The Royal Franchises and Governance of Portugal’s Settler Communities (Concelhos)

During the medieval period, Portugal’s settler communities, or concelhos, were formally recognized through royal franchises (forais), which established their privileges, tax obligations, and rights of self-government. These franchisesalso regulated the relationship between the Crown, the concelho, and the donatório (a noble or ecclesiastical lord if the community was part of a terra, or seigneurial land grant).

Local Governance and Administration

Each concelho functioned as a self-governing municipality, led by an assembly composed of local homens-bons—freemen not subject to the jurisdiction of the Church, a donatório, or special laws governing Muslims and Jews.

• The concelho was administered by a magistrate, assisted by several assessors, all chosen from among the homens-bons of the assembly.
• The king’s authority was represented locally by an alcalde, a royal official empowered to intervene when necessary to ensure justice and proper administration.
• The degree of local autonomy varied, depending on whether the concelho was a free royal town or subject to a donatório.

The Decline of Municipal Self-Government

Over time, as Portugal’s monarchy centralized its power, the self-governing authority of concelhos gradually declined. The Crown increasingly sought to assert direct control over municipal governance, weakening the independence of local assemblies and expanding the role of royal administrators, marking a shift toward a more centralized state.