As today marks my two year anniversary on this forum, I thought I'd celebrate by posting the introductory part of a timeline I'd been working on intermittently - just in case anyone felt like reading. It focuses on the evolution of a much stronger and longer lasting Empire of Brazil, but I’ve only been working on it sparingly so warning – slow updates! Let me know what you guys think.
The Ashes of Empire
A Detailed Analysis of the History of the Empire of Brazil
May 5th, 1997
Prologue: Rise of the Phoenix
The Old World, with its commanding empires and pompous statesmen, opulent courts and squabbling nobles, religious passions and strange philosophies, was abruptly shattered by the Napoleonic Wars, which would forever alter the globe. Their aftermath illuminated the crumbling of many empires, but it is perhaps that of the Portuguese that is most remarkable, for out of the ashes of this great empire would come a new superpower, Brazil.
Within Portugal, great loss of life and property had resulted from the destruction wrought by the three successive French invasions of the war and the scorched earth policy of War Minister Dom Miguel Pereira Forjaz, which had aimed to repel them. Farms, industries and infrastructure had been destroyed or greatly damaged, while the economy had been made to suffer further through the removal of the Portuguese trade monopoly upon Brazil, which freed the colony to conduct commerce with other nations. The result was an unemployed, destitute population, plagued by rampant crime and corruption and devastated by the severe drought and poor harvest of 1816-17. Perhaps these factors alone would not have resulted in the Summer Revolution, which ultimately dismembered the Empire, however, the military operations of João VI, which resulted in the conquest of Montevideo and the submission of Spanish Uruguay, had greatly angered Ferdinand VII of Spain, and prompted him to react. Then too, the constitutional thinking which had already fractured the Spanish and British Empires had captured the minds of many dissatisfied with the current order and would add to the growing threat of revolution. Perhaps the most significant cause of the uprising, however, was the dispute between the four Governors who controlled Portugal in the absence of the monarchy, and the commander of the army, William Carr Beresford, a British statesmen held in high esteem by the Portuguese king. This intergovernmental conflict was likely the ultimate source of the revolution, as neither the dissent of the poor, nor the meddling of republican philosophers and the Spanish king could have resulted in the chaos which would later engulf the country.
The origins of the June Revolution can be found almost two years previous, in 1815 and 1816, when the conflict between Beresford and the Governors first began to escalate and tensions between Portugal and the Spanish Crown had reached new heights over the capture of Montevideo. As Beresford controlled the Portuguese Army and was in constant conflict with the Governors over the amount of wealth used to outfit it, he was perceived as a meddlesome foreigner by the Regency Government, but his possession of the trust of the Portuguese king made him dangerous. Beresford would frequently sidestep the authority of the Governors, reporting directly to the king and exercising royal orders without the involvement of the European government. His loyalty gave him an immense amount of power and he quickly became one of João VI’s closest advisors. Obviously, thought dissidents, this foreign intervention in government was a symbol of the monarchy’s decline, which was further emphasized by the refusal of the Braganzas to return to Portugal from Brazil. Dissenters reached one conclusion, Beresford, his foreign government, and the Portuguese Monarchy had to be destroyed. As the plot gradually took shape, willing allies were found in Ferdinand VII, who possessed motivation of his own, as well as the unhappy members of the middle and lower classes, whose wartime poverty had not been alleviated by the bumbling government. By the winter of 1816-17, when such environmental factors as the drought and famine increased internal hostility, the plot of revolution had matured. Portugal would never be the same.
When an important Spanish General by the name of Francisco Xaview Cabanes slipped into Lisbon disguised as a merchant and met with several of the revolution’s chief architects in March of 1817, the final preparations of the scheme were underway. Information regarding these meetings is quite sparse, though it is known that a certain General Gomes Freire de Andrade, the leader of the Freemasons within Portugal, was present, as was at least one of the Governors and many other members of the Portuguese Regency Government. In any case, it is likely that Cabanes was sent to approve the plan in its current stage, as well as to organize the final necessary preparations and begin the transfer of Spanish gold and arms which is almost certain to have taken place. This apparent agreement and harmony between the conspirators, however, was merely a facade, for the plan itself was deeply factionalized. Whereas the majority of the revolutionaries merely desired the installment of a just, fair government, the Governors and other members of the Regency Government desired increased control and power over the Empire and the installment of the Duke of Cadaval as king. The Spanish by contrast, yearned for the complete overthrow of the Portuguese Government, and perhaps the vassalation of European Portugal. For these reasons, Spanish involvement was kept secret, and known only to the few, as it is likely that most of the conspirators would have objected to a rebellion which aimed to subject their nation to Spain. As such, Spanish activity before the Summer Revolution was limited to the movement of troops to Portugal’s frontiers, and the supplying of arms and money. In the months leading up to June 5th 1817 (for the Revolution was planned to have been implemented on Corpus Christi), a relative period of peace had settled over the Portuguese Empire, but on that night, all would change.
POD: William Carr Beresford is not alerted to the growing threat of revolution within European Portugal, as either his informer is killed or else threatened into silence and, as a result, Portugal experiences a violent and destructive uprising in June of 1817.
The June Revolution is a shining example of organization and training, for the degree to which the lower classes were prepared is truly remarkable when one considers that the Portuguese Government had taken no notice of the revolt until well after it had begun. Starting at sundown on the 5th of June, 1817, numerous conspirators moved to various strategic locations around Lisbon, from which they would be able to effectively halt government operations within the city. Then, perhaps around 9:00 PM, when Beresford, the Governors and various other high ranking members of the Portuguese Regency Government had retired to their private quarters, a captain of the Marshal’s Guard stationed within the courtyard of Beresford’s house created a large distraction, the exact details of which remain unknown. This was designed to lure Beresford from his mansion; however, though Beresford did exit his house to investigate the commotion, he did so in the presence of an aid. In the darkness, the guardsmen confused the two and dispatched the aid instead of Beresford, enabling the latter to slip away. This minor mistake aside, the revolution proceeded as planned, as Beresford’s house was set ablaze, the predetermined signal for the beginning of the general uprising.
As the flames rose into the warm, summer air, illuminating the skyline, the revolution, which was more of a sack than liberation, commenced. Bands of conspirators left their hiding places and swarmed throughout the city, attacking the homes and offices of the rich and powerful. Noteworthy members of the government, the nobility and the business class were killed, or else imprisoned by the partisans while their homes and possessions were burned and looted. As the first few hours passed and the city awakened to the war raging within it, the anarchic crowds grew larger, fed by dissatisfied townsmen and members of the army. Concurrently to this, sparks from the burning buildings had drifted in the night air, igniting other, adjacent buildings as the fire spread. This unchecked destruction continued throughout the night as the population streamed from the city, or else participated in the rioting. It was not until the morning that the original architects of the revolution were able to reassume control over the weary conspirators, but by this point the former government had been destroyed, the elites purged and public offices seized, and amidst the smoke, a new constitution proclaimed. The Duke of Cadaval, Nuno Caetano A. Pereira de Mello, was summoned to the capital to assume his position as the new leader of the Portuguese Empire, while the power of the Braganza Monarchy and William Carr Beresford were declared defunct.
A similar course of events transpired in the countryside, as subversive agents in the provinces proceeded to ensure the success of the revolution there as well. Discontented peasants rallied to the cause of overthrowing a government they felt was ignoring them, however, these were hindered by disorganization and inexperience. Here, they were aided by the Spanish who, upon hearing of the success of the revolution, officially “moved in to restore order,” while really conducting a series of raids upon provincial government agencies. These quickly capitulated as, with the fall of Lisbon, the remnants of Imperial government had become ineffective and disjointed. Perhaps the only real remaining opponents of the revolutionaries were Beresford and his officers, who had managed to escape from Lisbon in the early hours of the revolution and had since assembled a small army of loyal monarchists and Englishmen from Lisbon and the surrounding area (the vast majority of the former Portuguese Army had either disbanded following the governmental collapse or else joined the revolution). Though he was able to easily defeat the disorganized rabble of the revolution, however, Beresford’s poorly supplied, makeshift army was no match for the Spanish, who soon overwhelmed him and forced him to retreat. Lisbon, and Portugal, had fallen. Within two weeks, a seemingly powerful empire had torn itself apart, and as the days continued to pass, the new state which emerged would prove to be fanatically republican and dominated by the shadow of nearby Spain.
Within Portugal, great loss of life and property had resulted from the destruction wrought by the three successive French invasions of the war and the scorched earth policy of War Minister Dom Miguel Pereira Forjaz, which had aimed to repel them. Farms, industries and infrastructure had been destroyed or greatly damaged, while the economy had been made to suffer further through the removal of the Portuguese trade monopoly upon Brazil, which freed the colony to conduct commerce with other nations. The result was an unemployed, destitute population, plagued by rampant crime and corruption and devastated by the severe drought and poor harvest of 1816-17. Perhaps these factors alone would not have resulted in the Summer Revolution, which ultimately dismembered the Empire, however, the military operations of João VI, which resulted in the conquest of Montevideo and the submission of Spanish Uruguay, had greatly angered Ferdinand VII of Spain, and prompted him to react. Then too, the constitutional thinking which had already fractured the Spanish and British Empires had captured the minds of many dissatisfied with the current order and would add to the growing threat of revolution. Perhaps the most significant cause of the uprising, however, was the dispute between the four Governors who controlled Portugal in the absence of the monarchy, and the commander of the army, William Carr Beresford, a British statesmen held in high esteem by the Portuguese king. This intergovernmental conflict was likely the ultimate source of the revolution, as neither the dissent of the poor, nor the meddling of republican philosophers and the Spanish king could have resulted in the chaos which would later engulf the country.
The origins of the June Revolution can be found almost two years previous, in 1815 and 1816, when the conflict between Beresford and the Governors first began to escalate and tensions between Portugal and the Spanish Crown had reached new heights over the capture of Montevideo. As Beresford controlled the Portuguese Army and was in constant conflict with the Governors over the amount of wealth used to outfit it, he was perceived as a meddlesome foreigner by the Regency Government, but his possession of the trust of the Portuguese king made him dangerous. Beresford would frequently sidestep the authority of the Governors, reporting directly to the king and exercising royal orders without the involvement of the European government. His loyalty gave him an immense amount of power and he quickly became one of João VI’s closest advisors. Obviously, thought dissidents, this foreign intervention in government was a symbol of the monarchy’s decline, which was further emphasized by the refusal of the Braganzas to return to Portugal from Brazil. Dissenters reached one conclusion, Beresford, his foreign government, and the Portuguese Monarchy had to be destroyed. As the plot gradually took shape, willing allies were found in Ferdinand VII, who possessed motivation of his own, as well as the unhappy members of the middle and lower classes, whose wartime poverty had not been alleviated by the bumbling government. By the winter of 1816-17, when such environmental factors as the drought and famine increased internal hostility, the plot of revolution had matured. Portugal would never be the same.
When an important Spanish General by the name of Francisco Xaview Cabanes slipped into Lisbon disguised as a merchant and met with several of the revolution’s chief architects in March of 1817, the final preparations of the scheme were underway. Information regarding these meetings is quite sparse, though it is known that a certain General Gomes Freire de Andrade, the leader of the Freemasons within Portugal, was present, as was at least one of the Governors and many other members of the Portuguese Regency Government. In any case, it is likely that Cabanes was sent to approve the plan in its current stage, as well as to organize the final necessary preparations and begin the transfer of Spanish gold and arms which is almost certain to have taken place. This apparent agreement and harmony between the conspirators, however, was merely a facade, for the plan itself was deeply factionalized. Whereas the majority of the revolutionaries merely desired the installment of a just, fair government, the Governors and other members of the Regency Government desired increased control and power over the Empire and the installment of the Duke of Cadaval as king. The Spanish by contrast, yearned for the complete overthrow of the Portuguese Government, and perhaps the vassalation of European Portugal. For these reasons, Spanish involvement was kept secret, and known only to the few, as it is likely that most of the conspirators would have objected to a rebellion which aimed to subject their nation to Spain. As such, Spanish activity before the Summer Revolution was limited to the movement of troops to Portugal’s frontiers, and the supplying of arms and money. In the months leading up to June 5th 1817 (for the Revolution was planned to have been implemented on Corpus Christi), a relative period of peace had settled over the Portuguese Empire, but on that night, all would change.
POD: William Carr Beresford is not alerted to the growing threat of revolution within European Portugal, as either his informer is killed or else threatened into silence and, as a result, Portugal experiences a violent and destructive uprising in June of 1817.
The June Revolution is a shining example of organization and training, for the degree to which the lower classes were prepared is truly remarkable when one considers that the Portuguese Government had taken no notice of the revolt until well after it had begun. Starting at sundown on the 5th of June, 1817, numerous conspirators moved to various strategic locations around Lisbon, from which they would be able to effectively halt government operations within the city. Then, perhaps around 9:00 PM, when Beresford, the Governors and various other high ranking members of the Portuguese Regency Government had retired to their private quarters, a captain of the Marshal’s Guard stationed within the courtyard of Beresford’s house created a large distraction, the exact details of which remain unknown. This was designed to lure Beresford from his mansion; however, though Beresford did exit his house to investigate the commotion, he did so in the presence of an aid. In the darkness, the guardsmen confused the two and dispatched the aid instead of Beresford, enabling the latter to slip away. This minor mistake aside, the revolution proceeded as planned, as Beresford’s house was set ablaze, the predetermined signal for the beginning of the general uprising.
As the flames rose into the warm, summer air, illuminating the skyline, the revolution, which was more of a sack than liberation, commenced. Bands of conspirators left their hiding places and swarmed throughout the city, attacking the homes and offices of the rich and powerful. Noteworthy members of the government, the nobility and the business class were killed, or else imprisoned by the partisans while their homes and possessions were burned and looted. As the first few hours passed and the city awakened to the war raging within it, the anarchic crowds grew larger, fed by dissatisfied townsmen and members of the army. Concurrently to this, sparks from the burning buildings had drifted in the night air, igniting other, adjacent buildings as the fire spread. This unchecked destruction continued throughout the night as the population streamed from the city, or else participated in the rioting. It was not until the morning that the original architects of the revolution were able to reassume control over the weary conspirators, but by this point the former government had been destroyed, the elites purged and public offices seized, and amidst the smoke, a new constitution proclaimed. The Duke of Cadaval, Nuno Caetano A. Pereira de Mello, was summoned to the capital to assume his position as the new leader of the Portuguese Empire, while the power of the Braganza Monarchy and William Carr Beresford were declared defunct.
A similar course of events transpired in the countryside, as subversive agents in the provinces proceeded to ensure the success of the revolution there as well. Discontented peasants rallied to the cause of overthrowing a government they felt was ignoring them, however, these were hindered by disorganization and inexperience. Here, they were aided by the Spanish who, upon hearing of the success of the revolution, officially “moved in to restore order,” while really conducting a series of raids upon provincial government agencies. These quickly capitulated as, with the fall of Lisbon, the remnants of Imperial government had become ineffective and disjointed. Perhaps the only real remaining opponents of the revolutionaries were Beresford and his officers, who had managed to escape from Lisbon in the early hours of the revolution and had since assembled a small army of loyal monarchists and Englishmen from Lisbon and the surrounding area (the vast majority of the former Portuguese Army had either disbanded following the governmental collapse or else joined the revolution). Though he was able to easily defeat the disorganized rabble of the revolution, however, Beresford’s poorly supplied, makeshift army was no match for the Spanish, who soon overwhelmed him and forced him to retreat. Lisbon, and Portugal, had fallen. Within two weeks, a seemingly powerful empire had torn itself apart, and as the days continued to pass, the new state which emerged would prove to be fanatically republican and dominated by the shadow of nearby Spain.