Pernambucan revolt

This article is about the 19th Century revolt. For the 17th Century insurrection, see Dutch Brazil.

Pernambuco revolt
Blessing of the Flags of the 1817 Revolution, by Antônio Parreiras
Date 1817 Location Captaincy of Pernambuco, Brazil Result Portuguese victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves	Rebels of Pernambuco and allies from Paraíba and Ceará.
Commanders and leaders
King John VI Marcos de Noronha e Brito	Domingos José Martins Antônio de Andrada Frei Caneca

The Pernambucan revolt of 1817, also known as the Priest's Revolution, occurred in the Captaincy of Pernambuco in the Northeastern region of Brazil, and was sparked mainly by the decline of sugar production rates and the influence of the Freemasonry in the region. Other important reasons for the revolt include: the ongoing struggle for the independence of Spanish colonies all over in South America; the independence of the United States; the generally liberal ideas that came through all of Brazil the century before, including many French Philosophers, such as Charles Montesquieu and Jean-Jacques Rousseau; the actions of secret societies, which insisted on the liberation of the colony; the development of a distinct culture in Pernambuco.

The movement was led by Domingos José Martins, with the support of Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada and Frei Caneca. The Consulate General of the United States in Recife, America's oldest diplomatic post in the Southern Hemisphere, publicly supported the Pernambucan revolutionaries.

This revolution is also notable for being one of the first attempts to establish an independent government in Brazil, as it was preceded by the Inconfidência Mineira.

Contrasting with the Inconfidência Mineira, that at its demise culminated in the killing of a lower class white man (Tiradentes) or the Revolt of the Tailors, whose leaders that where killed were mostly black young men, the Pernambucan revolt ended up with the killing of white, higher-class ringleaders.

Background

The revolt can be traced from the presence of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil, which mostly benefited the plantation owners, merchants and bureaucrats of the Central and Southern regions of the country. The inhabitants of other regions, namely the Northeast, were not satisfied by the monarch's stay, given that southern Brazilians generally had knowledge of the favors and new privileges conceded to them by the Portuguese monarch from which they had received great wealth. The northern Brazilians were generally separated from the monarch, and the benefits thereof, but, at the same time, had the responsibility to support him.

Another group not content with the politics of the King John VI of Portugal and Brazil were military officials of Brazilian descent. In order to protect the cities and provide aid in military actions in French Guiana and in the region of Prata, John brought troops from Portugal in order to organize military forces reserving the highest military ranks for the Portuguese nobility. Because of this, the level of taxes steadily rose as the colony was forced to maintain the expenditures of the military campaigns.

The historical analyst, Maria Odila Silva Dias, remarked that "in order to cover the costs of installing public works and civil servants, taxes on the export of sugar, tobacco and leather were increased, creating a series of troubles that directly affected the capitanias of the North, which the Court did not hesitate to burden with the violence of recruitment and with contributions to cover the expenses of war in the kingdom, in Guiana and in the Prata region. For the governors and functionaries of various capitanias, turning to Lisboa or to Rio was the same thing."

Troubles in the Northeast

Wood carving depicting Recife when taken by Pernambucan rebels.

The Northeastern region had already been affected by a famine causing a blow to cotton and sugar production in 1816, and creating another reason for the fervent desire for independence. In Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, and in the principal ports of the region, this desire and a general feeling of hostility toward the Portuguese was particularly extreme. The general sentiment was described as the "Portuguese of New Lisbon" exploit and oppress the "Pernambucan patriots."

Liberal ideas that entered Brazil by way of foreign travelers, books, and other sources incited the revolutionaries. Also, secret societies had formed from the end of the 18th century, often in the form of Masonic Lodges, several of which, such as Patriotismo, and Restauração, had existed in Pernambuco – all of which served as locations for the spreading and general discussion of the so-called "infamous French ideas", coming from the French Revolution. The Northern Lodges, including the ones of Pernambuco, were of English tradition and advocated for the implementation of a republic in Brazil. They had a quarrel of the Fluminense and Portuguese Lodges, of French tradition, that advocated for the implementation of a constitutional monarchy.

Preparation

In 1816, The Masonic Lodges intensively spread political propaganda in Pernambuco. The Government made several attempts to stop them. The Freemasons attempted to raise hostility amongst the Portuguese and Pernambucans and to get support from the Clergy, the local elite and the armed forces, that showed support for the conspirators.

Despite the adherence of the elites, their ideals were not nearly as much spread to the population. There were many troops from Dom João VI in the streets, and as consequence the republican ideals were maily discussed in private spaces.

In 1816, a slave reported the Tenants José Paulino de Almeida e Albuquerque and Antonio Vieira Cavalcante to the authorities. The slave was freed and Albuquerque and Cavalcante were arrested on the Snake Island, being later freed on 14 February.

The Revolt

Beginning

It is believed the revolt was scheduled to 16 March 1817. Shortly before the revolt, Domingos José Martins and the priest João Ribeiro ended relationships with the Tenant Colonel Alexandre Tomás, a fellow Freemason probably from the French rite.

The Governor Caetano Pinto received a report about the conspiracy on 1 March. On 4 March, he made his troops swear obedience to the monarchy and the harmony between Brazilians and Portuguese and on the 5th he made a speech to Recife population, saying that Brazil would be elevated to an United Kingdom and all of them obeyed the same king.

On the 6th, he issued an arrest order to several Freemasons of the English rite. Amongst the accused were three artillery Captains, Domingos Teotônio Pessoa de Melo, José de Barros Lima and Pedro da Silva Pedroso. The Brigadeer Manoel Joaquim Barbosa de Castro went to Forte de São Tiago das Cinco Pontas to fulfill the order, but he was murdered by Lima. Most of the officials unleashed their swords in support of the conspirators and two Portuguese officials fled.

After a few hours, the conspirators filled the streets and Caetano Pinto and his family fled to Forte de São João Batista do Brum. He then was obligated to renounce his post as governor and fled to Rio de Janeiro.

Provisional government

Shortly after, Martins organized elections for the Provincial Government of the Republic. Elections were barely unseen in Brazil, as they only happened to choose aldermen to the municipal chambers. Most of the candidates for the new government were tied to the local elites, but there were exceptions, such as Joaquim Ramos de Almeida and Tomás Antônio Ferreira Vila Nova, tied to subordinate groups.

The voting process happened on Casa do Erário, with the electorial college composed of Luiz Francisco de Paula Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, José Inácio Ribeiro de Abreu e Lima, Joaquim Ramos de Almeida, Francisco de Brito Bezerra Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Joaquim José Vaz Salgado, Antônio Joaquim Ferreira de S. Paio, Francisco de Paula Cavalcanti, Felipe Nery Ferreira, Joaquim d’Anunciação e Siqueira, Tomás Ferreira Vila Nova, José Maria de Vasconcelos Bourbon, Francisco de Paula Cavalcanti Júnior, Tomás José Alves de Siqueira, João de Albuquerque Maranhão and João Marinho Falcão.

João Ribeiro Pessoa de Melo Montenegro, Domingos Teotônio Jorge Martins Pessoa, José Luís de Mendonça and Manoel Correia de Araújo were elected as representants of the new government.

Communication strategies

After the Government was stablished, there were much more effords to spread the republican ideals to the population. The government used communication strategies inherited from the colonial times, such as bando, where a declaration was read on the streets to the sound of battery.

The press was also used. The republicans used the thypography from the English James Pinche to print pro-government proclamations. As there were no typhographers, the work was done by Pinche himself, two priests and one French sailor. One famous declaration was "Preciso", from José Luís Mendonça. The work accused Caetano Pinto of helping the court to oppress the rights of the Pernambucans.

Spread

The revolt extended to Ceará, Paraíba and to Rio Grande.

The Revolt was notified by Hipólito José da Costa on Correio Braziliense. The journal wrongly stated the states of Maranhão, Itamaracá and Pará also joined the republicans, and most of the coverage happened after the end of the Revolt.

The royalists thus began an intense vigil of the Brazilian cost, afraid of support from the Spanish America and the United States.

Fall

Page of the trial process of the leaders of the Pernambuco Revolution, 1819. National Archives of Brazil.

Two months later Recife was surrounded by sea and land by troops of the Portuguese monarch. The revolution, soon after, was dismantled.

Before the fall of the movement, the revolutionaries sought out the support of the United States, Argentina and England, without success. Known casualties of the conflict include the eventual execution of the rebel leaders: Domingos José Martins, José Luis de Mendonça, Domingos Teotônio Jorge and the Catholic priests Miguelinho and Pedro de Sousa Tenório. The corpses of the condemned were later mutilated by having their hands and heads cut off. Other corpses were dragged by their heads to a burial ground.

On 15 September 1817, Tomás Antônio Vila Nova Portugal revoked the license of James Pinche's press.

Diplomatic relations

United States

American suport

On 3 March, President James Madison signed the Neutrality Law of 1817, declaring neutrality over the Spanish American wars of independence. The official Diplomat of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, José Correia da Serra, was personal friends of James Madison, John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson and supported the creation of the Law, to avoid turmoil on Brazilian soil.

News about the revolt reached the USA through Charles Bowen, that left Recife on 13 March. He disembarked on the Port of Norfolk and gave the news to the Norfolk Herald. The journal notified the arrival of the diplomat and soon other journals published about the revolt, including the Washington-based National Intelligencer, Georgetown Messenger and Baltimore Patriot, that published "Preciso" in English. The journals were overall favourable for the republican cause. Two other American sailors, Seebohn and one unknown, were supporters of the Revolution and spread the news in US soil, creating certaing sympathy within Americans. Bowen then met the Governor and spoke about the revolution. Correia da Serra thus left to Washington D.C. on 31 May to speak against Bowen's audience, but it was considered legit.

Antonio Gonçalves da Cruz, known as Cruz Cabugá, was nominated Diplomat in the United States and, together with Domingos Pires Ferreira, that served as a translator, left Recife on 6 April. They brought 60:000$000 to buy ammunition and hiring mercenaries.

Cruz Cabugá reached Boston on 15 May, with journals such as Boston Daily Advertiser and Philadelphia Aurora praising his arrival. He later went to New York City and then to Washington, D.C. on 14 June, where he met Richard Rush to send documents about the revolution to the President. There, he was spied by the monarchists and suffered heavy resistance from Correia da Serra, that accused the American Government from spreading revolutions for not doing anything against Cabugá. Cabugá's pleadges weren't heard by Joseph Ray and Thomas Jefferson showed interest in signing a trade deal with Brazil, sending the ship Brackenridge in a diplomatic mission.

Disappointed, Cabugá went to Port of Baltimore, Maryland, where he bought ammunition and sent to Pernambuco within two ships, and then he went to Philadelphia. According to Correia da Serra, the ships were named Hoop Packet and Pinguim. Due the faliure of Correia da Serra to stop Cabugá's actions, he advised Dom João VI to maintain vigillance over American ships to stop the ammunition to reach Brazil. Nonethless, the ships arrived after the end of the Revolution. According to sailors intercepted by the Portuguese government, Pinguim headed to Gibraltar, but sank. The Portuguese authorities suspected the sailors were lying and arrested them, and thus heard about the plans to free Napoleon. Later, it was discovered the information was indeed a lie.

On 20 August, the revolt showed clear signs of decline, and Cruz Cabugá appealed for the President to send help for the rebels to avoid bloodshed.

After the failure of the revolt, Cruz Cabugá stayed on the United States, and on 21 May 1818, he was part of a dinner with other South-American rebels on Pennsylvania, where they proclaimed revenge against the martyrs of Pernambuco.

Napoleonic plans

Argentine historian Emilio Ocampo investigated the life of Carlos María de Alvear, and found British documents about a Bonapartist plot in Pernambuco to free Napoleón Bonaparte, and take him to some strategic location in South America, in order to create a new Napoleonic Empire. Alvear's plans were never carried out because of the defeat of the revolution.

Despite the inicial Portuguese ressentiment towards Napoleon for the transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil, the anti-Braganca sentiment was such that many involved with the revolt supposedly suported the conspiracy to release the French monarch, and Cruz Cabugá was also sent to United States help freeing Napoleon from the Island of Saint Helena and gather support for the revolution.

The ship Paragon, left the USA for an unknown destination, and raised Correia da Costa's suspission as it was carrying Colonel Latapie, Louis-Adolphe Le Doulcet, Artong and Raulet, all of which had ties with Napoleon. Le Doulcet stayed on Rio Grande do Norte, where he worked as a doctor and botanist, and Latapie, Artong and Raulet left on Paraíba. According to Ferreira da Costa, Colonel Latapie told him that they went to Brazil to inform José Bonaparte about the revolution to cary on the plans to free Napoleon.

However, on the date of the emissary's arrival in the United States, the Pernambuco revolutionaries were already besieged by Portuguese monarchist troops and close to surrender. When Napoleon's four veterans, Count Pontelécoulant, Colonel Latapie, orderly Artong and soldier Roulet, arrived in Brazil long after the revolution had ended, they were arrested before disembarking.

Mozambique

On 10 March, the republicans send a letter through the American Sally Dana for the Governor of Mozambique José Francisco de Paula Cavalcante de Albuquerque. He was a Freemason known for trying to approach Grand Orient de France and Grand Orient of Portugal. The royalists speculated the rebels wanted to bring him to Pernambuco. The letter was never answered and it is not known if it arrived to the recipient.

Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata

The revolt was notified in journals from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, such as O Censor and a Gazeta de Buenos-Ayres.

Correio Braziliense reported that Felix José Tavares Lira was named a Diplomat for the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. He was supposedly sent to Buenos Aires to negociate with the rebels in Paraguay. The journal would later retract, saying it was a mistake, but several historians considered the information real.

Pedro de Souza Tenório was asked to be the Diplomat in the region but he declined.

Kingdom of Great Britain

Hipólito José da Costa was asked to be the Diplomat in London, but he refused.

Ideals

The conspiracy was inspired by the French Revolution and the American Revolution. It sought to cut ties from the monarchy and stablish a republic controlled by the local elites.

The involved parties considered the revolution to be the second restauration of Pernambuco, as the first was the expulsion of the Dutch in 1654. There was a strong nationalistic sentiment amongst them, besides an antagonism against the Portuguese.

Shortly after the establishment of the Provincial Government of the Republic, all the monarchic symbols were abolished and a new calendar was established, with the starting point at the beginning of the revolution. There were also plans to establish a flag and Constitution similar to the United States.

In the peak of the revolt, one finds that the strongest Pernambucan patriots marked their identity in several methods – including drinking aguardente instead of wine and host made of wheat.

Further patriotic feelings were expressed with the chants:

Quando a voz da pátria chama
tudo deve obedecer;
Por ela a morte é suave
Por ela cumpre morrer

When the voice of the fatherland calls
All must obey
For her death is gentle
For she is worth dying for

Flag of the Revolt

The original flag, with three stars representing Pernambuco, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte.

The current flag of the Brazilian state, adopted from the revolt.

The general layout of the flag used by the revolutionaries still endures today, as the flag of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. The first flag was formed from the requirement for a flag to replace the Portuguese flag that had been hauled down from the Recife fort after the provisional government took control of the city. The government originally considered hoisting the French tricolor, but instead appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Father João Ribeiro Pessoa to develop a design. The design was copied in watercolor by the Rio de Janeiro artist Antônio Álvares—a painting that still existed when Ribeiro was writing in the 1930s—essentially the same as the modern state flag with the field dark blue over white, a single star above the rainbow. The flags were produced by the tailor José Barbosa, who was also a captain in the militia. The first flag was publicly blessed by the dean of the Recife cathedral on 21 March 1817.

In 1917, the same flag became the official banner of the current state.

According to its physical description, the flag's features signify the following: "The blue color in the upper rectangle symbolizes the grandeur of the Pernambuco sky. The color the white area is for peace. The three-colored rainbow represents the union of all the people of Pernambuco. The star indicates the state within the grouping of the Federation. The sun is the force and energy of Pernambuco, and finally, the cross represents our faith in justice and mutual understanding."

See also

• Rebellions and revolutions in Brazil
• History of Brazil
• Northeastern Brazil
• Pernambuco
• Frei Caneca
• Politics of Pernambuco

External links

• Description of Revolt (in Portuguese)