THE RevolutionLiberalofHarbor it was a military uprising that took place in 1820 and was supported by the elites of Portugal. It happened because of the political and economic crisis that the country was facing with the transfer of the Court to Brazil. The Cortes demanded the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Portugal.
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Background
The Liberal Revolution in Porto was the result of the political, economic and social situation in Portugal. The country was going through troubled times because of the events related to the Napoleonic period. It all started when the French decided to impose a blockade to prevent trade with England, the Continental Lock.
![The fact of d. João VI being in Rio de Janeiro displeased the Portuguese elites.[1]](/f/b66ebea936b32f9db6da5488cb92aae9.jpg)
With this block, Napoleon Bonaparte it forbade all European kingdoms to trade with England, and this was a great concern for the Portuguese because England was their great economic partner. In 1807, the Regent of Portugal,
d. João VI, had to decide between accepting French pressure or irritating his English ally.The solution found by Portugal was not to comply with the Continental Blockade, and d. João VI, to avoid French reprisal, fled to Brazil with the entire Portuguese Court. So, in November 1807, d. João VI and thousands of people moved to the colony, beginning the period that became known in Brazilian history as Joanino.
D. João VI and the Portuguese Court arrived in Brazil in February 1808. During this period, Brazil underwent profound changes that included the opening of ports to friendly nations, in 1808, putting an end to centuries of commercial monopoly; and the raising Brazil to the status of kingdom in 1815, placing it on an equal footing with Portugal.
Portugal, in turn, saw its territory being invaded by French troops who were only definitively expelled in 1810. After that, English troops were stationed in Portugal, the Portuguese army was under the command of the English, and the government of Portugal was also in English hands as regent (d. João VI) was in Brazil.
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Causes
While Brazil was going through profound changes, Portugal was going through difficult times. The Portuguese bourgeoisie saw its situation change radically with the end of commercial monopoly with Brazil and with the 1810 Treaties, which provided ideal conditions for England to trade with the colony.
The situation of the Portuguese economy after the expulsion of the French was not good, and historians Lilia Schwarcz and Heloísa Starling claim that the country faced a serious agricultural crisis, their coffers were empty, the inflation increased and the amount of credit available to the country decreased more and more|1|.
This scenario of serious economic crisis strengthened the proposal that, in order to solve Portugal's financial problems, it was necessary to reverse the changes that were underway in Brazil. In practice, Portuguese elites defended the need for recolonizeOBrazil so that the exploration of the colony would yield the necessary sums to recover the Portuguese economy.
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Politically, Portugal was also in a delicate situation, as the royal family no longer resided in the country and the Portuguese territory was under the control of troops sent by England and governed by an English military called WilliamCarrBeresford. Thus, while Brazil grew and prospered, Portugal was experiencing difficult times in its economy and politics.
This entire context kept a number of groups in Portuguese society dissatisfied. The bourgeoisie saw its interests harmed by the end of the commercial monopoly and the economic crisis, the nobility saw its privileges weakened with the Crown installed in Rio de Janeiro, and the military saw its power below authority English.
To reverse this situation, began to gain strength in Portugal idealsliberals, who defended the elaboration of a Constitution, the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, the expulsion of the British and the recolonization of Brazil. This caused, among the bourgeoisie, the military and the nobility, political movements began to meet secretly to promote changes in the country.
In 1817, a movement led by the military took place and became known as ConspiracyinLisbon. This conspiracy had liberal inspiration and was unsuccessful, with its leader, General Gomes Freire de Andrade, executed by order of William Beresford. The repression of those involved in this conspiracy caused revolt in Portugal and showed that a strong dissatisfaction hovered in Portuguese society.
Porto Liberal Revolution
From 1818 onwards, a secret organization called Sanhedrin was created, and several of its members were linked to Freemasonry. Its members met to debate possibilities to end Beresford's regency and establish a constitutional monarchy in Portugal.
The Liberal Revolution in Porto was planned by the members of the Sanhedrin and was strongly influenced by other liberal revolutions that took place in European countries. The Sanhedrin managed to align itself with the Portuguese military, and, in August 24, 1820, the Portuguese military started the movement.
The revolution started in the city of Harbor, in the north of Portugal. There, the military occupied the City Council, forming the Provisional Board of the Supreme Government of the Kingdom. This board presented its objectives to the nation in a document called Manifesto da Nação Portuguesa to the Sovereigns and Peoples of Europe, and, in addition to the military, received the support of the bourgeoisie, the clergy and the nobility Portuguese.
The movement spread across Portugal and reached Lisbon, causing the Porto board to merge with a board formed in Lisbon. The motto of the liberals who had rebelled in Portugal was to promote the “regeneration” of the country, that is, to guarantee the economic freedom and the independence of the country through a constitutional monarchy.
As a result of this revolution, the Extraordinary General and Constituent Courts of the NationPortuguese, which aimed to fulfill the first major objective of the Portuguese liberals: to draw up a Constitution for Portugal. The elaboration of a Letter would be the confirmation of the end of the absolutism and from subjection to royal power.
The work of the Cortes in drafting a Constitution for Portugal only began in January 1821, and during this period, the adoption of the Constitution promulgated in Spain in 1812.
Others requirements that came to be made by the Portuguese in the Liberal Revolution were:
- The return of the king d. João VI to Lisbon as a way to centralize the Portuguese empire again in Portugal;
- Let the king swear obedience to the Constitution;
- Recolonize Brazil in order to promote the economic recovery of Portugal based on the exploitation of the colony.
The news of the beginning of the Liberal Revolution in Porto took about 40 days to reach Brazil, but its impacts on our country were not small. The king d. João VI, cornered by events, agreed to return to Portugal.
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Consequences
In practice, the Liberal Revolution in Porto promoted policy changes in Portugal in a forced way. The constitutional monarchy was adopted when the Constitution of 1822 was promulgated, and with it, the power of d. John VI was drastically reduced. Furthermore, individual liberties that were part of the liberal thought of the time were adopted.
From a Portuguese point of view, the Liberal Revolution in Porto was harmful, since the pressure of the Portuguese bourgeoisie for the recolonization of Brazil contributed for the relations between Brazil and Portugal to be shaken. The dissatisfaction established here by the Portuguese attempts at recolonization resulted in the movement for our independence, consummated in September 1822.
Grades
|1| SCHWARCZ, Lilia Moritz and STARLING, Heloísa Murgel. Brazil: a biography. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2015. P. 201.
Image credits:
[1] StockPhotosArt and Shutterstock
By Daniel Neves
History teacher
