Pedro IV of Portugal, I of Brazil

Miguel I of Portugal

The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834. Embroiled parties included Britain, France, Portugal, Portuguese rebels, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church and Spain. Pic of emperor Peter I of Brazil. ... Pic of emperor Peter I of Brazil. ... Image File history File links Picture of Michael I of Portugal. ... Image File history File links Picture of Michael I of Portugal. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see Terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins and sees itself as the true Church founded by Jesus of Nazareth and maintained through Apostolic Succession from the Twelve...

Roots of the conflict

The death of King João VI of Portugal in 1826 created a dispute over royal succession. The rightful heir to the throne was his eldest son, Pedro I of Brazil, who was briefly made Pedro IV of Portugal. Neither the Portuguese nor the Brazilians wanted a unified monarchy; consequently, Pedro abdicated the Portuguese crown in favor of his daughter, Maria da Glória of Portugal, a child of seven, on the condition that when of age she marry his brother, Miguel. In April 1826, as part of the succession settlement, Pedro revised the constitution granted in 1822, the first constitution of Portugal, and returned to Brazil leaving the throne to Maria, with Miguel as regent. John VI (Portuguese João, pron. ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil; Pedro IV of Portugal Pedro I of Brazil, known as Dom Pedro (October 12, 1798 - September 24, 1834), proclaimed Brazil independent from Portugal and became Brazils first Emperor. ... Maria II da Glória, (English: Mary II), the Educator (Port. ... Miguel of Portugal (English: Michael), the Traditionalist (Port. ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... // High public office A regent, from the Latin regens who reigns is anyone who acts as head of state, especially if not the monarch (who has higher titles). ...

A new constitution

In the Portuguese Constitutional Charter, Pedro attempted to reconcile absolutists and liberals by allowing both factions a role in government. Unlike the Constitution of 1822, this new document established four branches of government. The legislature was divided into two chambers. The upper chamber, the Chamber of Peers, was composed of life and hereditary peers and clergy appointed by the king. The lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, was composed of 111 deputies elected to four-year terms by the indirect vote of local assemblies, which in turn were elected by a limited suffrage of male tax-paying property owners. Judicial power was exercised by the courts; executive power by the ministers of the government; and moderative power by the king, who held an absolute veto over all legislation. A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ...

Discontent

The absolutist party of the landowners and the Church, however, were not satisfied with this compromise, and they continued to regard Miguel as the legitimate successor to the throne on the grounds that he was Portuguese, while Pedro was Brazilian. They were alarmed by the liberal reforms that had been initiated in Spain by the detested Revolutionary French (reforms which the Portuguese feudal aristocracy had been spared) and took heart at the recent restoration of the autocratic Ferdinand VII in Spain (1823) who was eradicating all the Napoleonic innovations. In February 1828, Miguel returned to Portugal, ostensibly to take the oath of allegiance to the Charter and assume the regency. He was immediately proclaimed king by his supporters, who pressed him to return to absolutism. A month after his return, Miguel dissolved the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Peers and, in May, summoned the traditional cortes of the three estates of the realm to proclaim his accession to absolute power. The Cortes of 1828 assented to Miguel's wish, proclaiming him king as Miguel I of Portugal and nullifying the Constitutional Charter. The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see Terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins and sees itself as the true Church founded by Jesus of Nazareth and maintained through Apostolic Succession from the Twelve... Ferdinand VII (October 14, 1784 - September 29, 1833) was King of Spain from 1813 to 1833. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Hernán Cortés, Corte (disambiguation), for the judicial bodies of the Spanish-speaking Americas, and the communes in France and Italy Cortes Generales (General Courts), usually just las Cortes, national legislative assembly of Spain The term Cortes is also used for the historic assembly of the three estates of... King Miguel of Portugal (October 26, 1802 - November 14, 1866) was the second son of King John VI of Portugal. ...

Rebellion

This usurpation did not go unchallenged by the liberals. On May 18, the garrison in Porto, the center of Portuguese progressives, declared its loyalty to Pedro, to Maria da Glória, and the Constitutional Charter. The rebellion against the absolutists spread to other cities. Miguel suppressed these rebellions, and many thousands of liberals were either arrested or fled to Spain and Britain. There followed five years of repression. May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Norte  - Subregion Grande Porto  - District or A.R. Porto Mayor Rui Rio  - Party PSD Area 41. ...

In Brazil, meanwhile, relations between Pedro and Brazil's agricultural magnates had become strained. In April 1831 Pedro abdicated in Brazil in favor of his son, Pedro II, and sailed for Britain. He organized a military expedition there and then went to the Azores, which were in the hands of the liberals, to set up a government in exile. In July 1832, with the backing of liberals in Spain and England an expedition led by Dom Pedro as Pedro IV landed near Porto, where it was besieged by Miguelite forces. To protect British interests, a naval squadron under Commander William Glascock in HMS Orestes was stationed in the Douro, where it came under fire from both sides. Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Dom Pedro IIs family Dom Pedro II and President Ulysses S. Grant, Philadelphia Exposition, 1876 Dom Pedro II in his old age Dom Pedro II of Brazil Dom Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil was the second and final Brazilian Emperor. ... Location Motto of the autonomous region: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (Portuguese: To die free rather than to be subjugated in peace) Official language Portuguese Capitals Ponta Delgada (Presidency of the autonomous government), Angra do Heroísmo (Supreme Court), Horta (Legislative Assembly) Other towns Praia da Vitória... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Norte  - Subregion Grande Porto  - District or A.R. Porto Mayor Rui Rio  - Party PSD Area 41. ... The Douro at Oporto The Douro (Spanish Duero, Latin Durius, Portuguese Douro) is one of the major rivers of Spain and Portugal, flowing from its source near Soria across central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Oporto. ...

In June 1833, the liberals, still encircled at Porto, sent to the Algarve a force commanded by the duke of Terceira supported by a naval squadron commanded by Charles Napier, using the alias 'Carlos de Ponza'. Terceira landed at Faro and marched north through the Alentejo to capture Lisbon on July 24. Meanwhile Napier's squadron encountered the absolutists' fleet near Cape Saint Vincent (Cabo São Vincente) and decisively defeated it at the fourth Battle of Cape St. Vincent. The liberals were able to occupy Lisbon, where Pedro moved from Oporto and repulsed a Miguelite siege. A stalemate of nine months ensued. Towards the end of 1833 Maria da Glória was proclaimed Queen, and Don Pedro was made Regent. His first act was to confiscate the property of all who had served under Don Miguel. He also suppressed all religious houses and confiscated their property, an act that suspended friendly relations with Rome for nearly eight years, until mid-1841. The absolutists controlled the rural areas, where they were supported by the aristocracy, and by a peasantry that was galvanized by the Church. The liberals occupied Portugal's major cities, Lisbon and Porto, where they commanded a sizeable following among the middle classes. Operations against the Miguelists began again in earnest in early 1834 and they were defeated at Évora-Monte. Algarve NUTS II region, and the district of Faro in Portugal Vilamouras marina Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Algarve The Algarve (pron. ... Terceira Island is a Portuguese island in the Azores Archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. ... Admiral Sir Charles Napier (6 March 1786–6 November 1860) was a British admiral whose 54 years in the Royal Navy included service in the Napoleonic Wars, Syrian War and the Crimean War, and a period commanding the Portuguese navy in the Liberal Wars. ... Wall entrance City Hall The Hermitage of Nossa Senhora do Pé da Cruz Statue of King Afonso III Governo Civil Igreja da Sé (main church) Faros Island Faros Marina The old mercy/church and hospital in Faro Faro is both a city and a district in southern Portugal. ... NUTS II Alentejo region. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisbon  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... The Cabo de São Vicente (Cape St. ... The fourth Battle of Cape St Vincent was fought on 5 July 1833 and was a decisive encounter in Portugals Liberal Wars. ...

Peace

The Battle of Aceiceira, fought on May 16, 1834, was the last and decisive engagement of the Portuguese Civil War. The Miguelite army was still formidable (about 18,000 men), but on May 24, 1834, at Évora-Monte, a peace was declared under a convention by which Don Miguel formally consented to renounce all claims to the throne of Portugal, was guaranteed an annual pension, and was banished from Portugal, never to return. Don Pedro restored the Constitutional Charter, but he died September 24, 1834. Maria da Glória resumed her interrupted reign as Maria II of Portugal. Combatants Loyalist Portuguese Miguelites Commanders Don Pedro Don Miguel The Battle of Asseiceira, fought on May 16, 1834, was the last and decisive engagement of the Portuguese Civil War, or War of the Two Brothers, between Dom Pedro, ex-Emperor of Brazil (fighting to restore his daughter Donna Maria da... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Maria II da Glória, (pron. ...

References

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.