Rebirth of the Empire (Part 1 of 2) (cont)
Pombaline Cabinet (1762 - 1777) (Cont)
Ministry of Army & Foreign Affairs (1 of 6)
“Let he who’s burdened by this weight account for our security, our legacy, our pride and our honor. In times of greatest darkness, it shall be our own effort, steeled by the fires of innovation, discipline and determination, and our tongue, silvered by enlightenment, open heartedness and reputation, that shall safeguard the sacred borders of yonder. Let he hold the pen and the sword and protect us wisely with both of them.”
-King Joseph I, proclaiming the new reformed Ministry of Army & Foreign Affairs
The Portuguese Armed Forces, which dated back to the assortment of militia, knights, crusaders and galleys rallied by Alphonse I to fight the Moors in the 12th Century of the Reconquista, were a subject of fluctuating domestic importance, strength and international relevance. While known in the Peninsula as fierce independence fighters ready to lift arms against empires four times their size, the Portuguese Army did not strike a particular amount of fear into any enemy, especially after the Iberian Union and the Restoration.
The Portuguese themselves did not regard their army very highly, and who could blame them with a much larger neighbor constantly belittling their peace and prosperity? Their last grand military adventure, namely King Sebastian’s crusade in Morocco, had demonstrated a stupidly inflated amount of hubris that plunged the country into six tragic decades of Habsburg personal Union no one was fond of remembering and it seemed as if every war won against Spain was always at a great cost and great deal of British help.
To accentuate the matter, Prime Minister Count Melo of Oeiras was not a man of arms. As a matter of fact, the future Marquis of Pombal despised the possibility of armed conflict, believing prosperity and prestige could only come from peace and business. His lack of interest and talent with the military had demonstrated itself with his weak handling of the Fantastic War, as he was unable to even gather a proper force of soldiers without a good deal with Anglo-German help.
By 1762, as a result, the sting of the war’s many damages burned deeply in the hearts of the people and King Joseph, outraged with the state of matters, demanded that the Prime Minister reformed the army into a semblance of a fighting force, even if he had to build it out of British officers and rag-tag war refugees with nothing to eat.
Between 1762 and 1777, this matter would be dealt with, and oh so severely, and the Prime Minister knew exactly who to invite to head the many projects that would revive the Portuguese Armed Forces from next to nothing into what would become one of the most important armies of the late 18th Century’s European colonialism.
The German General
There was little doubt in anyone’s mind on who was perfect for the job of administering the Portuguese Armed Forces. He was competent, confident, inspiring and a visionary, not to mention he was close by due to having just won a massive victory for Portugal in land combat. Respected by and respectful of the Portuguese soldiers, the man for the job was none other than the Count of Lippe.
Count Friedrich Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe
Born 9th January 1724
Died 10th September 1777
German Aristocrat & General
Born in London as the son of Albert Wolfgang and of an illegitimate granddaughter of George I of Great Britain, the Count Frederick William of Lippe was a sharp, perceptive man with a talent for detecting the greatest strengths in others and of typical Anglo-German inclination to army matters who started accompanying his father into battle as soon as he turned sixteen, more precisely during the War of Austrian Succession, the conflict that would see Prussia annex Silesia and make its first steps in the rise to stardom. During that war he served both the Dutch and the Austrians on separate occasions, mostly occupying officer and leadership roles rather than direct combat, and would be present at several major battles such as Dettingen.
His aristocratic prestige would begin with the death of his father in 1748, the same year that concluded the war over Maria Theresa’s right to the Austrian throne. Since his older brother had been killed in a duel in 1742, Frederick saw himself unexpectedly made the heir and inherited the title of Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. He did not prove himself a prolific manager of lands, however, preferring to further his military career in conflicts throughout Central Europe. Often picking sides based on British preference, Count William sided with the Prussians in the Seven Years War and polished his belt with further victories, this time as the allied artillery head, against the Saxons and French such as during the battle of Minden.
As a result of his experience and merit, the Count became an able coordinator of forces of various kinds, from infantry to artillery, and understood the delicacies of the chain of command. Though he preferred a defensive style of warfare, he understood the tactical meaning behind daring attacks as a way to protect the army rather than risk it.
His talent would shine the brightest during none other than the Fantastic War, where he was enlisted to lead the British expedition to Portugal as part of the Seven Years War. In it, Count William found himself before extremely unprepared and undersized Armed Forces facing a triple Spanish invasion whose victory seemed all but guaranteed. Despite the skepticism of the native Prime Minister as well as the foreign observers, Count William not only believed it to be possible to repel the Spanish attack, but also do it with the Portuguese troops rather than exclusively the British reinforcements.
His campaign in Iberia was nothing short of brilliant; after rallying thousands of Portuguese around the British core of reinforcements, the tactical use of marches and countermarches employed by the Count allowed him to completely outmaneuver the much larger Spanish forces and strike their supply points. The sheer humiliation he subjected the Spanish to was astonishing, as the much larger armies found themselves hesitating to strike the Count’s favorable positions all in the meanwhile running out of time and resources to keep the war going on. No matter where they went the Portuguese got there first and assumed strong defensive points and as the supply lines were cut and the ground beneath them burned, the Spanish forces disintegrated before the much inferior Anglo-Lusitanian Army. The invasion would end in 1762 with a mindboggling Portuguese victory, mere months after it began.
The Count, however, remained in Portugal to oversee the peace negotiations, making use of his threatening presence to enforce the Portuguese Prime Minister’s demands for war reparations. This means the German General was present in Lisbon during Joseph I’s final touchups on the cabinet reforms.
At the dawn of 1763, when negotiations with the Duke of Lafões for his appointment to Minister of Science and Education were under way, the Count was a figure of celebrity and popularity in Portugal, having been publicly announced as the heroic leader responsible for the Portuguese victory. The soldiers who served under him admired the General for his leadership and the citizens in Lisbon and Oporto revered him as a hero who saved them from the Spanish, albeit at the cost of burning the southern bank of the Tagus to ash. King Joseph in particular felt an enormous debt of gratitude towards him and sought to reward the Count properly for his services.
In February 1763, King Joseph sought to consolidate the General’s presence and offered him the position of Minister of the Army as part of the new cabinet being formed under Pombal. Greatly surprised by the offer, as the Count was not Portuguese, William of Lippe, much like the Duke of Lafões, revealed reservations as a result of a strained relationship with the current Prime Minister of Portugal. His German aristocratic title also delayed his answer, as the Count felt accepting the role of Minister in a foreign nation would estrange him from his compatriots.
The Count eventually signed a contract under the terms of freedom of action and a minimal budget securement. Expressing a preoccupation with the Portuguese military state, William feared the situation in the country would rapidly degrade should he either leave or have his administrative ability somehow limited, and a collapse in the Portuguese military strength as a result of his negligence could lead to the prestige he obtained with his miraculous victory in the Fantastic War would be jeopardized.
Other factors were in play, however. The Count also wished to strengthen and organize what was an important ally to Britain both in the Iberian Peninsula and overseas as a way to curb a future Spanish interference in international matters. He understood it to be an important service to his British and German homelands to remain in Portugal and see the reorganization of its armed forces through and the best way he could do so was in accepting King Joseph’s offer. The promises of a military order award as well as of gold were also tantalizing. Finally, the Count found himself getting along quite well with the new Minister of Education, the Duke of Lafões, who shared with him a deep anglophilia, a disdain for Pombal and a fascination towards matters of military.
On the 1st of March of 1763, who would become one of the most important military reformers in the country was announced by King Joseph as Minister of the Army & Foreign Affairs.
As a member of the famous Pombaline Cabinet, Count William was not the oldest and certainly not the unhealthiest, but he would become quite unfortunately the first one to leave office, as his untimely death would come at the end of King Joseph’s reign in 1777. Even so, the Count adapted to his life as a minister as well as he did as an Expeditionary General for the Portuguese in the Fantastic War; he was a popular overseer and tactician, able to easily gain the respect of the soldiers and the friendship of the aristocrats, and his understanding of Portugal’s strengths and weaknesses would allow him to optimize the Armed Forces unlike anyone so far.
In career matters his reign as the leader of the Portuguese Armed Forces would be remarked by a constant state of tug-of-war with not only the Portuguese Prime Minister but also Ambassador Castro, who was appointed the Minister of Navy & Oversea Affairs. Resources for reforms and reconstructions were a constant issue as not only was the Prime Minister incline to use them to further the economy rather than the army, but Ambassador Castro displayed a gift to reroute them to the Navy’s projects. While his friendship with the Ambassador was not in question, as they were eventually able to work together surprisingly well in conjoint matters such as the Mariner and Archipelago Acts, the complete opposition of interests he had with the prime Minister often threatened to leave his department underfunded and in disrepair, which was the Count’s biggest fear from the get-go.
The Count’s primary allies were, then, the Duke of Lafões and the King himself. Duke John and Count Frederick not only shared a common liking towards Britain, an aristocratic upbringing, the liking of the King and an inclination towards educational and military theory, but also became notorious for their incessant belittling of the future Marquis of Pombal. While the distinct nature of their departments prevented a closer cooperation, they often backed each other’s arguments in the cabinet, much to the Prime Minister’s frustration, and were able to secure for each other important budget allowances that made their many ambitious projects and reforms possible.
The king’s determination to rebuild the army was also pivotal in securing William’s work. While the Prime Minister would much rather leave the army abandoned to its poor state, King Joseph the Reformer was adamant in his demand for the buildup of a proper force and often discussed with the Minister ways to do so without blowing the coffers.
Over time, though, he gained the respect of all members of the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister. Once issues with Ambassador Castro were worked out, the two Ministers happily let bygones be bygones and worked together to further mix the nation’s military and naval power into one of the most cohesive armed forces if its age. Being responsible for securing a number of military supply contracts for Jacques Ratton that helped kick start the nation’s arm industry, he also enjoyed the favor of the Finance Minister.
By 1764, the Minister’s presence in the country was cemented by the birth of his two illegitimate children, Joseph Pedro Elvas and Olympia Pedro Elvas, both born in Elvas and whom he had baptized in Campo Maior but cut off from the family’s main inheritance line. A marriage to the German countess Marie Eleanora without legitimizing them would forever render his first two children as ‘merely Portuguese’ and, though Olympia would be one day recognized by her father’s cousin, she remained in Portugal until her death in 1822.
As the years passed and the country’s industrial and economic capacity improved, Count William became a respected member of the cabinet, finding little opposition to most of his acts and decisions. He refrained himself from interfering directly in Saint Verney’s religious council, but would still play a protective role by voicing support for the ‘Tentativa Theológica’ treatise. In 1776 he showed signs of illness that terminated his presence in the cabinet and in 1777 would perish shortly after King Joseph I’s demise and King Joseph II’s rise to the throne.
The Abandoned Armed Forces
By 1762, despite the victory over the Spanish, the situation of the Portuguese army was dismal.
While Portugal was a country used to war, it often found the path to greatness to be through peace in Europe. That had not changed since the Restoration War; quite on the contrary. As the country’s importance was eclipsed more and more by the decade and the prospects of continental expansion all but denied, it became exponentially important to ensure Portugal was not dragged any further into costly and unnecessary continental messes as it tried to restore the lost commercial and colonial power. Though the occasional expedition from nobles and officers was always necessary to keep the country sharp and updated, a direct involvement was always a terribly regarded choice.
This policy had endured through the late 17th century and early 18th century, with Portugal minimizing its conflicts to colonial expansion and Muslim containment, always with varying success. This kept the undersized navy busy, but also meant the continental army was underused.
Since the death of King John V the Magnanimous, the Portuguese Army, as a result of decades of misuse and negligence, were already in pretty poor shape. Recruitment was at an all-time low and the maintenance costs were at an all-time high. Training was inadequate, morale was not the best, leadership was outdated, technology was outpaced and things looked pretty bad overall. Still, the successes in colonial campaigns in Brazil had proven Portugal had not lost its fangs. They were old, sick, small and didn’t bite very deeply, but the fangs were still there nonetheless.
In 1755, however, the Armed Forces would face an almost total collapse under the disinterested leadership of Prime Minister Melo.
Holding the option of using the army to further the country’s goals in scant regard, the future Marquis of Pombal rerouted almost every resource he had at his disposal towards securing Portuguese productivity growth and political stability. Between 1755 and 1762, the army was left in a state of abandonment, being used to little more than putting down revolts against Pombal’s government and forcing immigrants into labor in Lisbon. More and more resources and manpower was denied to them and the sheer negligence led to a steady shrinking of the army in both size and capacity.
As such, by 1762, the Anglo-German expedition led by Count Lippe to Portugal found the forces in an astonishing state of weakness. The chain of command was nigh inexistent as there was virtually no officer ready for war, the recruits were weak and inexperienced, supplies were low, orders took forever to be answered despite the Letter Road project being active at this point and little more than a few thousand forces were even ready to take up arms in defense of the nation.
The sheer brutality of the situation revolted the Count; seeing a complete lack of proper military communication, leadership, valor and courage meant that the Portuguese Continental Army ranks were as good as empty as far as he was concerned, and it would take a truly genius campaign from his part to beat back the three Spanish attacks that came.
As such, in 1763, when the Count of Lippe was officially appointed, there was virtually no Portuguese Army to speak of as far as the Minister was concerned. Though many brave regiments inspired by his leadership remained from the force he constructed during the war, the Count knew much, much more was possible under the correct guidance. He would have a lot of work to do, though.
With virtually no army to work with, many in his place would feel discouraged, but the Count saw it instead as an excellent opportunity; the fact that there was no real force ready to constitute the new Portuguese Army meant that, much like with Jacques Ratton’s industrialization, the Army Minister was free to lay the groundwork for building a new, modern army completely from scratch using but the finest organizational and training techniques available to the West. Censuses were immediately sent out to determine the true capacity of the Portuguese population to wage war and new doctrines of army build were prepared by the Minister.
Much like the industrial sector and Lisbon itself, the Portuguese Armed Forces would be revived from the ashes of the old corrupt empire but, before he could dedicate himself to that, an Achilles Heel of his had to be dealt with; Foreign Affairs.
Note:
The Ministry of Army and Foreign Affairs section deals with several important topics that were fundamental to the modernization of the Portuguese armed forces not only within Metropolitan Portugal but the Empire as well, (note Navy is under Ministry of Navy and Colonial Affairs) to that effect we are posting it in six separate posts. This first post deals with reorganization of the Ministry and appointment of another foreigner to the Portuguese cabinet. iOTL Count Lippe had a huge impact on Portuguese armed forces and fortifications, it was a shame that Portuguese resources and resolve was not sufficient to complete the plans. Comments / questions???.
Please return Sunday April 23 as we post the next two chapters "Secretary of Foreign Affairs & Portuguese Diplomatic Corp".& "Reformed Army Structure & Modern Chain of Command"
