Liberal Revolution of 1820
Part of the Revolutions of 1820 | |
Date | 24 August 1820 |
---|---|
Location | Portugal |
Participants | Portuguese society |
Outcome |
|
The Liberal Revolution of 1820 (
Historical background
From 1807 to 1811 Napoleonic French forces invaded Portugal three times. As a result, the
Following the defeat of the French forces in 1814, Portugal experienced a prolonged period of political turmoil, in which many sought greater self-rule for the Portuguese people. Eventually, this unrest put an end to the King's long stay in Brazil, when his return to Portugal was demanded by the revolutionaries.[1]
Even though the Portuguese had participated in the defeat of the French, the country found itself virtually a colony of Brazil or British protectorate. The officers of the Portuguese Army resented British control of the Portuguese armed forces. In addition the 1808 Decree of the Opening of Ports to Friendly Nations , practically brought an end to the so-called "colonial pact" (See, Mercantilism), and the Treaties of 1810 , which guaranteed favored status to British products entering Portugal, decimated the commerce of cities like Porto and Lisbon and set off a deep economic crisis which affected its bourgeoisie.[2] The city of Porto, with a strong, dynamic bourgeoisie and with liberal tradition, was the place where the Liberal Revolution began.
After Napoleon's definite defeat in 1815, a clandestine Supreme Regenerative Council of Portugal and the Algarve was formed in Lisbon by army officers and
In October 1817, the Regency found the twelve of the accused guilty of treason against the nation and sentenced them to death by hanging. Beresford intended to suspend the sentence until it was confirmed by John VI, but the Regency, judging that such a move was a slight to its authority, ordered their immediate execution, which took place on 18 October at Campo do Santana (today,
A couple of years after the executions, Beresford left for Brazil to ask the King for more resources and powers to suppress the lingering presence of what he called "Jacobinism," which were granted to him. In his absence, the Revolution of Porto broke out in 1820, and upon his arrival from Brazil, he was forbidden to disembark in Lisbon.
Revolution
Influenced by the concurrent Trienio Liberal revolution in Spain of 1 January 1820, a liberal revolution started in Porto, quickly spreading without resistance to several other Portuguese cities and towns, culminating with the revolt of Lisbon. The revolutionaries demanded the immediate return of the royal court to continental Portugal in order to "restore the metropolitan dignity." In fact, the liberal revolution of 1820 not only forced the return of the King but also demanded a constitutional monarchy to be set up in Portugal. The revolutionaries also sought to restore Portuguese exclusivity in the trade with Brazil, reverting Brazil to the status of a colony, officially to be reduced to a "Principality of Brazil," instead of the Kingdom of Brazil, which it had been for the past five years. The Brazilian kingdom had legally been an equal, constituent part of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The revolutionaries organized the election of a constitutional assembly which debated the nature of the future government. The elections resulted in deputies who were primarily from the professions (lawyers, professors) and not from the merchants who had spearheaded the revolution. Professionals now took the lead in the revolution. The constitution that was approved in 1822 was closely modeled on the Spanish Constitution of 1812.[5]
Aftermath
After John VI returned to Portugal in 1821, his heir-apparent,
In 1823, the first revolt against the constitutional order was organized by
See also
References
- ^ "Brazil colonial history". casahistoria. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Birmingham, 108–110; Nowell, 181–182.
- ^ Birmingham, 111.
- ^ Pombo, Rocha. História do Brasil vol. 4, p. 12. The executed were José Ribeiro Pinto, Major José da Fonseca Neves, Maximiano Dias Ribeiro (all freemasons); and José Joaquim Pinto da Silva, Major José Campello de Miranda, Colonel Manuel Monteiro de Carvalho, Henrique José Garcia de Moraes, António Cabral Calheiros Furtado de Lemos, Manuel Inácio de Figueiredo, and Pedro Ricardo de Figueiró (all possible freemasons).
- ^ Birmingham, 111–113; Nowell, 182–184.
- ^ Birmingham, 116–117; Nowell, 184–188.
Bibliography
- Birmingham, David (2003). A Concise History of Portugal. Cambridge Concise Histories (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-53686-3.
- Nowell, Charles E. (1952). A History of Portugal. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company.