Riqueza e escravidão em Sergipe Del Rey (1800-1840) : trabalho e patrimônio durante a ascensão da lavoura açucareira

Abstract

The Captaincy of Sergipe Del Rei, in its early days, based its economy on the food supply sector, focusing on the production of flour, cassava, and cattle raising, with its main export market being the City of Bahia (Salvador). Sergipe's entry into the sugar economy occurred belatedly, with the first sugar mills emerging in the 16th and 17th centuries, but it was only in the second half of the 18th century that this activity became consolidated. This paper aims to outline an overview of the composition and distribution of wealth in the Captaincy of Sergipe Del Rei, as well as to analyze the main characteristics of the workforce employed in the various economic activities developed in the region. These points will be addressed in line with the development of the local economy, aligned with the expansion of global markets from the late 18th century through the 19th century.