ABSTRACT
The first Portuguese misericórdia or house of mercy was founded in Lisbon on 15 August 1498 by permission and consent and mandate of the most illustrious and Catholic lady Queen Leonor, wife of the most illustrious and serene King Joo II, glory be upon him. The opportunities for social mobility opened up by the misericó rdias are discussed in Abreu. The special legal, institutional, social and economic status of the new confraternities had already begun to be outlined in September 1498, with the privileges the crown granted to the Lisbon Misericó rdias. Royal control and the acquisition of real property undeniably went hand in hand for the misericó rdias. The power relations between the misericó rdias and the crown constitute one of the most controversial subjects for Portuguese historians. The crown institutionalised a set of protection measures for abandoned children for the first time in the Todos Os Santos Hospital Statute of 1504.
