Resumen de Liberalismo, legislação criminal e codificação: o Código Penal de 1852. Cento e cinquenta anos da sua publicação

Maria José Moutinho dos Santos

• On the 150 th anniversary of the appearance of the first Portuguese penal code, we seek to clarify the conditions which lead to its approval. Although it was essentially a failed attempt to reform penal legislation, it was nevertheless a vital instrument to accomplish the transition between the absolutist and the liberal, constitutional regime.