Tiradentes was quartered after being sentenced to death for his role in the Inconfidência Mineira, a conspiracy organized by the elite of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais against Portuguese colonial control. The miners were dissatisfied with Portugal's fiscal policy, wanting to break free from Portuguese rule to establish a republic.
An amateur and military dentist, Tiradentes acted as a propagandist for the Inconfidência and was arrested in Rio de Janeiro, after being denounced by Joaquim Silvério dos Reis, in May 1789. He remained imprisoned for three years before being sentenced to death by hanging. He had his body dismembered by the Portuguese colonial authorities.
Read too: Is Tiradentes Day a public holiday in Brazil?
Summary
Tiradentes was a military man who participated in the Inconfidência Mineira.
The miners were dissatisfied with Portugal's fiscal policy, wishing to gain their independence to transform the captaincy into a republic.
Tiradentes was the propagandist of Inconfidência, being responsible for gaining supporters.
He was arrested in Rio de Janeiro after being denounced by Joaquim Silvério dos Reis.
He was killed by hanging and had his body dismembered.
The dismemberment of Tiradentes conveyed to the population the message of how dangerous it was to rebel against Portugal.
Tiradentes: the only inconfidente killed and quartered
Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier, better known as Tiradentes, was an important character in Brazilian history. He became known for being a soldier who participatesor of Inconfidência Mineira, conspiracy carried out by the elite of Minas Gerais against the Portuguese authorities during the colonial period.
Tiradentes had risen to the position of ensign in the Royal Mine Dragon Cavalry. This position was relatively low in the military hierarchy. In addition, he was appointed to command the troops that monitored the Caminho Novo, the road that connected Vila Rica to Rio de Janeiro.
He became this well-known personality in Brazilian history because he ended up being the only involved with the Inconfidência Mineira to be executed for his participation in the conspiracy. With the proclamation of the Republic, he came to be seen as a great national hero, because was considered an icon of the republican struggle in Brazil.
Inconfidência Mineira and what motivated the death of Tiradentes
The Inconfidência Mineira was a conspiracy organized by the elite of Minas Gerais against Portuguese colonial rule between the years 1788 and 1789. This conspiracy had as its great motivation the dissatisfaction of this elite against the fiscal policy imposed by the Portuguese Crown.
The Captaincy of Minas Gerais was required to pay the fifth, a tax who charged 20% of all the gold mined in the region, and to fulfill an annual donation quota of 1500 kilos of gold to the Crown. It turns out that in the second half of the 18th century, gold began to run out, but Portugal's tax policy was not relaxed.
Therefore, the mining elite of the captaincy accumulated a high debt with the colony. To recover the amount owed, Portugal decided to nominate the Viscount of Barbacena to be the new governor of the captaincy. His nomination came with the indication of holding a pour.
The spill was a compulsory tax that was levied on the entire population of Minas Gerais. The population was obliged to pay for the debt through any object of value. This nomination and the spill made the conspiracy started.
This conspiracy brought together the elite of Minas Gerais, the group most dissatisfied with Portuguese rule, and also with the participation of Tiradentes. The interest of this elite was to conquer the independence of Minas Gerais, establishing a constitutional republic. The inconfidentes, as they are known, were inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment and had as a model of action the struggle of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution.
The movement was nothing more than a conspiracy, because one of its participants, Joaquim Silvério dos Reis, denounced the movement to the Portuguese authorities. He wanted his debts forgiven in exchange for the denouncement. The Viscount of Barbacena suspended the pour It isit started à arrest of all involved.
→ Video lesson on Tiradentes and the Inconfidência Mineira
Sentence to death and quartering of Tiradentes
The denouncement of the conspiracy caused those involved to be arrested, including Tiradentes, arrested in Rio de Janeiro, in May 1789. Tiradentes' arrest was also the result of a complaint by Joaquim Silvério dos Reis, who reported the place where the second lieutenant was sheltering in the capital. With the arrest of Tiradentes and other inconfidentes, the probe (investigation) began.
This investigation lasted for three years, and during this period, it was found that Tiradentes acted as a propagandist for the conspiracy, seeking to gain supporters for the movement. Tiradentes he was the only one of those arrested not to deny his involvement, assuming that he altered the way he communicated to persuade the people he spoke to.
Tiradentes was noted for his good communication skills and for being a tenacious defender of the Inconfidência Mineira. With that, when the sentences were announced on April 18, 1792, Tiradentes was one of those sentenced to death. The Portuguese Crown, in turn, used this case to promote a great spectacle, and the sentence alone lasted 18 hours.
Days later came a real pardon, issuing by D. Maria, queen of Portugal. The pardon reduced the sentence of all those condemned to death to prison or banishment. just a pity of death was maintained: that of Tiradentes. With that, the alfares was killed by hanging and quartered in April 21, 1792. Tiradentes' head was displayed on a stake in Vila Rica, and his body parts were scattered across the New Path.
Know more: José Bonifácio—important figure in Brazil's struggle for independence
Why was Tiradentes quartered?
Historians continually debate the motives for Tiradentes' execution. Firstly, it is important to point out that the whole show put on by Portugal had the objective of frightening people so that they would not rebel against the Portuguese authorities. Thus, the long sentence, the walk that Tiradentes took before his execution, the fact that his execution was public and the dismemberment of his body served as a one message for people not to challenge Portugal.
In the case of Tiradentes, the fact that his sentence was the only one upheld as a death penalty is explained by historians in several ways:
he was the only one of the inconfidentes who did not belong à elite economy of Minas Gerais;
he was the only one did not deny its involvement with the conspiracy did not even show regret;
he was the propagandist of the movement, that is, he had a very important role, which made him a figure to be punished;
.a traitor and he had been involved in a conspiracy against Portugal, so he was considered he was military
quartered tiradentes, by Pedro Americo
The martyrdom and transformation of the figure of Tiradentes into a hero were accompanied by initiatives that portrayed this character of our history in a way very similar to how Jesus was represented. This idea was popularized through the work of Brazilian artists, and one of the best-known artworks about Tiradentes, which incorporates this feature, was directed by Pedro Americo.
The work was created in 1893 and was initially called tortured tiradentes, but that name was not popular, and quartered tiradentes ended up being the name that popularized this work of art. It's a gigantic piece, which is over 2.50 meters tall. The work was not commissioned, being carried out by Pedro Américo on his own accord, as a result of the political events taking place in Brazil.
Immediately, the work did not have a good reception, because was considered very shocking for presenting the quartered body of Tiradentes. This work by Pedro Américo was inspired by Renaissance works and is currently on display in a museum in the city of Juiz de Fora, in Minas Gerais.
image credits
[1] Wikimedia Commons
[2] Wikimedia Commons
By Daniel Neves Silva
History teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/por-que-tiradentes-foi-esquartejado.htm
