THE Warofcontested it was a conflict that took place in Brazil between 1912 and 1916, causing around 10 thousand deaths. It took place in a region that was disputed by the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina and was motivated by the political and social dissatisfaction of the population and by a religious element, messianism.
Accessalso: The Rio de Janeiro population's revolt against the vaccine in 1904
Contested War Summary
The Contestado War took place between 1912 and 1916, in a region disputed by the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina.
There was great social dissatisfaction with the performance of two foreign companies operating in the region.
The backland population started to follow a religious leader named José Maria.
The formation of cities by the backlands followers of José Maria led to an armed reaction from Paraná and Santa Catarina.
In 1916, the sertanejos were defeated, messianism weakened and the boundaries between the states were defined.
Context of the Contested War
The Contestado War was an event from the beginning of the 20th century and one of the messianic manifestations of the period of
First Republic. This event was due to the junction of messianismreligious, which exploited the faith of the population, with dissatisfaction popular with the economic and social situation of the country.The conflict takes its name because it happened in a region that was contested by Paraná and Santa Catarina, that is, the two states vied for control of it. This region witnessed the worsening of the situation of the population, mainly due to the interests of the government and foreign capital.
In the 20th century, a project was developed to constructioninanrailroad that would link São Paulo to Rio Grande (do Sul). This project was delivered to the Brazil Railway Company, a company that belonged to Percivalfarquhar. During the passage of the railway through the Contestado region, a 15-kilometer strip of land was given to the company.
For the railroad to be built, all residents who lived within this 15-kilometer strip were expropriated from their land. THE expropriation of residents The region was expanded when Southern Brazil Lumber & Colonization took over the lands outside the railroad. This company would exploit the region's wood and mate herb.
The dissatisfaction of the local population was controlled by the jobs that the Brazil Railway brought to the region, but the completion of the works, in 1910, meant that a large number of workers were fired. As a result, a considerable amount of people had lost their land to the two companies, and now there were no jobs either.
Accessalso: The revolt of Brazilian sailors in 1911
Messianism in the Contested War
Popular dissatisfaction made room for JosephMary, a self-declared monk, could act in the region. José Maria settled in the Contestado region and became a kind of religious leader. He asserted that the world was near its end, gave advice, acted as a healer and promised the salvation of people.
José Maria led the formation of a community, which began to organize itself. This community was joined by many of the workers harmed by the construction of the railway, and, in addition to the religious element, it was also marked by its military organization and by the adherence to royalist ideals.
José Maria was deeply critical of the republic, defending the monarchism and he even chose an emperor from the community he created and became known as Quadro Santo (it was located in Taquaruçu, near Curitibanos). The formation of an armed community that defended the monarchy and elected an emperor was seen by the authorities of Paraná and Santa Catarina, in addition to the colonels of the region, as a great threat.
Main events of the Contestado War
The war began when the Paraná authorities carried out an attack against the followers of José Maria. The agglomeration of José Maria, which was close to Curitibanos, and the number of followers attracted the attention of the local authorities, to the point that a police expedition would be carried out to disperse the group of followers of the monk.
José Maria became aware of the military action of the people of Santa Catarina and then decided to flee to irani, near Palmas. This city was part of the region that was in dispute between Santa Catarina and Paraná, and the arrival of José Maria and her followers were seen by the Paraná authorities as an action by Santa Catarina to occupy the region.
This caused a police force from Paraná to be sent to expel the invaders. In this confrontation, 11 country people died, one of whom was the monk José Maria. The attack caused the group to disperse temporarily, but in 1913, backlanders inspired by the memory of José Maria began to meet again.
The rebirth of messianism in the region took place under the influence of an 11-year-old girl, who said she had dreams of José Maria. The messages broadcast by this girl, called Theodora, caused the movement to regain its strength, and this caused several "citiessaints” were built.
The biggest city of the sertanejos who considered themselves followers of José Maria was SantaMary, which had about 25 thousand inhabitants. They all believed that Joseph Maria would resurrect at some point.
The demands of the sertanejos demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the performance of local colonels as well as with the influence of foreign capital in the region. The growth of the movement made the governors of Santa Catarina and Paraná start a real war against the backlanders adepts of messianic ideals and residents of the so-called “cities saints”.
Military troops with hundreds of men were sent to the Contestado region. These soldiers were armed with heavy weapons such as artillery and machine guns. Even planes were used in the campaign against the sertanejos. There was strong resistance, but in the end the strength of government troops prevailed.
Accessalso: The culture of Brazil during the First Republic
End of the Contested War
The conflict lasted until 1916, with large military campaigns being carried out in the region. The messianic movement was destroyed through government repression, and its leaders were arrested. The end of the conflict also marked the end of the territorial dispute waged by Santa Catarina and Paraná, and thus the limits of the two states were determined. It is estimated that about 10 thousand people have died in the Contestado War.
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