Inconfidence means the lack of fidelity or loyalty to someone, especially the State or a representative of a sovereignty.
A disloyal person, that is, who is involved in an action or movement of distrust, is considered a traitor and disloyal, as he reveals a secret that was entrusted to him, for example.
Following the etymological sense of the word, members of the inconfidence can also be heretics in the eyes of the Church, as they are considered people without faith.
Some movements classified as inconfidentes were registered in Brazil, the main ones being the Inconfidência Mineira and Baiana.
However, there are several differences among historians about the proper use of the word "inconfidence" in these movements.
Minas inconfidence
The Inconfidencia Mineira (or Conjuração Mineira) is the name given to a movement in opposition to the Portuguese Crown's domination at the time of Brazil Colony, in 1789.
The trigger for this revolt would have been the implementation of abusive tax collection measures by the Portuguese Crown during the crisis in the gold cycle, such as the "spill".
The "Derrama" consisted of another type of tax, in which each exploration region had to deliver to the Portuguese metropolis about 1,500 kilos of gold per year. In case they did not reach this minimum objective, soldiers of the Portuguese Crown invaded all the houses of that community and collected the families' goods until the amount due was met.
Revolted by these abusive measures, bourgeois families and members of the Brazilian elite, such as intellectuals, farmers and mine owners, based on the ideals of the Enlightenment, met to articulate ideas that could guarantee a solution to this problem: the independence of Brazil.
Learn more about the meaning of Enlightenment.
The main representative of the revolt movement was the Inconfidência Mineira was Lieutenant Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes. Among other prominent names that belonged to the group were the poets Tomas Antônio Gonzaga and Claudio Manuel da Costa.
Tiradentes was hanged and dismembered, with the pieces of his body scattered across several corners of Minas Gerais, serving as a lesson so that the Inconfidência Mineira did not gain more strength. With this episode, the movement for independence in the state of Minas Gerais came to an end.
The most accepted nomenclature for this movement, however, would be Mining Conjuration. Unlike the sense of inconfidence, which means "infidelity" or "disloyalty", the conspiracy means "conspiracy against the State".
From the point of view of Brazilians who wanted independence, the movement was not about disloyalty to the Portuguese Crown, but rather a revolt and conspiracy against the Portuguese State.
Bahia inconfidence
The Bahia Inconfidencia, also known as Bahia Conjuration or Tailors' Revolt, was a popular revolt movement that took place in Bahia in 1798.
The main objective of the Conjuração Baiana was to guarantee the emancipation of Brazil from the Portuguese Crown, in addition to social and political changes in the structure of society at the time.
The population demanded better prices and access to basic food, as well as security and better wage and tax conditions.
As happened in the Inconfidência Mineira, the Bahians were guided by the same ideals of equality, freedom and fraternity that were taught by the Enlightenment in the French Revolution.
The main representatives of this movement were the tailors Manuel Faustino dos Santos and João de Deus Nascimento, who were sentenced to be hanged and had their bodies dismembered.
