The Kingdom of Portugal was formed in the 12th-13th centuries, by establishing its borders, defining ruling powers and securing the social-economic stabilization of its inhabitants. This construction included written pacts that secured long-duration legal relationships. Kings, on one hand, and both secular and ecclesiastical lords, on the other hand, put in writing rules governing both their relationship with the communities and the relations among the inhabitants, namely their rights and duties. Such written charters were called forais. iForal project aims to develop a historical and linguist analysis of the Portuguese forais granted by the kings until 1279, as well as their copies and vernacular versions produced until the end of the 15th century. The project is guided by a key driver, i.e. an interdisciplinary approach. History and Linguistics will provide researchers with the conceptual and methodological tools required, while Digital Humanities ensure the key instruments for maximizing the potential of the results and rendering their research and dissemination effective.

The project iForal – Portuguese municipal charters in the Middle Ages: an historical and linguistic approach in the digital era (ref. PTDC/HAR-HIS/5065/2020) – is funded by National Funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology.

This project has a duration of three years (2021-2024) and consists of:
– 1 Proponent institution: Faculty of Arts, University of Lisbon
– 2 research units: the History Center of the University of Lisbon and the Linguistics Center of the University of Lisbon
– 5 national participating institutions: Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto; University of Aveiro; University of Coimbra; University of Évora; New University of Lisbon
– 1 international participant institution: Université de Lausanne (UNIL)
– 23 researchers from the areas of History, Linguistics and Digital Humanities
– 6 international consultants
– 6 research scholarships
– Funding: 190,459.23 euros

PI: Filipa Roldão

Co-PI: Joana Serafim

Website: https://iforal.hypotheses.org/

Click here to meet our team.