Rebirth of an Empire "O Renascimento de um Império" v2.0

I could see New Zeeland be divided up in farms and other landed estates for agriculture, with wool and wheat cultivated there. And will Australia be explored too?

And, as for Congo (sorry for being late on the subject!), how is Rome reacting to a "schismatic" church expanding its influence on Catholic lands? And how much is Portugal going to follow the Congo river to explore?

Now for 20 century. What I can tell you is that Great War will be different so not even counting on WW2. The players will be different. Do we have to idea? No. Heck we could see lusophone against British Great War. ( before you ask, no not written or planned, was just saying anything is possible depending on who comes to power and how things evolve)

Will a Great War ever erupt there?
 

Gian

Banned
The Maori will be treated no differently then the natives of Amazon or other territories. Their survival unfortunately has more to do with their ability to resist new diseases due to their lack of exposure to European diseases than to how Portuguese treat them. As with all isolated people when exposed to European/Asian diseases their numbers can have major devastating affects. As documented in reports Native American population had a death rate of 50-80% due to disease, famine and wars. Iotl i believe that several tribes in new zealland were able get European weapons and that had a devastating impact on the local indigenous too.

Well, we already had two Maori tribes from Taranaki to utterly annihilate the Moriori with muskets in the 1830s IOTL so there's that.
 

Lusitania

Donor
I could see New Zeeland be divided up in farms and other landed estates for agriculture, with wool and wheat cultivated there. And will Australia be explored too?

And, as for Congo (sorry for being late on the subject!), how is Rome reacting to a "schismatic" church expanding its influence on Catholic lands? And how much is Portugal going to follow the Congo river to explore?

Will a Great War ever erupt there?

Welcome and there never is a late or wrong question, just a question. All are welcome especially from the new readers who may be playing catchup. Yes settlement will follow very similar to Cisplana with farms being allocated to settlers. As for Australia it was known at this time but is not within the Portuguese sphere of influence which the Portuguese tried to respect on the hope other countries respected ours.

Congo it will be a mixture of the new and old church the major difference will be that the new church will not be limited by Latin doctrine (more of that when we discuss the Religious developments) plus the promotion and inclusion of non-Europeans in the hierarchy of the church will go along way to provide the PCC with an advantage over the traditional church. There is also the fact the religious orders from outside the country have been expelled and new portuguese ones are arriving in their place.

The Roman Catholic Church cries foul at the expansion of the Portuguese empire / church but has little influence in areas of Portuguese control. The issue will be in adjacent lands where the Portuguese were one of the principle evangelical forces now being replaced by "New Portuguese Catholic Church". What is helping the Portuguese is that this is happening at the fringes of the Catholic church's reach and the number of Catholics (under the influence of the PCC) is growing at a much greater number than per the old ways including the inquisition. You know what they say easier to catch someone with honey than vinegar.

There will be a great war, exactly where and between whom is not revealed at this moment. The reasons for the great war are easily recreated, with growing nationalism in late 19th and early 20th century. overlapping and competing national interest coupled with alliances and mutual defense treaties. What is needed is simple a trigger that sets off the whole thing.
 

Lusitania

Donor
Well, we already had two Maori tribes from Taranaki to utterly annihilate the Moriori with muskets in the 1830s IOTL so there's that.
Yes I believe that the potential for that to happen will be too great. Although other alternatives to annihilation are available, I will be certain that loosing tribes maybe forced out the islands and since the Portuguese will have a mechanism to move and relocate people built up and still operating into the mid to late 19th century. Although its roles and power will change over time. While tragic the expulsion of certain tribes be more humane the death.
 

Lusitania

Donor
Will New Zealand have a lower population then otl? Also is any other great power threatentec by this
Sorry for delay in response but information was slow in gathering we had national figures but needed to delve into provincial archive for New Zealand specific information and the Department of Statistic while very rich in data is very slow in granting access to information.

Here is the information we received

Native​
Year----------Native Population------Lusophone​
1800 ------------89,000 Est ------------3,500
1820------------99,999Est-------------11,500
1840-------------71,000Est------------105,000
1860--------------49,985 --------------425,560
1880---------------52,589--------------898,805
1900------------69,801---------------1,506,923​

1) Note: due to mistake on my part when I filled out the request for information I only requested during the 19th century and will have to resubmit application for 20th century data.

2) Lusophone was classified as emigrants arriving from other parts of the empire. As with many provinces in the late 18th and the 19th century emigration was only be granted to people residing in the Empire for minimum period of 10 years at which time Lusophone residency and nationality could be obtained and freedom of travel received. Prior to that emigration while open to both Europeans and other nationalities the location they could emigrate to was controlled by Department of Security.

3) We can compare the data to iOTL where in 1900 the number of Europeans was close to 800,000 here the 1.5 million is mixture of European, Indian, African and Asian. The Native population did decrease but while iOTL the decline was more pronounced and by 1900 had started increasing it still not reached 50,000 here half the loses were actual relocation of about half a dozen tribes who were losers in the Native fight for supremacy during the first 30 years of Portuguese colonial administration. While remaining tribes grew stronger they soon faced unprecedented pressures on their lands by the increasing number of emigrants both settlers and mineral (gold) prospectors and miners like iotl.
 
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Sorry for delay in response but information was slow in gathering we had national figures but needed to delve into provincial archive for New Zealand specific information and the Department of Statistic while very rich in data is very slow in granting access to information.

Here is the information we received

Year Native Population Lusophone
1800 / 89,000Est / 3,500
1820 / 99,999Est / 11,500
1840 / 71,000Est / 105,000
1860 / 49,985 / 425,560
1880 / 52,589 / 898,805
1900 / 69,801 / 1,506,923

1) Note: due to mistake on my part when I filled out the request for information I only requested during the 19th century and will have to resubmit application for 20th century data.

2) Lusophone was classified as emigrants arriving from other parts of the empire. As with many provinces in the late 18th and the 19th century emigration was only be granted to people residing in the Empire for minimum period of 10 years at which time Lusophone residency and nationality could be obtained and freedom of travel received. Prior to that emigration while open to both Europeans and other nationalities the location they could emigrate to was controlled by Department of Security.

3) We can compare the data to iOTL where in 1900 the number of Europeans was close to 800,000 here the 1.5 million is mixture of European, Indian, African and Asian. The Native population did decrease but while iOTL the decline was more pronounced and by 1900 had started increasing it still not reached 50,000 here half the loses were actual relocation of about half a dozen tribes who were losers in the Native fight for supremacy during the first 30 years of Portuguese colonial administration. While remaining tribes grew stronger they soon faced unprecedented pressures on their lands by the increasing number of emigrants both settlers and mineral (gold) prospectors and miners like iotl.

Was there any sgnificant miscegenation between the lusophone and Maori populations? I imagine there must have been. If yes, in which category are mixed-raced people counted?
 

Lusitania

Donor
Also is any other great power threatentec by this

St the end of the 18th century the Portuguese and British who were the only two major power in the area vying for increased in their empire came to an understanding on the fate of New Zealand in portugal’s Favor due to Portuguese exploration before Cooks on behalf of British. It helped Portugal had very warm relationship with the British.

Was there any sgnificant miscegenation between the lusophone and Maori populations? I imagine there must have been. If yes, in which category are mixed-raced people counted?

The Portuguese have been mixing with locals since their first colonies. Generally they are very well accepted that being those who speak the language and catholic. Most of Portuguese India ruling class were from this group. Those that stayed with their indingenous group were treated the same as others. It was the adoption of language and religion prior to the 1760s. Since then it became the acceptance of language as most important with religion being less important.
 
Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) - The New Frontiers (3 of 3)

Lusitania

Donor
Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) (Cont.)

The New Frontiers (3 of 3)


Brazilian Interior Exploration – The Ferreira Expedition
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As early as 1770 the Minister of Navy and Colonial Affairs in conjunction the Vice-Roy of Rio began planning to explore the interior of the Brazil, which till then was largely unoccupied and uncharted. A search was started for the right candidate to lead such expedition. In the summer of 1776 both Lisbon and Rio agreed on naturalist Alexander Rodrigues Ferreira, who at time was employed at time at the Royal Museum of Ajuda, Lisbon. He was also a member of the Lisbon Royal Science Academy. On 5 October 1777 he left Lisbon for Belem with the mission of exploring Grão-Pará, Rio Negro, Mato Grosso and the Cuiabá regions of Brazil.

His mission wasn’t just to explore the interior of continent but also to describe, collect, transport and send to both the Royal Museum and the Rio de Janeiro Colonial Museum the samples of fauna, animals, minerals, food and utensils of the native populations. He was also tasked in providing philosophical and political commentary on the places and things he saw during his voyage. This additional task would set the Ferreira Brazilian Expedition apart from other future naturalists that would continue to explore the American continent.

In Belem he organized what would be a decade long journey to the very heart of Brazil. The expedition was captained by José Joaquim Freire (who had attended courses on exploration and planning expeditions by Royal Museum of Ajuda and the Royal Military College. His second in command was José Codina. Assisting Alexander Rodrigues Ferreira was botanist Agostinho do Cabo. The expedition took over three months to organize and only on 10 February 1778 did he leave Belém do Pará on the charruas “Águia” and “Coração de Jesus”.

His first stops were along the islands of Marajó, Cametá, Baião, Pederneiras e Alcobaça located in the estuary of the Amazon River. From there for the next nine years he explored the rainforest interior. He traversed the Amazon River and the Black River till the Spanish frontier. He then navigated the White River till the Cananauaru Mountain before following up the Madeira and Guapore rivers until reaching the town of “Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade”, at the time the capital of Mato Grosso. This segment of his expedition alone established a fluvial route through the dangerous Amazon Rainforest from its estuary to its south-central edges, not to mention mapping one of the longer river tributaries of it that would become a major historical border.

Encouraged by this massive success, he then traveled to the town of Cuiabá, leaving the Amazon basin, and exploring the marshes of Mato Grosso in the Prata River watershed. He navigated and explored the Cuiba, San Lourenco and Paraguay rivers till he reached the Portuguese fort town of Santiago on the estuary of the Prata River on 16 December 1780. His massive expedition was considered to be complete when he finally reached Cisplatina in May 1783, to the joy of the Portuguese scientific community.

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He returned to Belem de Para in January 1785 traveling along the coast. In Belem Alexander Ferreira collogued all his samples that over the years had been sent to Belem for storage. While half of the samples were sent to Rio to the new Rio Royal Science Museum the other half were sent to Lisbon.

Interest in his travels was very high and fellow naturalists clamored for his journals and notes, but the governments of Lisbon and Rio were reluctant to release data it deemed sensitive. A compromise was reached with the two academies; data detailing scientific and nature about flora and fauna was released but, due to the size of it, it would take over five years for all his journals to be copied and released to both academies. For the next twenty years papers and books were written both in Lisbon and Rio Royal academies. Since two copies of the samples existed many disagreements existed between the two academies over what each academy would study, till in 1799 when the Lisbon academy was given exclusive right to publish works about the Amazon and Black River samples and data while Rio Academy would publish on the remaining works and samples. It would take over 20 years for all the major information to be published in scientific articles. [1]

But to the governments of Rio and Lisbon the primary concern was the potential exploitation of the interior and its people. Alexander Ferreira was charged with providing the two governments with summary of his travels and potential for Portuguese expansion. In 1787 he published the ‘"Viagem Filosófica", Theosophical Voyage that till the middle of the 19th century was classified. The main points of his paper were:
  • Impact of Jesuit expulsion – He provided detailed information on the negative economic impact the expulsion of the Jesuits had in these remote regions. Areas continued to be negatively impacted by the lack of Portuguese management, indifference and naivety of the natives, lack of manpower and reduction of black slaves in the regions;
  • Quality and Diversity of Economy – He provided detailed examples and explanation how rationalization of the areas and introduction of new methods of production;
  • Demographics – Graphs showing the potential manpower for each community he visited detailing active and inactive workers, number of whites, natives, black slaves, women children and elderly was provided showing the economic viability of each community;
  • Agricultural Production – Detailed analysis of current production of flour, rice, corn, coco, coffee and tobacco was provided as well as estimates of maximum productions;
The government of Rio was both shocked and astounded at the economic potential of these regions. The Viceroy decided to create two new companies “Companhia de Amazonia” and Companhia de Mato Grosso”. They were tasked with the development of the Amazon River Basin and the Mato Grosso areas respectively.

Over the next 20 years the Brazilian interior would witness a significant population influx as administrators, farmers, entrepreneurs began joining the Bandeirantes and followed in Alexandre Ferreira path and opened up the interior to development and settlement. In 1795 Alexander Ferreira was awarded the Order of Portugal by Lisbon and the Order of Christ by Rio. He returned to Rio in 1796 to take up the post of Director of the Rio Botanical Gardens at the new University of Rio and administrator of Brazil Royal farms on the outskirts of Rio.

[1] iOTL, unfortunately Alexander’s work lay in obscurity for close to 100 years forgotten in the museum archives. Only in the 1870s was the material re-discovered and most of the remaining samples, journals and records sent to Rio. Much of the materials were also lost during the French occupation. Here economic and political advances allow for economic development as well as a more developed and mature Royal Science Academy provided the impetus for study and publishing of his studies.


Note:
The exploration of the Amazon and rediscovery of the economic benefits there was a god send for the Portuguese / Brazilian administration and more importantly the claim of the Amazon for the Portuguese Empire against the Spanish and the sucessor states in the 19th century. It also made other individuals and administrators begin to wonder what riches lay inland in both Americas and Africa. iOTL It was a great shame that this information lay undiscovered and lost for close to 100 years. For even a much smaller and weaker iOTL Portugal could of developed and reaped the benefits of exploiting them. Comments / questions???


Please return Sunday February 10 as we go delve into Rebirth of Empire (2 of 2) - The Last Years of Pombal 1777 - 1782.
 
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Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) - The Last Years of Pombal (1777-1782) & Prime Minster - Pombal's Final Years

Lusitania

Donor
Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) (Cont.)

The Last Years of Pombal (1777-1782)

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The ascension of Joseph II to the Portuguese throne brought several changes to Portuguese government cabinet. Foremost was the active participation of King Joseph II in many cabinet meetings, one noted difference at regular cabinet meetings was the tempered manner of the meetings as some of the more boisterous cabinet members toned down their behavior. Disagreements between different cabinet ministers still existed and after some hesitation in the first months continued. Still, the government continued to govern the country, implementing the reforms and modernization programs started under King Joseph reign with renewed zeal and importance.

King Joseph II a keen observer, at first observed the workings of the cabinet and the various ministers and secretaries. He planned on making slight improvements but being a cautious person he wanted to wait and get a better understanding of the needs and available personnel before he made any cabinet changes. His plans unfortunately were changed when suddenly less than 8 months after his ascension with the tragic death of the Count of Lippe. The Ministry of Army and Foreign Affairs had now suffered a second loss in less than a year and was without leadership.[1] King Joseph II met with Pombal and the rest of cabinet reviewing several possible candidates for both positions. On 19 November 1777 a decision was made to appoint Aires de Sá e Melo Viscount of Anadia as the new Ministry of Army & Foreign Affairs and Cipriano Ribeiro Freire as Secretary of Foreign Affairs & Portuguese Diplomatic Corp.

In 1778, King Joseph II against the objections of Pombal but with support from Duke John and Ambassador Castro, announced his plans to visit Brazil. On 10th of August, a flotilla of 20 armed ships set sail from Lisbon and sailed for the first official Royal visit to Bahia, and Rio. The visit was a great success[2]. In Rio de Janeiro, King Joseph met with Vice-Roy, Marquis of Lavradio, and the two discussed the issues facing Portugal and more specifically Brazil. As well, they discussed the Marquis’ future after his term as Vice-Roy ended at end of the year. Impressed by the Marquis and his work King Joseph offered him a position in his government. King Joseph offered him the position of Minister of Interior ‘Secretaria de Estado dos Negócios Interiores do Reino’.

In 1780 Aaron Lopez the Minister of Heath and Agriculture requested leave from King Joseph II to retire but as the United States (Aaron Lopez’ intended destination) were in ongoing Revolutionary War and the country faced its most dangerous situation both militarily as well as politically King Joseph requested that he postpone his retirement. The country was locked into a worldwide war against both France and Dutch Republic; in addition, Portugal was committed to supporting Great Britain in their war against the American Colonies as part of the King Joseph betrothal to King George’s eldest daughter. But most troubling was the deteriorating health of the 80-year-old Marquis of Pombal. The King did concede to the request for lighter workload and brought on Félix de Avelar Brotero as Aron Lopez assistant to lighten the Minister’s workload though.

1777 Cabinet Reform - Early Josephine Model

With the PM’s sickness glaringly obvious, Joseph II sought to make his single direct contribution to the cabinet by laying out the blueprint for a reformed framework of the Ministry and Secretaries. He intended to reorganize the government organ, advance it, expand it and make it more comprehensible, especially considering he intended to spend a great deal of his lifetime working with it. As early as 1778, after returning from Brazil, King Joseph gathered the ministers and personally discussed with them a new model they could agree upon and that could be implemented as soon as possible.

Finding common ground was not easy; every single one of the ministers, including Pombal, intended to make one change or another and sometimes stepped on each other’s toes trying to be heard. By the next month, however, a draft of major points was laid out that would help change the cabinet’s laws for the better:
  • Further Restriction Lifting: All remaining bars on religion, race and background were removed asides from criminal ones. This would allow for the nomination of António Silva, a dark-skinned man, to be named Minister of Justice;
  • Term Rework: The policy on Ministry terms was reworked into terms of five to six years, depending on Ministry and war circumstances, though the actual maximum number of terms per candidate was left untouched. To balance the limitlessness of terms, laws were placed allowing for personal barring pending certain conditions, such as a cabinet-wide veto (something Pombal showed dislike for);
  • Salaries & Pensions: Monetary rewards were equalized along the posts at base and bolstered on accomplishment, using collected scientific statistics on national improvements to determine what projects were, indeed, to be considered successful;
  • Sector Reorganization, Expansion and Addition: Several secretaries were shifted around and new Ministries were created, modernized, separated or joined, most notably the Ministries of Justice, of Interior, of Armament & Industry, of Health and of Agriculture;
  • Aristocratic Titling Banning: Citing the ceremonial nature of aristocracy as understood by the Tagus Declaration as basis for this, Joseph II affirmed that posts of dukedom, marque, county or barony would no longer be awarded to Ministers for doing their job, making the Marquis of Pombal the last Minister to be given an aristocratic title for his efforts in cabinet;[3]
The Early Josephine Model, as it became known, was approved by all ministers on 1 April 1779.

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Late Pombaline Cabinet Model

Green: New Ministries

This model decentralized government functions even further to accommodate the increased capacity to draw in competent representatives, especially in the H&A Ministry which received Secretaries for its two main cores.

This was, however, a model that was very much directed at the present faces of the Ministry; the H&A minister was known for his inadequate background and therefore his office suffered the most significant breakdown, demonstrating that this reform was still very context-specific and therefore unlikely to flourish for long. New, more efficient models, however, would arise after Pombal’s death.

Prime Ministry – Pombal’s Final Years
“The Prime Minister of Portugal is aged. The dictator, as we called him, is nearing his end. I can see it in his walk, in his face and even, may I had, his choice of garment. Our great threat to Port Wine prices, gentlemen, is now swept away by the inexorable tide of time. The Marquis of Pombal is not a PM, he’s a relic; a trophy of a harsh age kept around due to the new King’s endearment and his cabinet’s benefit.”
William Augustus Fawkener[4] - addressing the British Parliament regarding Pombal’s proposal to marry King Joseph to Charlotte

Pombal had been Prime Minister for 22 years at time of King Joseph II accession to the throne. The decisions and position had weighed heavily on Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo and he was slower as his 76 age began showing. But for all his body’s limitations Pombal’s mind continued sharp right to the end. His greatest dream and wish, to see his reforms continue and be supported by the new King was Melo’s greatest joy. While Duke John and other cabinet ministers had provided King Joseph with a balanced view regarding the king’s opinion to Pombal, Pombal looked upon King Joseph II with great admiration and wonder for the young king’s quick wit and keen mind. Over the years on occasion Duke John would catch Pombal looking upon King Joseph II with glaze in his eyes enchanted at speech the king was making.

As for the Kings matrimony, Pombal took it as a personal mission to win Portugal the most powerful and important Princess possible. His first attempt to arrange the betrothal of Great Britain King George III eldest daughter had been rejected outright at time of King Joseph ascension to the throne but since King Joseph was still in his teens he was determined to wait. Suggestion by new Minister of Army and Foreign Affairs regarding Infanta Maria of Spain, King Charles III eldest daughter was rejected outright by Pombal. In 1778, during King Joseph II visit to Brazil, King George consented to the betrothal of Princess Charlotte to King Joseph III as a means of closing Portugal’s market to the American colonists.[5]

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Aged Pombal negotiating Joseph’s marriage to Charlotte with English embassy
Despite his obvious frailness, the minister insisted in remaining in power

Pombal’s aversion to war and hopes of keeping Portugal free of from European wars were dashed by the French navy attacking Portuguese ships soon after the betrothal of King Joseph to Princess Charlotte in 1778. The French viewed the betrothal as a declaration of alliance and sought to bring Portuguese commerce to complete stop. The Dutch also brought their might against the Portuguese in hopes of profiting from a distracted enemy. The plan by both countries failed and both the French and Dutch suffered losses to Great Britain and Portugal. Pombal and Aires de Sá e Melo were able to maintain neutral stand with Spain when it too declared war on Great Britain, but not because it feared Portugal it concentrated most of its forces on the Iberian Peninsula to siege Gibraltar and had no forces to attack Portugal.
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[1] The death of Luís da Cunha Manuel 1 month before the death of King Joseph I had still not been filled.

[2] See section: Rebirth of an Empire 1777 – 1799 - Coronation in Brazil

[3] The ceremonial aristocratic title while removed from work in Cabinet but was still granted for outstanding accomplishment in the name of the kingdom be it military, economic or other service to the kingdom. The granting of aristocratic title was left to the king and the cabinet and it was felt that it would be a conflict of interest if members of cabinet gave themselves aristocratic titles.

[4] William Fawkner had been sent in 1777 to Portugal as a special representative of the Privy Council to study the implication of the retirement and death of Pombal to Portugal and British trade opportunities.

[5] In October 1777 the British army had suffered a huge defeat at Saratoga and in February of 1778 the French had entered the war on the American Colonists side. Several members of Parliament including William Pit the Elder had advocated making peace with Colonists and striking an alliance with them against the French. Lord North and British government rejected the idea. It was coincidence that the Portuguese Ambassador was summoned to the Royal palace on the same day that King Joseph set sail for Brazil. At the meeting with both Lord North and King George the British announced the approval of the betrothal of Princess Charlotte to King Joseph. Only condition was that Portugal close all ports to the colonists and their allies. On the day that the Portuguese Ambassador sailed to Lisbon with the news, there was a Royal proclamation on the betrothal, which France viewed as alliance with Great Britain and declared war on Portugal. The news of the betrothal arrived almost at same time as French declaration of war against Portugal. Although many have speculated, the British government of Lord North always specified that the betrothal had nothing to do with French siding with the American colonists. The result of the betrothal was that French Navy had to deal with both British and Portuguese navies and that took some of the pressure off the British navy.




Note:
After several important storylines regarding the expansion and military accomplishments around the empire between 1777 - 1782 we now turn our attention to the developments and accomplishments of the country as a whole. As a reminder we will be detailing this under the headings of each of the government departments. This week's post had two sections an introduction to the new king's 1st cabinet and also the last section on Prime Minister Pombal major endeavors during the his last tenure as Primer Minister 1777 - 1782. In some ways many historians have written that the Betrothal of king Joseph II to the British royal house was Pombal's crowning achievement and his last major political accomplishment. Is that true, not sure but it did shape Portuguese and British political policies for decades to come. Comments / questions???


Please return Sunday February 17 as we post the 2nd installment 0f the Rebirth of Empire (2 of 2) - The Last Years of Pombal 1777 - 1782 (Minister of Internal Affairs).

At this time we would like to thank our readers especially Joao97 for the nomination of best Colonial TL. We hope all the TL's readers and fans will vote for it. As a special bonus for being nominated we will post the next installment next Sunday instead of in 2 weeks. Obrigado.
 
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Aristocratic Titling Banning: Citing the ceremonial nature of aristocracy as understood by the Tagus Declaration as basis for this, Joseph II affirmed that posts of dukedom, marque, county or barony would no longer be awarded to Ministers for doing their job, making the Marquis of Pombal the last Minister to be given an aristocratic title for his efforts in cabinet;[3]

Will a system of medals be created instead?

“The Prime Minister of Portugal is aged. The dictator, as we called him, is nearing his end. I can see it in his walk, in his face and even, may I had, his choice of garment. Our great threat to Port Wine prices, gentlemen, is now swept away by the inexorable tide of time. The Marquis of Pombal is not a PM, he’s a relic; a trophy of a harsh age kept around due to the new King’s endearment and his cabinet’s benefit.”

Who will replace him?

In 1778, during King Joseph II visit to Brazil, King George consented to the betrothal of Princess Charlotte to King Joseph III as a means of closing Portugal’s market to the American colonists.

Has Portugal enacted Salic law? This marriage might create interesting cases of succession.

Pombal’s aversion to war and hopes of keeping Portugal free of from European wars were dashed by the French navy attacking Portuguese ships soon after the betrothal of King Joseph to Princess Charlotte in 1778. The French viewed the betrothal as a declaration of alliance and sought to bring Portuguese commerce to complete stop. The Dutch also brought their might against the Portuguese in hopes of profiting from a distracted enemy. The plan by both countries failed and both the French and Dutch suffered losses to Great Britain and Portugal. Pombal and Aires de Sá e Melo were able to maintain neutral stand with Spain when it too declared war on Great Britain, but not because it feared Portugal it concentrated most of its forces on the Iberian Peninsula to siege Gibraltar and had no forces to attack Portugal.

How this will influe on the French Revolutionnary Wars?
 
another great update , Portugal and England , close Allies , perfect , they will crush the French and the Dutch ,can hardly wait for the next part
 

Lusitania

Donor
Great, the Treaty of Windsor (1386), is strong again with the marriage!

another great update , Portugal and England , close Allies , perfect , they will crush the French and the Dutch ,can hardly wait for the next part

I wanted to respond to these two together since they deal with the same topic.

While alliance with Britain has been a cornerstone of Portuguese diplomacy since 1386, with the Portuguese sacrificing lots to renew it after regaining their independence in 1640 (giving both tangier and Bombay) to the British. The issue is that Portugal does not have the luxury of natural protection from invasion so while Portugal would stick close to British position it would also try to maintain a neutral stance. Not always successful of course. iOTL Portugal refused to abandon Britain during Napoleonic wars suffering greatly for it.

So now we have a more powerful Portugal with a much stronger navy facing off not only against France (like iotl) but also against the Dutch. The alliance with Britain is also stronger although the British are still top dog and they not view the Portuguese as their equal. For now the Portuguese are accepting of the situation and attempting to seek advantages where possible.
 

Lusitania

Donor
Will a system of medals be created instead?

The Portuguese already had a system of medals and honors, these will continue and be expanded.

Who will replace him?

The young king upon gaining the throne starting looking at several candidates and some very talented officials were considered but in the end the king chose ....... (sorry but you will need to wait).

I did want to state that pombal was the last official to be minister for life. From now on all political positions will be appointed for set number of years. We will need to wait for little longer for their name to be revealed.

Has Portugal enacted Salic law? This marriage might create interesting cases of succession.
The Portuguese have never enacted Salic LAw, while male line was dominant if no direct male was alive then the throne would be claimed through the female line. Actually both of Portuguese succession crises with Castile/Spain were a direct result of foreign king through marriage of eldest daughter of late Portuguese king claiming the the Portuguese throne. And we know how those two played out. While a daughter could claim Portuguese throne the wife could never.

How this will influe on the French Revolutionnary Wars?

We will touch on that in the next book 1782-1799 but we cannot expect the Portuguese to influence either positive or negatively.
 
Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) - The Last Years of Pombal (1777-1782) - MInister of Internal Affairs

Lusitania

Donor
Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) (Cont.)

The Last Years of Pombal (1777-1782) (Cont.)


Ministry of Internal Affairs

We must ensure the institutions of order, of security and of fight against corruption are as well-oiled as feasible. To neglect this task is to let the kingdom slip back into the rotted status quo of ten years ago and discard the honor of our new society. For that reason, and many others, we must establish a ministry of internal affairs to overlook and promote the undisturbed gears of the crown.
-Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal, addressing the Commerce Plaza crowd on the creation of the new ministry

King Joseph II had lived and witnessed several tremulous years before he ascended to the throne. After ascending to the throne, he sat down with Pombal and the cabinet and stated he wanted to ensure the sacrifices made in his youth would not be in vain by further promoting the progressive ideology of his grandfather. He especially wanted to strengthen both the country and to provide a greater assurance to all people that he cared, as well as to make sure safety and law-abidingness was respected.

King Joseph II, however, was inexperienced, relying mostly on advice from the aged Pombal, Duke John of Braganza, Prelate Verney and even his wife Charlotte of England in state matters. He had good intentions but admitted his inability to properly grasp how to see them through. Prime Minister Pombal understood this to be his position as well and helped the new monarch formulate a plan to delegate the decision making to a new, competent state organ.

So his first change to the Portuguese government was the creation of new Minister of Internal Affairs (por. Ministro do Interior/Assuntos Internos).

The goal of this ministry was to ensure the efficiency of metropolitan non-military law and security as well as enforce the legislation through administration, negotiation or, if necessary, restrained force. The Pombaline Cabinet of Joseph I had been plagued by implementation problems, but the Josephine Cabinets of Joseph II would also work hard to see that implementation and maintenance enhanced. A competent and honest Minister was required, one with experience in administration and passing crown law. The Marquis of Pombal had a candidate in mind already.


The Marquis of Lavradio
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Lord Louis (Luís) de Almeida Silva Mascarenhas
Born 1729
Died 1790
Marquis of Lavradio & Count of Avintes
Vice-Roy of Brazil (1769 – 1778)
Minister of Justice (1778 -1782)

Born on 27 June 1729 to a reformist family of Tagus Signers and supporters of King Joseph I and Pombal, young Louis followed his father’s career path as colonial administrator and Vice-Rei of Brazil. In 1760 he enrolled in the new Noble College of Lisbon to study lawmaking and in 1769 he became the 11th Vice-Roy of Brazil and the second to govern the federalized territory from Rio de Janeiro. He was entrusted to implement many of the government’s reforms including Colonial Profit Doctrine, Overseas State Theory and Mutual Assurance Declaration.

The witnessing of the effects these new doctrines had helped him develop his passion for law and society further. By 1770 the Marquis was an avid follower of legislative history and British politics, believing there was greater rewards awaiting a well thought out system of liberty than an autocratic one.

He gained most renown, however, when during the Undeclared War he worked tirelessly building up Brazils’ defenses. He welcomed the Count of Lippe to Porto Alegre’s war HQ to direct the Portuguese operations and ensured law and order was maintained in the remaining territories by investing in well-regulated militia he eventually promoted to police forces. During his overseeing of Brazil’s security, crime was kept minimized despite the war situation and the absence of soldiers to fight in the La Plate’s long front, showing the effectiveness of his work, and laws were passed through legitimate Brazilian means to promote street vigilance and reform adherence. His efforts were noted by Count William of Lippe, who recommended him to Pombal upon returning to Lisbon in 1770.

During the hot years of the Pombaline Revolution he also directed the rerouting of many Jesuits, radical conservatives and convicted traitors exiled from the Metropolis to where they would make the least trouble. He welcomed the reformed orders and orders rival of Jesuits that were under the protection of the new church as a means to combat the Jesuit power influx and gathered enough popular support to pass in several territories restrictions to church land size and unaccountability.

Marquis Louis was also instrumental in developing the southern provinces of Rio Grande do Sul and Parana. He managed the post-war settlement of southern provinces, not resting till its average population grew threefold (Rio Grande do Sul, Parana and yet-to-be-state Cisplatina). To obtain popularity in the northern states, he promoted agriculture; bringing coffee plants from north Brazil to the Rio region and together with the Academy of Sciences supported several studies in agriculture and animal husbandry and its application to Brazil, something that would be critical for the settlement and development of Brazil’s western territories.

In 1778, when King Joseph II visited Brazil and stopped in Rio they met for first time. The new King was impressed by his thinking and work as Vice-Rei so he offered the marquis a new position in his cabinet as Minister of Internal Affairs. The Marquis accepted gladly and returned to Lisbon to make use of his wealth of experience gained in the colonies.

RNG – Mixed Ministry, Military Justice & Unlawful Orders
“Our honor will bring us their loyalty. Respect will bring us their respect. Our diligence will give them strength. They must be servants of our citizens, not servants of their officers.”
-Lavradio’s reasoning towards the ‘Unlawful Order’ policy

By 1778, the RNG, or Royal National Guard, was fully active and well supplied in most of the country. They were organized and trained as a military force but fulfilled a policeman’s tasks. Their actual military participation was rather limited; the RNG was not sufficiently organized to act in groups of more than a few dozens, being instead dispatched as small patrolling groups or crowd-control platoons.

The prestige they were slowly amassing, however, was undeniable. They were a far more common sight to commoner and noble alike than actual soldiers, meaning that the Bluecoat of the RNG officer was “the most seen of all Bluecoats”. Their exercising and action was therefore in plain sight and the small groups had many opportunities to show off their prowess in combating crime and disorder over the years.

During the Pombaline Revolution they had been the primary deterrent to violence. Even when Princess Maria’s treason was discovered they took action for the people, demanding peace from the citizens and first pick for themselves in apprehending the culprits through disciplined, honored action. Of course they had their bad eggs, but for the most part the RNG was slowly forging itself into a respected force.

They were still, however, fully administered by the Army at the time of Count Lippe’s death. This presented a twofold concern of administrative efficiency and state security. Some wondered if it was safe to let all legitimate armed forces under the power of the Army Ministry. Some asked if the Army Ministry could even afford to keep watching their moves to begin with.

This concern was what partly fueled the need to create a Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Marquis of Lavradio, knowledgeable of police and militia work from Brazil, presented himself as readier than most to take over supply, organization and directing of the RNG while letting the Army Ministry handle the training.

The administration of the RNG was divided between the two ministries thusly; Internal Affairs would direct their assignment, management, patrol policies, payments and general bureaucracy while the Army Ministry would guarantee their training, conduit, discipline and seriousness.

The matrix-style oversight ensured that every RNG officer swore loyalty to different departments on different fields of the job. This added a layer of complexity to their post that signified that there was not a single institution responsible for their entire direction, which meant corruption and bribery in the police force was harder and more noticeable.

However, the problem of multiple loyalty quickly gave rise to a vital question; whose orders did the RNG prioritize; the Army’s, Internal Affairs or even the King’s? Predicting this problematic situation, Lavradio worked with the Justice Ministry to lay out a groundbreaking measure, that of the institution of courts to handle ‘unlawful orders’.

‘Unlawful Orders’ meant that there were commands that trained personnel were to not only ignore, but report and actively defy, even when coming from the highest authorities, based on the grounds of their ethical, institutional or legislative dubiousness. This was an alarming idea for society, especially an ‘Ancién Regime’ one like Portugal’s, as it went directly against one of the most solid pillars of civilization as it was known; the idea that orders should be obeyed, and defilers should be treated as traitors.

Under the doctrine of ‘Unlawful Orders’, a soldier could not defend himself in military court with the classical argument of “just following commands/orders”. Officers and policemen were now to be expected to know what constituted a ‘legal order from a superior’ and were not guaranteed protection from obeying ‘illegal ones’.

This, however, endangered basic techniques of discipline that army officers had grown used to, such as shooting dissidents in the platoon for disobedience in combat that could endanger the entire unit (something especially prevalent in line infantry warfare, which required tremendous courage or fear-of-officers for the men to hold the lines). To combat this risk, the new young Army Minister, Count John of Linhares, would renovate military courts to enforce the ‘Unlawful Order’ policy and reformed officer training to prohibit discipline methods that could be constituted as UOs.

The major benefit of all of this resided in the nature of the soldier’s loyalty; it was now partially based on self-validating honor, inspiring the men by letting them know the orders they were expected to obey were just and legal. This also decreased the likelihood of undisciplined officer orders being obeyed, such as ones related to pillaging, razing and conspiring. Officers and superiors were now no longer guaranteed to have full obedience from all of their underlings should they conspire against their peers and superiors.

As a whole, ensuring soldiers obeyed only legal orders meant that corruption and distrust as a whole in both the army and the police decreased. Orders from above could now no longer be skewed from their purpose for personal benefit of low-ranked leaders (as prevented in the 1799 US case cited below) and organized rebellion, corruption and tyranny in/from law enforcement was now much more difficult to achieve and easier to combat.

The RNG was perhaps the first military-associated force in Latin society, thus, to purposely be allowed to disobey in such a manner. Similar instances would only be registered in the USA, for example, in 1799 when the Supreme Court overruled the ‘obeying orders’ argument when Danish ships were apprehended based on an anti-French law. The UO policy was, however, viewed with much suspicion and mocking by society in its early years, as Portuguese political ideology in most classes was not developed enough to recognize the benefits of it.

It did, however, serve as an interaction between government and the liberal ideas that were slowly birthing in the country in the 1780s. UOs were a distinctively liberal doctrine which defied contemporary standards of police and military work and opened the door for new, more complex measures of administration and justice just like the CPD did for colonization almost 20 years earlier. UOs were thus one of many vital seeds which allowed for Liberalism in Portugal to evolve more rapidly than in most western societies of the time.

RNG - Overseas Model Establishment

The Royal National Guard started by Lippe was one of the areas that was transferred from the army to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This, of course, was not done without fight and resistance, but when the Marquis of Lavradio met with Anthony Cunha, Count of Pombeiro and commander of the RNG, he explained the need to expand the RNG past just Portugal but to every major city in the colonies.

This argument sat upon the need to uniform some of the policing policies while leaving region-sensitive flexibility. The first areas of expansion would be Brazil and all Atlantic ports and cities. The Count of Pombeiro supported the move the GNR to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. To minimize costs of expansion, construction and renovations projects were assigned to overseas offices to build and organize at their own pace, expense and style.

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RNG Brazilian HQ in ‘Rio de Janeiro’

The establishment of the RNG in Brazil ran into several political complications. It breached upon some MAD and CPD autonomy guidelines which allowed Brazil to have its own militia forces and ‘Army of Brazil’, for example, not to mention that it was the introduction of a new metropolitan power in a developed colonial region. It was not until after some fundamental concessions and trade-offs from Lisbon that establishment projects were stamped by the Rio representatives. Said concessions included indoctrination, training and assignment, but the UO policies were still enforced (the Minister of IA made special pressure to ensure that passed through the Brazilian radar).

While other colonial regions didn’t pose such obstacles, they were even slower to accept due to a sheer factor of lack of infrastructure and manpower. The Portuguese HQ in Goa was rather rapid in accepting this policing entity. While no longer administered by the capable Count of Ega, who had won the ‘Narayan Incident’ but left office in 1779 due to health issues, the Goa colony faced civil and military preoccupations and was happy to adopt an organized and reliable police force. Angola, Guinea and Mozambique accelerated their acceptance for similar reasons, as the economic shifts and news of inland resources were causing unrest and military movement in these settlements.

Ministry of Justice – The I.A. Phase
I was simultaneously the chief of security and the handler of law; he who arrested and he who bandaged the lack of justice in the kingdom.
-Marquis of Lavradio, regarding his caretaking of the country’s judicial affairs during the 1777-1782 periods

The Ministry of Justice would become a pillar of King Joseph II rule, but before the death of Pombal it was still a poorly entertained idea that lacked the organization and structure to initiate itself. As such, the pre-Josephine period saw acts of Justice but no organized institution of it, still relying on old Ordinances to determine law and order.

The centralized appointment of judges and running of the courts including review and audit of judicial decisions was as a result assigned to the Marquis of Lavradio. It was an inefficient reality that failed to address the needs for a proper Ministry dedicated to judicial matters and many thought it was a reflection of Pombal’s lingering dictatorship to tie the judicial powers to policing entities.

The Marquis of Lavradio was also rather expedient with said powers, conducting sweeps against criminals operating in the Lisbon districts of Alfama, Mouraria, Bairro Alto and Madragoa with little hesitation or mandate. In 1781 correctional "houses" were established along with a Sanitation Police department to curb prostitution.


Note:
We continue posting the Last Years of Pombal 1777 -1782. This post dealt with the new minister, one that over time would be cornerstone the establishment and maintenance of the enlightenment of the empire. The establishment of the empire wide GNR and on its heels the PSP would provide evidence of the link each colony or territory had to Lisbon and the adherence and enforcement of national laws without interference from local officials. What we failed to mention was that its establishment was not without resentment of those in power and who had established control or influence over the local police force. In the decades to follow support for the national police force would be greatest amongst the people and gradual acceptance by those in power.


Please return Sunday February 24 as we post the 3rd installment 0f the Rebirth of Empire (2 of 2) - The Last Years of Pombal 1777 - 1782 (Minister of Science and Education).
 
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Lusitania

Donor
Wouldn't the Continental System favor Portugal anyway? Why spend blood and treasure to fight it?

The problem lies in both the historical alliances and friendships as well as past and current grievances. While I will avoid talking about specifics in the TL since we dealing with topics many years in future.

iTTL the French and Spanish are getting preoccupied at Portugal's development for different reasons. Spain because it opposes the liberalization of Portugal and just as much does not like to see its smaller neighbor become stronger and more advanced than it is. While France is looking at the special friendship between Portugal and Britain with disapproval and at same time starting to see the Portuguese as rivals. Also what happened from 1777 to 1800 will greatly affect both Spain and France attitude and demands from Portugal.

iOTL we simply have to look at the what the Spanish and French demands were to understand the refusal of the Portuguese to adhere to the continental system. The French and Spanish were not only asking for Portugal to turn its backs on the British its longest and closest Ally but also turn over its fleet to France, cede territory to Spain. That was only the 1801 demands. In 1807 the demands were even harsher with all lands south of the Tagus river to become Godoy person little kingdom. So there was never any attempt to turn the Portuguese into an ally but only demands and more demands that no country would simply comply with.


PS We thank all those who have voted for the TL in the colonial poll and ask all other of the TL fans to also vote. Thanks
 
Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) - The Last Years of Pombal (1777 - 1782) - Minister of Science and Education

Lusitania

Donor
Rebirth of Empire (Part 2 of 2) (Cont.)

The Last Years of Pombal (1777-1782) (Cont.)


Ministry of Science & Education

The Minister of Science & Education continued to be Duke John of Braganza, who had shown his repute throughout the late Pombaline Period in bringing about intense educational reforms and investments through a combination of secular state support, ecclesiastic school leashing and aristocratic fundraising. After the Order of Christ Conspiracy, Duke John became a closer figure to the new King Joseph II.

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Renowned for his services, Duke John remained in office until after Joseph I’s death

While a conservative man in character, Duke John intended to continue his work on educational programs and infrastructure to bring about new generations of skilled workers and researches to create long-term prosperity. He was already seeing the fruits of his early labor in the form of new faces in the Academy of Sciences he founded and in the filled Legal Deposits in Coimbra and Lisbon, so little was stopping him from believing further investment would bring about even greater results.

Duke John also watched with both interest and preoccupation the final years of Pombal, whom he had always held in poor regard. He personally believed the PM’s growing paranoia would be hurtful to the country and sought to assert himself in government even further to prevent the stagnation of the few benefits he saw in Pombal’s efforts. The direct interest in seeing Joseph II, grandson of the Duke’s late cousin, succeed was also a factor to stay in office so the aristocrat continued to play his part in the Ministry of knowledge.

University Modernization, Standardization & Multiplication - Part II

The expulsion of the Jesuits freed the territory from its grip but also left behind a lot of infrastructure that needed to be transplanted or reoccupied. In 1780 the University of Évora, which had ceased functioning in 1759 as part of the expulsion of the Jesuits, had its remaining staff and resources transferred to Lisbon, where a new complex was built to house it and be named “University of Lisbon” (por. Universidade de Lisboa). The new university was modernized along the lines of the reforms instituted at the University of Coimbra. The creation of a second first class University in Portugal was viewed as a significant advancement for Portugal although the staffing of the new university took 10 years and in the end three quarters of the staff were foreign professors.

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Left: University of Lisbon in mid-19th century
Right: Art School in Oporto (modern-day)

Many of the remaining schools were donated to the Orders that had sworn loyalty to the secular state, such as the Order of Christ, forming a contract between government and the PCC’s[1] organizations to continue bolstering education at a pace and policy acceptable to both sides. Duke John had to maneuver this move carefully to not make it seem like a concession to defeated powers, mainly by imposing many government demands on objectivity, scientific attitude and careerism.

Elementary Education Secretary & Framework

“The brilliance of patrons is only enhanced by that of his serfs; the stronger the peasant is, the stronger the king will be.”
-Joseph Seabra, defending his elementary education program

In 1778, Father Manuel do Cenáculo Vilas Boas who had not only been the Secretary of Elementary Education but also the Confessor of Prince Joseph till his ascension to the throne, was elevated to Bishop of Beja under Prelate Verney’s leadership of the new Catholic Church. Duke John occupied with other tasks began looking for a replacement, Pombal recommended Joseph Seabra (por. Jose Seabra da Silva).

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José Seabra da Silva
Assistant to Pombal 1771 – 1777
Secretary of Elementary Education 1778 - 1783

Up until 1759, when Pombal first began cracking down on religious orders, classes on reading, counting and writing were handled by the clergy. The Prime Minister, fresh off the planning of Lisbon’s reconstruction, was at the time following a Statist streak and infected many previously private institutions with government administrations to increase his power over the country. Elementary classes were included; starting what was called at the time ‘Royal Classes’ (por. Aulas Régias).[2]

The inclusion of a Secretary of Elementary Education at this time came from a need to follow the expansion procedures accomplished during Joseph I the Reformer’s reign in creating anti-illiteracy programs and modeling elementary education. Duke John’s work in this field had been important, but inefficient, as elementary schooling, even in the privilege society of 18th century Portugal, served a wider community and different rules than secondary or superior education, where the Duke was excelling at. Joseph Seabra was tasked with creating a comprehensive model for elementary schooling, going from architecture to curriculum, to be approved by the Ministry of Education and cloned across the territory. Unfortunately, support and funds for widespread education was limited; education was more fondly given to classes that were socially or financially entitled to it at the time.

In order to both plan the ground design and gain support for his program, Seabra divulged a series of planned objectives for the elementary curriculum:
  • To ensure a general upbringing of the people, from basic knowledge and skills to senses of morality and sensitivity;
  • To form a basic national consciousness aware of local issues and capable of participation;
  • To develop appreciation for cultural heritage, history, labor and knowledge;
These goals followed a guideline of state and social interest; the language was picked to convince established figures that elementary education was an investment, not a privilege. Seabra furthered a platform of advancing society through elementary education, arguing a mildly educated peasantry was more productive than a dumbed down one. Being conservative, however, he limited the available curriculum to basic Pombaline standards, meaning a combat against illiteracy and detachment from national fervor, but not an advanced effort towards scientific pursuits.

In 1780, the possibility of making elementary education obligatory was considered. A lot of discussion was held regarding possibilities in that avenue, from making it obligatory either just in urban areas or in the entire metropolis, through limiting it to which year and towards whether or not to do it in the first place. There were extraordinary preoccupations, however, in government’s ability to enforce any of this, so the program was implemented very timidly.

By 1781, both urban models, which were easier to staff, and rural models, which were granted less infrastructure, where already finished and being implemented, but staffing difficulties slowed down the project significantly.

To further streamline the model and enhance staffing possibilities, a four-years-four-classes system was implemented, scheduling rules were agreed upon, volunteer programs were established, contract programs were signed and, finally, primary magistracy schools were founded in urban centers to train teachers for elementary schooling. It took several years for a gradual optimization of all these programs to take place, but by 1783, the time of Pombal’s death, teachers were being reliably supplied to both cities and countryside.

Many old convents and Sunday schools from the old Jesuit orders were absorbed into this program, which sparked concern amongst the remaining, semi-secularized orders, as it created a precedent of infrastructural assimilation by the state. The question of private versus public schooling began gaining tract overtime, further broadening the political horizon in the country and the fight between conservative and progressive ideals.

Royal Academy of Sciences - The 1780 Program

The Royal Academy of Sciences in Lisbon had proven its worth throughout the 1770s by giving a home to the scientific community in the country, regaining lost prestige in Portuguese academics and formalizing the presence of what been a chained linchpin of the empire throughout its most zealous years. Thanks to the Academy and its members, there was now organization and distinction in Portuguese scientific pursuit and technological evolution.

At the end of the decade and the start of the new, the Duke of Lafões still presided over the Academy and faced questions of how to expand the establishment. Its successes had secured a greater budget from the central government and greater renown in national society, both which the Duke intended to use to further the growth of the Academy but was unsure exactly how to proceed. One question that plagued him was the infrastructure and organization of the Academy itself, as the Duke struggled to come to terms with weather he should invest in its singular location or install branches in other demographic nuclei, particularly Oporto and Rio de Janeiro.

After converging with the most prominent gentlemen of the Academy, including the co-founder ambassador Correia, the Duke devised a plan of reforms, missions and programs he intended to implement with the budget and approval of the members:
  • Infrastructural Expansion: New academic sites with particular specializations would be installed in other major imperial locations with the goal of widening the institution’s grasp on national science;
  • University Partnership: Alliances were to be made with major universities to share laboratory resources, personnel and printed doctorate work;
  • International Contact Program: Agreements were made with embassies for technological sharing and foreign advisory, invitation and cooperation with the final objective of raising the academy’s international prestige;
  • Linguistic & Mathematic Advancement Program: A concentrated effort to further the value of the Portuguese language and precise measurement in science through translation of scientific papers, full linguistic study and adherence to scientific measurements, standardization of speech structure in research papers based on logical, non-fallacious arguments and an overall interest in promoting the use of Portuguese, English, French and German as “accepted Science tongues”.
  • Armament & Industry Pursuits: An informal effort of the Academy towards the study of weapon and machine technology in exchange for budget syphoning from the new Armament & Industry Ministry;
  • Adoption of “Athena”: The use of Athena imagery was fully adopted as the institution’s logo to further promote its scientific “brand”. Though the Greek Goddess was already used as unofficial logo of the Lisbon building, its association to the institution was until then only nominal;
The 1780 Program, as it became known, was the Duke’s final major contribution to the Academy and it set the course of its work for the following thirty years. Under this mission, the Academy would focus its energies and resources on evolving work efficiency, talent capturing and technological accomplishment while at the same time becoming more and more a fully scientific institution, rather than a Gentlemen’s Club, due to the new speech and admission protocols delineated by Duke John.

The success on each field and adherence to its initial purpose varied. In terms of expanding its size, the Academy was only successful during the programs’ first years, when a greater boon of investment was still available, and two major establishments were constructed; the Royal Polytechnic Academy of Oporto (RPA) and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.

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Royal Polytechnic Academy of Oporto
Founded 1781

The Royal Polytechnic Academy of Oporto was a Naval, Commercial and Industrial Science institution branched under the Portuguese Science Academy and built to benefit from the extensive commerce, shipyard sectors and growing English-style industry in the northern city, Douro Valley and the Douro-Minho port industry region.[3] It was also linked to the Pombaline Douro Wine Company (now merely a less-empowered Production Company under the reforms of the second half of Joseph I’s reign) and it was ambitiously equipped to answer the needs of the growing sea pursuits in Portugal.

To speed up and advance its establishment, it assimilated many nautical classes created in 1762 and now served the Merchant Navy by supplying it with navy officers and ship designs (something that would serve the country greatly during the coming wars with the Dutch). Agriculture, Commerce, Mathematics and piloting were also taught, but all this was done just in the naval branch of the Academy. It was in the Industrial branch were the greater work was done.

Being located in the Douro estuary, the Academy was optimally placed in a stream of industrial technology that was being worked in the fields of textile, agriculture, shipbuilding and other wares. It was therefore here that many new specialized patents would come out between 1780 and 1800 which would speed up production and even upgrading in itself. Virtually all of the papers done in Portugal on steam energy at the time, for example, were written in and distributed from the RPA, which worked around the clock to master and promote its assigned fields, and it was also in this academy that the first concepts of the General Theory of Productivity began to be applied, with students working towards building more efficient construction and production tools with a basic guideline of principles written by the Dutch immigrants in mind.

In 1782, one of the first learned societies of Brazil and the Portuguese Empire was founded in Rio de Janeiro: the “Sociedade Scientifica” was created. In 1797 it was granted Royal designation.

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Brazilian Academy of Sciences

The Brazilian Academy of Sciences, however, would run into much greater trouble than the RPA, and it would in many respects doom the Lisbon’s Academy efforts to expand itself overseas for generations to come; it’s planning alone was highly difficult, with distance and authority delegation complicating the very first draft for over a year after the RPA was fully planned and the construction itself would run into several disagreements regarding location, budget and even its purpose and make-up.

This had to do, of course, with differing circumstances between Portugal and the Brazilian states. A Scientific HQ in Rio would have to serve a much larger territory, have different social priorities in mind, benefit from direct access to the scientific El Dorado that was the Amazon Rainforest and there was the matter of what relation it would have with the Lisbon office, which many expected to be one of subordination. The Lisbon HQ desired to maintain control over it to assure its control over the Rio establishment accomplishments and policies, but this raised preoccupation in the Brazilian scientific community, which wondered if the one in Portugal had their interests in mind.

In order to accommodate, the founding of the academy in Brazil had to obey a series of concessions from both parts, mostly concerning the attribution of merits for academic achievements and the possession of artifacts, prototypes, archeological objects, biological samples from the amazon rainforest and even official patents. It was agreed that Lisbon was entitled to extracting Brazilian findings but only if said finding was respected as Brazilian. This would characterize the national profile of many colonial scientists and explorers that emerged later on as serving Lisbon but always Brazilian, which was the case of the famous botanist Lacerda, who would explore an enormous extent of the Zambezi River in Mozambique in the early 19th century and perish in a following expedition along the Limpopo.[4]

Following the establishment of these advanced institutions were the cooperation agreements between these and third-parties, usually manufactories, shipyards and foreign institutions. The objective was an overall reduction of financial and manpower cost and the sharing of findings, experiments and documentations. Universities were provided an inlet and outlet of students and scientific work to accelerate their growth and reputation rise.

This network of colleges in the metropolis was significantly productive, printing out papers on their respective fields yearly together with new generations of educated privileged men. By 1783 reputation had risen well enough, with the hiring of foreign teachers becoming significantly easier and the inlet of students growing more diverse.

This allowed the effort towards the advancement of sciences and linguistics to carry new weight. The 1780 program had an unprecedented academic ambition in the sense it wished to turn its scientific buildings into houses of mathematics and chemistry. A new respect for the field of physics and chemistry was imposed, with old instruments being modernized for new research practices.

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Experiment equipment used by Lazzaro Spallanzani and Jan Ingen-Housz was imported and standardized

Important documentation on physical and chemical properties began to be written and registered, especially in the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. Uniformed measurement discussions, chemical memorabilia, physic notes and all kinds of important scientific advancement work were done to ensure the new institutions were efficient and up to standard.

Finally, research contracts were signed under the tutelage of the new Ministry of Armament & Industry to procure weapon and gunsmith innovations. With the wars with the Dutch and French becoming increasingly frequent and Luso-Hispanic tensions rising by the decade, militaristic mood was rebirthing itself in the country, with both the urban and rural populations growing increasingly worried about future conflicts. Many students were routed to armament manufactories, where the ‘Crespi’ carbine & rifle model used in the RVR’s light cavalry was being worked on to expand it to regular troop muskets (something that would ultimately fail but lead to other important innovations).


Weapon research became an ugly shadow of the 1780 program; its effects on the upbringing of the next generation’s mindset resulted in a decade of young men and women who genuinely regarded war as a common occurrence and even eventual necessity. Cannons, muskets, boat guns and, later on, armed Indian rockets were all worked on and produced with unprecedented preoccupation, proving the growing aggression in the national mentality.

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[1] Portuguese Catholic Church

[2] iOTL it would take the Portuguese government till the 1820’s to implement a national basic education structure and put a plan in place. But even then, lack of money to build schools throughout the country and to train and pay for teachers as well as general attitude by upper class that the common laborer need not know how to read and write resulted in Portugal only making primary school attendance obligatory that all children till age of 12 in 1947. “A Historia da Minha Infanciaª by Matilde Pereira recounts in vivid detail the turmoil the implementation of this law brought unto a village on the slopes of Serra de Montejunto. Mothers cried out in anguish on losing their daughters and sons to school when they were needed at home to help with household chores. Girls helped out with taking care of younger siblings and around house while boys, as young as 7 were used as couriers to cart the lunch and dinner to the men working in the fields.

[3] iOTL the Royal Navy & Commerce Academy was founded only in 1803 and transformed into the Polytechnic academy more than a century later.

[4] See section: Rebirth of an Empire 1799-1820 - Mozambique Expansion


Note:
We continue posting the Last Years of Pombal 1777 -1782. This post deals with the educational and scientific developments or better yet policies and government decisions during the last years of Pombal's government. To better understand the issues and topics covered in this post it is important to understand where the Portuguese were just 20-30 years before, backwards and in many ways medieval in their approach. Just like iOTL under Pombal government they were modernized, the primary difference here is that under direction of a more intelectual minister their modernization has come further and more profound. unlike iOLT the death of King Joseph I did not stop or reverse some of the reforms. Here they continued to grow. If I may use an analogy from the parts of the world familiar with snow. "A small snowball rolling down a hill gets larger and larger as it picks up speed" so too are the reforms in the Portuguese empire. Not only in education and science but in all aspects. Questions/Comments

Please return Sunday March 3 as we post the 4th installment of the Rebirth of Empire (2 of 2) - The Last Years of Pombal 1777 - 1782 (Minister of Finance and Commerce).
 
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