Social mobility in careers in the Church in Portugal (1500-1820)

Abstract

The writers look at the different levels of the Church hierarchy in terms of how much upward social mobility they offered in the context of the social reproduction strategies of different groups, from the lowest orders to the highest of the nobility. The aim is above all to establish how far opportunity extended, and what the costs and benefits were for relatives who committed one member of their family to a career in the Church.