Contrary to what many come to imagine, Brazil's proclamation of independence was not celebrated by all the provinces that received the news. After the proclamation, Emperor Dom Pedro I had great work to contain the various revolts that took place against the independence process. However, how could it be possible that in some regions of the country colonial ties were defended in such a way?
To resolve this issue, we must report to the government of D. João VI (1808 - 1822), marked by a series of measures that granted privileges and rights to Brazilian subjects. Concerned with such action, the parliamentarians of the Portuguese Cortes decided to curb this autonomist feeling sponsored by the Portuguese monarch. In this way, Portuguese politicians demanded the king's return to Portugal and placed the government of the provinces under the direct control of the Portuguese.
When Brazil declared its independence, the governments and troops of some provinces were led to express their unconditional loyalty to the Portuguese government. In Bahia, a violent conflict broke out between September 7, 1822 and July 2, 1823. In the region of Grão-Pará, the resistance against imperial domination ended up leaving around 1300 dead, a portion of which being suffocated in the hold of ships captured by Dom's forces. Peter I.
The victory of the Brazilian government in Bahia was of fundamental importance so that other smaller uprisings were also quelled. In the provinces of Maranhão, Piauí, Alagoas, Sergipe and Ceará there were other attempts at resistance that failed to actually threaten the established order. In addition, residents of Cisplatina, now Uruguay, also saw the transition as an opportunity to get rid of Brazilian judgment.
To obtain so many military victories in national territory, Dom Pedro I was not in a position to organize an army that could fulfill all these expedients. Not by chance, our first emperor resorted to financial help from England and hired the services of English mercenaries who played an important role in these conflicts. Among the main British names to be highlighted in the wars of independence, we can mention John Pascoe Grenfell and Lord Cochrane.
When analyzing the importance of this event, we can note that the possibility of forming an autonomous nation was not positively responded to throughout the national territory. At the same time, the British participation highlighted another episode in which England sought to guarantee its economic interests in Brazilian territory. At the end of the conflict, Dom Pedro I contracted an enormous debt that, once again, consolidated the relationship of economic dependence between Brazil and England.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Brazil School Team
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Independence of Brazil
Independence Anthem
Dom Pedro
The organization of Brazil's independence
Wars of Independence
16th to 19th century - wars - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/guerra-independencia-brasil.htm