash over the Lisbon earthquake
• 07:58 - Jesuits’ absolutist power across Europe and push for their expulsion
• 09:42 - Justification for expelling all Jesuits, not just those implicated
• 10:51 - Origins and nature of Jesuit "Reducciones" in the Americas
• 12:16 - Reference to The Mission and resistance of Jesuit settlements
• 13:50 - Economic and political conflict in the Americas and Portugal
• 14:40 - The Papal suppression of the Jesuits and their “regeneration”

Conclusion & Next Episode Tease

• The episode closes with a promise to discuss the “revolución de los taberneros de Oporto” (The Tavernkeepers’ Revolution of Porto) next time, as the hosts continue their exploration of Portugal’s tumultuous 18th century [15:33].

This episode is a sharp, entertaining, and illuminating look into the ruthless modernization campaign of Pombal, the clash of church and state, and the fate of the Jesuits in the age of enlightened absolutism—seasoned with Nieves Concostrina’s characteristic humor and critical edge.