Abstract
Miguel de Castanhoso participated in the Portuguese expedition sent to Ethiopia, under the command of Cristóvão da Gama, to provide military support to Emperor Galawdewos between 1541-1543. Having published his account in 1564, Castanhoso imprinted a mythical and prophetic tone to his text, laying the foundations for the martyrology of Dom Cristóvão, who was tortured by Muslim enemies and was said to work miracles. This article analyzes Castanhoso’s account, based on the political issues surrounding a project of a martyrology around the name of Cristóvão da Gama. The project, however, revealed the little Portuguese influence in the matters of the Roman church, because Gama’s martyrology did not achieve any political or religious international impact.
Keywords:
Portuguese Renaissance; canonization; Miguel de Castanhoso; Vidigueira House; Portuguese chronicles