José João da Conceição Gonçalves Mattoso (22 January 1933 – 8 July 2023) was a Portuguese medievalist and university professor.
Biography
Mattoso was born on 22 January 1933. He earned his doctoral degree in medieval history from the
Catholic University of Leuven
University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to:
* Old University of Leuven (1425–1797)
* State University of Leuven (1817–1835)
* Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968)
* Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...
, in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, in 1966 (with a thesis on the abbey of Pendorada - "L'Abbaye de Pendorada : des Origines à 1160"), while he was
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
at the Abbey of
Singeverga. He returned to secular life in 1970, and taught at the University of Lisbon and at the New University of Lisbon. He was also a director of National Archives / Torre do Tombo.
Mattoso was recognised in Portugal and internationally as one of the most distinguished scholars of the history of medieval Portugal, and much of his scholarly work is largely devoted to that period. His works include, among others, "Ricos homens, Infanções e Cavaleiros" (on the medieval society), "Fragments of a Medieval Composition" (in response to the arguments of Antonio Borges Coelho), and "Identification of A country Essay on the Origins of Portugal (1096–1325)" (Vol. I - 'Opposition' vol. II - 'Composition'), with five editions constantly revised and updated between 1985 and 1995. Mattoso was awarded the Alfredo Pimenta prize of Medieval History, and the non-fiction Prize of Pen club for this work. He was also awarded the
Fernando Pessoa Prize in 1987, among other important distinctions.
Mattoso acted as the scientific editor of a ''History of Portugal'' (1993–1995) in eight volumes.
José Mattoso died on 8 July 2023, at the age of 90.
Bibliography
*Le monarchisme ibérique et Cluny. Les monastères du diocése de Porto de l'an mille à 1200, 1968
*As famílias condais portucalenses dos séculos X e XI, 1970
*Beneditina Lusitana, 1974
*Livro de linhagens do Conde D. Pedro, ed. crítica, 1980
*Livros velhos de linhagens, ed. crítica por Joseph Piel e José Mattoso, 1980
*A nobreza medieval portuguesa. A família e o poder, 1981 ; 1994
*Ricos-Homens, infanções e cavaleiros. A nobreza medieval portuguesa nos sécs. XI e XII, 1982 ; 1998
*Religião e cultura na Idade Média portuguesa, 1982 ; 1997
*Narrativas dos Livros de Linhagens, selecção, introdução e comentários, 1983
*Portugal medieval. Novas interpretações, 1985 ; 1992
*O essencial sobre a formação da nacionalidade, 1985 ; 1986
*Identificação de um país. Ensaio sobre as origens de Portugal, 1096–1325, 1985 ; 1995
*O essencial sobre a cultura medieval portuguesa, 1985 ; 1993
*A escrita da história, 1986
*Fragmentos de uma composição medieval, 1987 ; 1990
*O essencial sobre os provérbios medievais portugueses, 1987
*A escrita da História. Teoria e métodos, 1988 ; 1997
*O castelo e a feira. A Terra de Santa Maria nos séculos XI a XIII, em colab. com Amélia Andrade, Luís Krus, 1989
*Almada no tempo de D. Sancho I (Comunicação), 1991
*Os primeiros reis (História de Portugal - Vol. I) (Infanto-juvenil), com
Ana Maria Magalhães,
Isabel Alçada, 1993 ; 2001
*A Terra de Santa Maria no século XIII. Problemas e documentos, em colab. com Amélia Andrade, Luís Krus, 1993
*No Reino de Portugal (História de Portugal - Vol. II) (Infanto-juvenil), com
Ana Maria Magalhães, Isabel Alçada, 1994 ; 2003 Coja, 1995
*Tempos de revolução (História de Portugal - Vol. III) (Infanto-juvenil), com
Ana Maria Magalhães, Isabel Alçada, 1995
*O reino dos mortos na Idade Média peninsular, ed. lit., 1996
*A Identidade Nacional, 1998; 2003
*A função social da História no mundo de hoje, 1999
*A dignidade.
Konis Santana e a resistência
timor
Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...
ense, 2005
*D. Afonso Henriques, 2007
*Levantar o Céu. Os labirintos da sabedoria, 2012
*Naquele Tempo. Ensaios de História Medieval; 2009;2014
Distinctions
National orders
*

Grand Officer of the
Order of Saint James of the Sword (10 June 1992)
References
External links
José Mattoso at IPLB (portuguese lang)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattoso, Jose
1933 births
2023 deaths
20th-century Portuguese historians
21st-century Portuguese historians
Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni
Academic staff of NOVA University Lisbon
Academic staff of the University of Lisbon
Pessoa Prize winners
Portuguese Benedictines
Grand Officers of the Order of Saint James of the Sword
People from Leiria