WI: King Joseph of Portugal was killed in 1758

WI; King Joseph of Portugal was killed in 1758

On September 3rd, 1758 King Joseph I of Portugal was nearly assassinated by three masked men. The men were thought to be part of some sort of coup to lead by the Tavora family to remove Joseph and his leading minster, the Marquis of Pombal, from power. If Joseph died he would have been succeeded by his daughter Maria who was only twenty four at the time. How would his death influence events in Portugal to come? Would the reforms of Joseph’s reign, such as the edict of 1773 that abolished slavery in Portugal, still occur under Maria? Would Pombal remain in his position? Would the rebuilding of the Lisbon from the 1755 earthquake be interrupted? How would Portugal fare when it is invaded by Spain in 1762 just a few years after the assassination?
Source

Rousseau and Revolution by Will Durant
 
Last edited:
Could you please not change the font? The small size and the font itself are a bit grating.


  • Part of the reason why Maria was displeased by the Marquis of Pombal was his brutal treatment of the Távoras. It was probably quite blown out of proportion. Persecuting them, along with suppressing the Jesuits, was financially advantageous to the Crown (who got their estates, I believe) and political sense for the Marquis of Pombal, who wasn't particularly uncontroversial with them. If the Távoras tried to kill Joseph, and succeeded, maybe Maria wouldn't be quite so opposed to their execution, although she may have wanted the Marquis to be less heavy-handed when dealing with them. Of course, this doesn't mean that there wouldn't have been rifts between her and the Marquis that could ultimately have led to his dismissal.
  • I'm not 100% sure but I believe that the Marquis was one of the main backers of the idea of abolishing slavery in Portugal, so if he doesn't retain his position it's possible that it wouldn't have happen (or perhaps the rifts above take long enough to happen that he has time to do that). It's also possible that someone else would have come up with the idea, and I think Maria wouldn't have been opposed to it, but it's hard to say.
  • I don't think that the rebuilding would have been interrupted. Most likely, if he was sacked earlier, it would have continued along with his original plans if someone recognised them as being good, or it would merely have been different. He could also have been demoted from his position but placed in a different one that dealt more exclusively with the rebuilding work.
  • The involvement of Portugal in the Seven Years' War would likely have been more or less the same. Part of the reason why things didn't go worse for Portugal is that it wasn't merely Portugal vs. Spain, it was part of a larger war that included other countries as well. If alliances remain the same as they were in OTL (and I think they would) then it would have gone down the same way, with only small differences if any.
 
Could you please not change the font? The small size and the font itself are a bit grating.


  • Part of the reason why Maria was displeased by the Marquis of Pombal was his brutal treatment of the Távoras. It was probably quite blown out of proportion. Persecuting them, along with suppressing the Jesuits, was financially advantageous to the Crown (who got their estates, I believe) and political sense for the Marquis of Pombal, who wasn't particularly uncontroversial with them. If the Távoras tried to kill Joseph, and succeeded, maybe Maria wouldn't be quite so opposed to their execution, although she may have wanted the Marquis to be less heavy-handed when dealing with them. Of course, this doesn't mean that there wouldn't have been rifts between her and the Marquis that could ultimately have led to his dismissal.
  • I'm not 100% sure but I believe that the Marquis was one of the main backers of the idea of abolishing slavery in Portugal, so if he doesn't retain his position it's possible that it wouldn't have happen (or perhaps the rifts above take long enough to happen that he has time to do that). It's also possible that someone else would have come up with the idea, and I think Maria wouldn't have been opposed to it, but it's hard to say.
  • I don't think that the rebuilding would have been interrupted. Most likely, if he was sacked earlier, it would have continued along with his original plans if someone recognised them as being good, or it would merely have been different. He could also have been demoted from his position but placed in a different one that dealt more exclusively with the rebuilding work.
  • The involvement of Portugal in the Seven Years' War would likely have been more or less the same. Part of the reason why things didn't go worse for Portugal is that it wasn't merely Portugal vs. Spain, it was part of a larger war that included other countries as well. If alliances remain the same as they were in OTL (and I think they would) then it would have gone down the same way, with only small differences if any.

yeah, i already tryed it keeps changing itself back:(
 
Top