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The Revolution of 1820 in Portugal

The raising up of Riego in Spain, the 1st of January of 1820, spread so easily to Portugal, where the revolution triumphs at first. But over the years and a coup, will end with the liberal Portuguese dream, that would have the same luck as Spain.

In this country the first riots started the 24th of august in 1820, called ‘‘The Liberal Revolution of Oporto’’. The burgueoisie was disappointed because of the consecuences of the French invasion that they suffered thanks to Napoleon. They also critized the british dominance over the country and the measures taken in Brazil to open the doors to the commercial world. The british officers controlled Portugal’s army even thought the danger was over.

But one thing that disturbed the most to the Portuguese people was the political situation of the country. Since Napoleon tried to conquer Portugal, the king Juan VI had runaway to Brazil and he stablished there his gobernment and the administration of the Portuguese colonial empire. This shifted the ‘’lusos’’ to another background and also this have condemned them economically due to the exclusiveness of the commerce with their colonies didn’t exist already.

The military riot of Oporto supposed a change. In a few days, it took the control of the whole city, from there the rest of cities sticked easily to the constitutionalists proposes. In Lisboa, the ancient capital of the Portuguese kingdom, there was also a military rising, although until the 15th of September they didn’t took the control of the city. A few days later, the 28th of September, the authorities of Oporto and Lisboa created ‘’Junta Provisional do Sopremo Governo do Reino’’ what took the reins of the country.

The new Government had the support of all the social states of Portugal. The clergy, the nobility and the army were favorable to the new constitutionalist trend. The main measures that they wanted to adopt were the return of the Court to the Realm of Portugal, the restoration of the exclusive commerce with Brazil and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. To carry out these projects, they summoned extraordinary and constituent general courts. Its labour was to make a Constitution. While they made it, they followed some of the same rules as the Spanish constitution of 1812.

In 1821, the liberals called Juan VI to return to the country, with the rest of the royal family. All came back, except the prince Pedro, who stayed as regent in Brazil. The monarch willingly accepted the new constitutional situation of the country and he swore the Constitution.

But not all were good news. From here on, new plots surged which make the liberal Government weaker and that would finish restoring the Ancien Régime. Moreover, the 7th of September of 1822 the independence of Brazil was proclaimed due to the Brazilian elites didn’t want to be subjugated again to the absolute control of Portugal. The regent of Brazil became the emperor Pedro I.

In the other hand, Carlota Joaquina, wife of Juan IV and sister of Fernando VII of Spain, refused to accept the lost of the absolute powers and resorted to his son Miguel. With him, she planned a coup in 1823.

However, the death of Juan IV in 1826 was what really eliminated the Portuguese liberal revolution. The successor of Portugal was Pedro I of Brazil, as his father named him successor. But he, after grant a new constitution, he abdicated in his daughter Maria II. Even though her reign didn’t last much, because Miguel made a new armed rising up and implanted an absolutists régime that kept up until 1834.

In conclusion, we can consider that Portuguese enjoyed of a huge liberal period that had positive and negative consequences. The positive ones were, for example, the success of a liberal Government supported by all the social classes. However, the most negative consequence was the independence of Portugal, which until so it was being the main source of income.