Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Dawn of a Republic
In 1793 Portugal found itself at war again when it joined Britain in sending naval forces
against revolutionary France. Before long, Napoleon threw Portugal an ultimatum: close
your ports to British shipping or be invaded.
There was no way Portugal could turn its back on Britain, upon which it depended for
half of its trade and the protection of its sea routes. In 1807 Portugal's royal family fled to
Brazil (where it stayed for 14 years), and Napoleon's forces marched into Lisbon, sweeping
Portugal into the Peninsular War (France's invasion of Spain and Portugal, which lasted un-
til 1814).
To the rescue came Sir Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington), Viscount Beresford
and their seasoned British troops, who eventually drove the French back across the Spanish
border in 1811.
Free but weakened, Portugal was administered by Beresford while the royals dallied in
Brazil. In 1810 Portugal lost a profitable intermediary role by giving Britain the right to
trade directly with Brazil. The next humiliation was João's 1815 proclamation of Brazil as
a kingdom united with Portugal - he did this to bring more wealth and prestige to Brazil
(which he was growing to love) and, in turn, to him and the rest of the royal family residing
there. With soaring debts and dismal trade, Portugal was at one of the lowest points in its
history, reduced to a de facto colony of Brazil and a protectorate of Britain.
Meanwhile, resentment simmered in the army. Rebel officers quietly convened parlia-
ment and drew up a new liberal constitution. Based on Enlightenment ideals, it abolished
many rights of the nobility and clergy, and instituted a single-chamber parliament.
Faced with this fait accompli, João returned and accepted its terms - though his wife and
son, Miguel, were bitterly opposed to it. João's elder son, Pedro, had other ideas: left be-
hind to govern Brazil, he snubbed the constitutionalists by declaring Brazil independent in
1822 and himself its emperor. When João died in 1826, the stage was set for civil war.
Offered the crown, Pedro dashed out a new, less liberal charter and then abdicated in fa-
vour of his seven-year-old daughter, Maria, provided she marry uncle Miguel and provided
uncle Miguel accept the new constitution. Miguel took the oath but promptly abolished
Pedro's charter and proclaimed himself king. A livid Pedro rallied the equally furious liber-
als and forced Miguel to surrender at Évoramonte in 1834.
After Pedro's death, his daughter Maria, now queen of Portugal at just 15, kept his flame
alive with fanatical support of his 1826 charter. The radical supporters of the liberal 1822
