1767-Jan.-28: A royal edict in Portugal declared all wills made in favor of religious communities or fraternities to be null and void to prevent ecclesiastic…

1767-Jan.-28: A royal edict in Portugal declared all wills made in favor of religious communities or fraternities to be null and void to prevent ecclesiastical greed. The decree also invalidated legacies written by the hand of a lay or clerical relative of the legatee up to the fourth generation. Furthermore, wills favoring a testator’s confessor or the immediate family of their legal counsel were explicitly prohibited. These legal changes were designed to protect family successions from the perceived manipulation and influence of Church officials.