Liberal rebellions of 1842 (Empire of Brazil)

The 'Liberal Revolution of 1842' or Revolta dos Liberais was one of the seditious movements that shook Brazil during the Empire of Brazil.

Causes

Unrest in the provinces of Maranhão (Balaiada) and Rio Grande do Sul (Ragamuffin War) had not been fully resolved, when, in 1840, the young emperor Pedro II assumed the throne. Francisco de Lima's Liberal Party had pushed through the premature declaration of the Emperor's majority on 23 July 1840.^[1]

The Ministry, dominated by conservatives since March 23 of 1841, adopted centralizing measures which resulted in intense agitation from Liberals. But having undertaken the difficult step of the 'return', with the finalization of the laws of the November 9 and December 3, 1841, the Government did not intend to lose the game, because it had the upper hand. However, there was dissent stirring, for in May 1842 the Liberals would take over the House. To dismantle the political machine of the Liberals in São Paulo, the emperor dismissed Tobias de Aguiar and, after the short tenure of Melo Alvim, appointed José da Costa Carvalho, since Manuel Marques de Sousa, Count of Porto Alegre was a rich farmer identified with the Reactionaries.

In May 1842, the Liberals rebelled in the provinces of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais in retaliation for the Emperor's decision—on the advice of a Council of State dominated by Reactionaries—to call for new elections, annulling the previous election tainted by widespread fraud by the Liberal Party.^[2][3]

The Revolt in São Paulo

Tarquin quotes Manuel Marques de Sousa, Count of Porto Alegre: "They played the rebate church bells, met the City Council under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Colonel José Joaquim de Lacerda and after speeches and proclamations, Rafael Tobias de Aguiar was acclaimed acting president of the province." Tobias was sworn to "defend the Emperor and the Constitution until the last drop of his blood", named military commanders, dispatched emissaries, suspended the "law reform" and declared null and void acts performed under it.

Under his military command, he established the Liberating Column, with some 1,500 men, to march to São Paulo where they would overthrow the President of the Province, José da Costa Carvalho. Sorocaba was declared the provisional capital of the province, and was joined by several inland villages such as Itu, Itapeva, Porto Feliz, Itapetininga and Capivari.

The president (governor) of the province of Rio de Janeiro, Honório Hermeto,^[4] commanded the provincial National Guard, and traveled through the province to organize a response. On 1 July, he advanced with troops towards Ouro Preto, where, after defeating the rebels, he freed his father and uncle, who they had held captive.^[5]

He joined forces in Ouro Preto with Luís Alves de Lima e Silva (then-Baron and later Duke of Caxias), who commanded the National Guard of São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

The Revolt in Minas Gerais

In the Province of Minas Gerais, the revolt broke out June 10, 1842 in Barbacena, which was chosen to host the revolutionary government. José Feliciano Pinto Coelho da Cunha was named as interim president of the Province. On July 4 in Queluz (now Conselheiro Lafaiete), legal forces were beaten by the insurgents commanded by Col. Antonio Nunes Galvão. The rebels received new volunteers, especially from Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Santa Quiteria, Santa Barbara, Itabira, Caeté and Sahara.

Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, commander of the army, employed the same strategy used in São Paulo, taking the capital as quickly as possible, on August 6, 1842.

The rebels come out winners in Lagoa Santa, under the leadership of Teófilo Ottoni. However Caxias reunited forces and attacked Santa Luzia, ending the insurgency in the province. The Liberals became known as "luzias" because of the Santa Luzia battle.

The losers, among which were Teófilo Ottoni and Camilo Maria Ferreira Armond (count of Prados), were sent to prison in Ouro Preto and Barbacena.

End of the Revolt of 1842

The remaining rebels were easily defeated, and by late August, the uprisings had been quelled.^[6] Among the rebel leaders was the former regent, Diogo Antônio Feijó, who was arrested. He died shortly afterwards in 1843. As Honório Hermeto returned from Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro, he was welcomed with celebrations and demonstrations of joy by the authorities and populace of the districts he traversed.^[7]

Amnesty

Despite the armed conflict, in 1844 the Emperor granted amnesty to those involved. A liberal ministry was set up this year.

About the position of the Emperor, the historian 'John Ribeiro' (in: History of Brazil , St. Paul, 1935) says: " The Emperor, as a rule, granted general amnesty to the rebels, that is" the civil wars and revolts were only equivocations reparable with time and with the generosity of the government ""

Reactionaries become Partido da Ordem

To distinguish itself from what the Reactionaries perceived as the "unruly" Liberals, sometime around 1843 (and certainly by 1844), the Reactionary Party became known as the Partido da Ordem (Party of Order) and its members as saquaremas.^[8] The saquarema ideology encompassed liberalism, preservation of the authority of the state, and support for representative parliamentary monarchy.^[9]

References

Bibliography

• MARINHO, José Antônio. História do Movimento Político (...) de Minas Gerais. Rio de Janeiro: 1844.
• O combate de Venda Grande
• História da Polícia Militar do Districto Federal - Vol I (1809-1889) editora da Polícia Militar, Rio de Janeiro, 1925
• Ribeiro, João. Historia do Brasil:1901
• Barman, Roderick J. (1999). Citizen Emperor: Pedro II and the Making of Brazil, 1825–1891. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3510-0.
• Needell, Jeffrey D. (2006). The Party of Order: the Conservatives, the State, and Slavery in the Brazilian Monarchy, 1831–1871. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-5369-2.