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History of Portugal (1777–1834)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: General history

    Miguel I of Portugal, the Traditionalist
               History of Portugal
   series
     * Prehistoric Portugal
     * Pre-Roman Portugal
     * Roman Hispania, Lusitania and Gallaecia
     * Visigoths and Suevi
     * Moorish rule and Reconquista
     * Castilian and Leonese rule
     * First County of Portugal
     * County of Coimbra
     * Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal
     * Second County of Portugal
     * Establishment of the Monarchy
     * Consolidation of the Monarchy
     * 1383–1385 Crisis
     * Discoveries
     * Portuguese Empire
     * 1580 Crisis
     * Iberian Union
     * Age of Enlightenment
     * Invasions, Liberalism and Civil War
     * Constitutional Monarchy
     * First Republic
     * Military dictatorship
     * Estado Novo (New State)
     * Carnation Revolution to EEC
     * 1990s
     * 2000s

                     Topics
     * Economic history
     * Cultural history
     * Arts history
     * Military history
     * Colonial history
     * Demographic history
     * Diplomatic history
     * Sports history
     * Language history

          Timeline of Portuguese history

   The history of Portugal from the beginning of Maria I's reign in 1777
   to the end of the Liberal Wars in 1834 spans a complex historic period
   in which several important political and military events led to the end
   of the absolutist regime and to the installment of a constitutional
   monarchy in the country.

   In 1807, Napoleon ordered the invasion of Portugal and subsequently the
   Royal Family escaped to Brazil. This would be one of the causes for the
   declaration of Brazilian independence by Peter I of Brazil in 1822,
   following a liberal revolution in Portugal.

   The liberal period was stormy and as short as Prince Michael of
   Portugal (Peter's brother) supported an absolutist revolution
   endeavoring to restore all power to the monarchy. Peter would
   eventually return to Portugal and fight and defeat his brother in the
   Liberal Wars in which liberalism was completely installed and Portugal
   became a constitutional monarchy.

Maria I and Prince John

   Queen Maria I of Portugal
   Enlarge
   Queen Maria I of Portugal

   When Princess Maria Francisca, King Joseph I of Portugal's eldest
   daughter, succeeded her father as the 27th (or 26th according to some
   historians) Portuguese monarch, she became the first Queen regnant of a
   650-year-old decaying country that was economically unstable and
   socially unbalanced. Her father's right-hand man, Sebastião José de
   Carvalho e Melo, already titled Count of Oeiras and Marquis of Pombal,
   had been ruling the country and its Empire with a strong hand for 27
   years. Maria I and the Marquis disliked each other, and Maria had been
   one of his fiercest detractors in the previous years. When she was
   crowned she immediately dismissed and exiled him to Pombal. The Queen
   also issued one of the world's first restraining orders, commanding
   that Sebastião de Melo should not be closer than 20 miles from her
   presence, and if she were to travel near his estates, he was compelled
   to remove himself from his house to fulfill the royal decree. She is
   also reported to have had tantrums at the slightest reference to her
   father's former Prime Minister.

   Queen Maria is said to have suffered from religious mania and
   melancholia. Consequently she was incapable of handling state affairs
   after 1799 and so her son, Prince John of Braganza, became
   Prince-Regent. His regency was a complex period when Portugal saw
   itself involved in the several battles, invasions and campaigns that
   characterized the Napoleonic Wars and mainly the Peninsular War.
   Portugal became involved when it refused to join the Continental
   blockade. This decision was followed in 1807 by the first of three
   French invasions. When news of the invasion arrived, the Royal Family
   and many prominent figures of the country fled to the recently created
   Vice-Kingdom of Brazil, a de facto colonial possession of Portugal,
   establishing the capital of the Portuguese Empire in Rio de Janeiro.
   Queen Maria died in 1816, and was succeeded by the Prince-Regent who
   reigned as John VI of Portugal.

Continental system refusal and the War of the Oranges

   Manuel de Godoy
   Enlarge
   Manuel de Godoy

   The War of the Oranges was a short war between Portugal and
   neighbouring Spain during the year of 1801, and was considered a
   precedent of the Peninsular War. It is of particular importance as it
   was in the outcome of the war that Spain attained the control of the
   town of Olivenza (Olivença in Portuguese).

   At the dawn of the 19th century, Portugal tried to manage an
   equilibrium between the powers of England (Portugal's oldest ally) and
   France, opting for a policy of neutrality while continuing to trade
   with both countries. However, France was anxious to break the
   Anglo-Portuguese alliance in order to close Portuguese ports to British
   merchants. Consequently the French, through a series of diplomatic
   treaties ( Santo Ildefonso, Fontainebleau) agreed on an invasion of
   Portugal with Spain (who was eager to recover the territory lost in
   1640 after the end of the Iberian Union). In January 1801 an ultimatum
   with five points was sent to Lisbon requesting that Portugal:
     * abandon its traditional alliance with Britain, closing its ports;
     * open its ports to France and Spain;
     * surrender a quarter of metropolitan Portugal as a guarantee of the
       devolution of Spanish islands in the hands of the British:
       Trinidad, Minorca and Malta;
     * pay a war indemnity to France and Spain;
     * review border limits with Spain.

   If Portugal failed to accomplish the 5 points, it would be invaded by
   Spain, aided by 15,000 French soldiers. Portugal refused the ultimatum,
   and war was declared. Portugal's poorly prepared army had 2,000 cavalry
   and 16,000 infantry, and was under the command of Dom João Carlos de
   Bragança e Ligne, 2nd Duke of Lafões. The Spanish side was headed by
   Prime-Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the invasion troops Manuel de
   Godoy, ironically nicknamed the "Prince of Peace", and numbered 30,000
   men. French troops under General Leclerc (Napoleon's brother-in-law)
   did not arrive in Spain in time for war as it was a short military
   campaign.

   On May 20, the Spanish army penetrated Alentejo, in southern Portugal,
   occupying Olivenza, Juromenha, Arronches, Portalegre, Castelo de Vide,
   Barbacena and Ouguela without resistance. Campo Maior resisted for 18
   days before falling to the Spanish army. Elvas resisted a siege until
   the end of the war.

   The name of the war has its origin in an episode which occurred during
   the siege of Elvas when Manuel de Godoy sent two oranges to Maria Luisa
   of Parma,^ wife of Charles IV of Spain, with the message: "I miss
   everything, and with nothing I will depart to Lisbon".

   On June 6, a defeated and demoralised Portugal was forced to sign the
   Treaty of Badajoz. The Portuguese ports were closed to all British
   ships. Portugal was to recover all of the strongholds previously
   conquered, although Spain still retained the town of Olivenza and all
   territory on the eastern margin of the Guadiana. A prohibition of
   contraband near the borders of the two countries was set up. Portugal
   was also forced to pay for Spain's war expenditures.

   The treaty was ratified by Prince-Regent John on the 14th and by the
   King of Spain on the 21st. This treaty was rejected by Napoleon who
   wanted to impose more severe terms on Portugal, so he decided to invade
   the country.

Napoleonic invasions

   On October 27, 1807, France and Spain signed the Treaty of
   Fontainebleau in which the partition of Portugal was decided. Northern
   Lusitania, a territory between the Minho and Douro rivers would be a
   principality to be governed by the sovereign of the extinct Kingdom of
   Etruria (then Maria Luisa, daughter of Charles IV of Spain). The
   Algarves and all Portuguese territory located south of the Tagus would
   be governed by Manuel de Godoy, who would hold the title of King. The
   rest of Portugal between the Douro and the Tagus, a strategic region
   because of its ports, was to be administered by the central government
   in France until general peace.

   To fulfill the treaty, Napoleon ordered the invasion of Portugal,
   initiating the Peninsular War.

First invasion

   The Lines of Torres Vedras
   Enlarge
   The Lines of Torres Vedras

   Under the command of General Jean-Andoche Junot, French troops entered
   Spain on October 18, 1807, crossing the Peninsula and reaching the
   Portuguese border on November 20. Without meeting any resistance, they
   reached Abrantes on the 24th, Santarém on the 28th, and finally Lisbon
   on the 30th. On the previous day the Royal Family and the Court had
   fled to Brazil, transported in British ships. Portugal had been left to
   a Regency Junta with orders not to resist.

   The following year, a British force commanded by Arthur Wellesley
   (future Duke of Wellington) disembarked in Portugal, advancing over
   Lisbon. An Anglo-Portuguese army managed to defeat the French at the
   Battles of Roliça and Vimeiro, forcing the Convention of Sintra. The
   French were authorised to leave the country with the product of the
   sacks made in Portugal.^ The Convention benefited both sides, as
   Junot's armies, which were incapable of communicating with France, were
   authorised to leave the country, and the British and Portuguese gained
   the control over Lisbon. With this armistice, France gained some time
   and would invade Portugal a second time, a year later.

Second invasion

   The second invasion was commanded by Marshall Nicolas Jean de Dieu
   Soult. As the first invasion was being fought Napoleon forced the
   abdication of Charles IV of Spain and his heir, Prince Ferdinand,
   giving the Spanish throne to his brother Joseph Bonaparte. The
   Spaniards revolted, gaining the support of the British stationed in
   Portugal. Under the command of John Moore, the British crossed the
   northern Portuguese border but were defeated at A Coruña by Marshal
   Soult, and were forced to retreat to Portugal. The French immediately
   occupied Northern Portugal, reaching Oporto on March 24.

   It was again Wellesley who expelled the French from the north of the
   country. Aided by William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, the
   Portuguese and British defeated Soult in the Battle of the Douro,
   re-conquering the city of Oporto on May 29, and forcing the French
   retreat to Galicia.

Third invasion

   André Masséna
   Enlarge
   André Masséna

   The third invasion was the last war effort of the Peninsular war in
   Portuguese soil. In 1810, commanded by Marshall André Masséna, the
   French armies penetrated again the north of Portugal, conquering
   Almeida on August. They marched in the direction of Lisbon immediately.
   Masséna's army encountered the British and Portuguese at the Battle of
   Buçaco and lost, but quickly regrouped. Soon he had flanked the
   Anglo-Portuguese forces and marched to the capital. The allied armies
   quickly returned to the capital and occupied their posts at the Lines
   of Torres Vedras, a brilliant defence system mounted by the British
   with the help of the local population. The French reached the Lines on
   October 14 but were unable to penetrate the massive defenses and with
   winter coming had to return to Spain.

End of the war and consequences

   Arthur Wellesley, future Duke of Wellington
   Enlarge
   Arthur Wellesley, future Duke of Wellington

   A series of battles on Spanish soil followed the Battle of the Lines of
   Torres Vedras, until the final victory in Toulouse on April 10, 1814
   put an end to the Peninsular War. At the same time, in the New World,
   Portugal captured French Guyana and Uruguay.

   The invasion proved significant in the wider history of Portugal, as
   the country was deeply influenced by its unintended consequences. With
   the instability in Spain and the abdication of the king, Spanish
   colonies in Latin America declared their independence, creating a tense
   climate in Brazil. The moving of the Portuguese capital to Rio de
   Janeiro accentuated the economical, institutional and social crises in
   mainland Portugal, governed by British commercial interests personified
   by William Beresford's rule in the absence of the monarch. This
   strengthened the liberal ideals. In 1821, a Liberal Revolution in
   Oporto forced the return of King John VI of Portugal. This return, as
   well as the independence of several Spanish colonies, was one of the
   causes of the independence of Brazil conducted by John's son Peter.

The return of the King and the independence of Brazil

   When the Peninsular War came to an end, Portugal returned Guyana to
   France on May 30, 1814, and was given an indemnity of 2 million francs.
   Discontent was spreading in mainland Portugal. However, Brazil was
   promoted to the status of Kingdom on December 16, 1816, and the country
   changed its name to United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves.^
   To aggravate the situation, the former colony was now able to trade
   directly with other European powers, greatly damaging mainland
   Portugal's commercial interests, and benefiting Great Britain (as the
   country was governed by William Beresford in the absence of the Royal
   Family in Rio de Janeiro ^).^ On the other hand, King John VI showed
   little interest in returning to Europe. This situation created a wave
   of protests that culminated in the Liberal Revolution of Oporto on
   August 24, 1820.
   Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves (1816–1826)
   Enlarge
   Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves (1816–1826)

   Two years earlier, Manuel Fernandes Tomás, José Ferreira Borges, José
   da Silva Carvalho and João Ferreira Viana, had founded the Sinédrio, a
   liberal clandestine organization that would later be involved in the
   Revolution. Influenced by the recent Liberal Revolution in Spain on
   January 1, 1820, a liberal revolution started in Oporto, quickly
   spreading without resistance to several other cities, culminating with
   the revolt of Lisbon. The revolutionaries demanded the immediate return
   of the Royal Court to mainland Portugal in order to "restore the
   metropolitan dignity". They also demanded a constitutional monarchy to
   be set up in Portugal. Finally, the revolutionaries wanted to restore
   Portuguese exclusivity of trade with Brazil, reverting Brazil to the
   status of a colony.

   William Beresford was replaced by a Provisional Junta and the "General
   Extraordinary and Constituent Cortes (Courts) of the Portuguese Nation"
   were summoned on January 1, 1821, to draft a written Constitution.
   Press and book censorship and the Inquisition were lifted, and an
   amnesty to those involved in anti-liberal movements was ordered.^ On
   April 26, 1821, John VI departed to Lisbon. He arrived on July 3 of the
   same year, and his heir-apparent Prince Peter, became regent of the
   Vice-Kingdom of Brazil, with an informal understanding — known as the
   Bragança Agreement — that he was to take the crown if Brazil came to be
   independent.

   Peter meant to rule frugally and started by cutting his own salary,
   centralizing scattered government offices and selling off most of the
   royal horses and mules. He issued decrees eliminating the royal salt
   tax, to spur the output of hides and dried beef; he forbade arbitrary
   seizure of private property; required a judge's warrant for arrests of
   freemen; and banned secret trials, torture, and other indignities. He
   also sent elected deputies to the Portuguese Assembly (Cortes). Slaves
   continued to be bought and sold and disciplined with force, however,
   despite his assertion that their blood was the same colour as his.

   In September 1821, the Portuguese Assembly, with only a portion of the
   Brazilian delegates present, voted to abolish the Kingdom of Brazil and
   the royal agencies in Rio de Janeiro, thus subordinating all provinces
   of Brazil directly to Lisbon. Accordingly, troops were sent to Brazil,
   and all Brazilian units were placed under Portuguese command. On
   September 29, the Cortes ordered the return of Prince Peter to Europe
   in order to initiate a voyage of study in Spain, France and England,
   while in Brazil the Governmental Junta in São Paulo and the Senate of
   the Chamber of Rio de Janeiro implored for the Prince to stay. In
   January 1822, tension between Portuguese troops and the Luso-Brazilians
   (Brazilians of Portuguese ancestry) turned violent when Peter refused
   to comply and vowed to stay. He had been moved by petitions from
   Brazilian towns, and by the argument that his departure and the
   dismantling of the central government would trigger separatist
   movements.

   Peter formed a new government headed by José Bonifácio de Andrade e
   Silva of São Paulo. This former royal official and professor of science
   at the University of Coimbra was crucial to the subsequent direction of
   events and is regarded as one of the formative figures of Brazilian
   nationalism, indeed, as the "Patriarch of Independence".^

   The atmosphere was so charged that Prince Peter sought assurances of
   asylum on a British ship in case he lost the looming confrontation; he
   also sent his family to safety out of the city. After Peter's decision
   to defy the Cortes, the "lead feet," as the Brazilians called the
   Portuguese troops, rioted before concentrating on Cerro Castello, which
   was soon surrounded by thousands of armed Brazilians. Peter then
   "dismissed" the Portuguese commanding general and ordered him to remove
   his soldiers across the bay to Niterói, where they would await
   transportation to Portugal. In the following days, the Portuguese
   commander delayed embarkation, hoping that expected reinforcements
   would arrive. However, the reinforcements that arrived off Rio de
   Janeiro on March 5, 1822 were not allowed to land. Instead, they were
   given supplies for the voyage back to Portugal.

   Blood had been shed in Recife, Province of Pernambuco, when the
   Portuguese garrison was forced to depart in November 1821. In
   mid-February 1822, Brazilians in Bahia revolted against the Portuguese
   forces there, but were driven into the countryside, where they began
   guerrilla operations, signaling that the struggle in the north would
   not be without loss of life and property.
   Flag of the independent Empire of Brazil under Peter I
   Enlarge
   Flag of the independent Empire of Brazil under Peter I

   To secure Minas Gerais and São Paulo, where there were no Portuguese
   troops but doubts about independence lingered, Dom Peter engaged in
   some royal populism. Towns in Minas Gerais had expressed their loyalty
   at the time of Peter's vow to remain, save for the junta in Ouro Preto,
   the provincial capital. Peter realized that unless Minas Gerais was
   solidly with him, he would be unable to broaden his authority to other
   provinces. With only a few companions and no ceremony or pomp, Peter
   plunged into Minas Gerais on horseback in late March 1822, receiving
   enthusiastic welcomes and allegiance everywhere.

   Back in Rio de Janeiro on May 13, Peter was proclaimed the "Perpetual
   Defender of Brazil" by the São Paulo legislative assembly and shortly
   thereafter called a Constituent Assembly for the next year. To deepen
   his base of support, he joined the freemasons, who, led by José
   Bonifácio Andrade e Silva, were pressing for parliamentary government
   and independence. More confident, in early August he called on the
   Brazilian deputies in Lisbon to return, decreed that Portuguese forces
   in Brazil should be treated as enemies, and issued a manifesto to
   "friendly nations". The manifesto read like a declaration of
   independence.

   Seeking to duplicate his triumph in Minas Gerais, Peter rode to São
   Paulo in August to ensure his support there. Returning from an
   excursion to Santos, Peter received messages from his wife and from
   Andrade e Silva that the mainland Portugal Cortes had declared his
   government traitorous and were dispatching more troops. Peter then had
   to choose between returning to Portugal in disgrace, or breaking the
   last ties to Portugal. In a famous scene in front of the Ipiranga
   River, on September 7, 1822, he tore the Portuguese white and blue
   insignia from his uniform, drew his sword, and swore: "By my blood, by
   my honour, and by God: I will make Brazil free." Their motto, he said,
   would be "Independence or Death!"

The Vilafrancada and the Abrilada

   John VI was not considered heir to throne until he was 21 years old, as
   his older bother Joseph, Prince of Beira was the heir-apparent until he
   died of smallpox at the age of 27. He lived for hunting and had little
   interest in public businesses. However, four years later he became
   Prince Regent because of Queen Maria I's mental illness. In 1816, John
   VI became King after Maria I died while the Royal Family was residing
   in Rio de Janeiro. In 1821 John VI was forced to return to Portugal,
   from where he would know of his own son's revolt in Brazil.
   John VI and Queen Carlota Joaquina
   Enlarge
   John VI and Queen Carlota Joaquina

   John's wife, Queen Carlota Joaquina de Borbón, was said to be very
   conservative, ambitious and violent.^ While in Brazil, she had
   attempted to obtain administration of Spanish dominions in Latin
   America and was involved in obscure conspiracies regarding the
   independency of Brazil. At her return to Portugal after the Liberal
   Revolution of Oporto, the country had recently drafted its first
   constitution that established a constitutional monarchy. The Queen
   opposed this and jointly with her son Prince Michael, who shared her
   views, organized a nationwide insurgency against the liberal
   constitution. An army commanded by Michael was formed near Vila Franca
   de Xira, thus the name of the revolution: Vilafrancada ( pron. IPA:
   [vilɐfɾɐ̃'kaðɐ]), and absolutism was proclaimed. One of the objectives
   of the Queen and the Infante was the abdication of John VI, who was
   loyal to the new Constitution in spite of the numerous adhesions to the
   absolutistic cause in Vila Franca. Ultimately, the King accepted
   absolutism again when a movement of army officers and citizens
   surrounded the Palace of Bemposta urging the King to abandon liberal
   ideals.
   Vilafrancada: Prince Michael being acclaimed in Vila Franca.
   Enlarge
   Vilafrancada: Prince Michael being acclaimed in Vila Franca.

   In 1823 the police revealed a planned conspiracy led by the Queen and
   Prince Michael, recently promoted to the post of commander-in-chief of
   the Army (Generalíssimo),^ to force the King to abdicate. This didn't
   stop the rebellion. On April 30, Michael united the army and imprisoned
   numerous ministers and important figures of the kingdom, while keeping
   his father incommunicable in the Palace of Bemposta. This second
   attempt became known as Abrilada ( pron. IPA: [ɐβɾi'laðɐ]), after the
   Portuguese word for April: Abril). However the British and French
   ambassadors managed to inform King John VI, who on May 9 went to Caxias
   and entered the British battleship Windsor Castle. There he summoned
   his son Michael, reprehended him, dismissed him from the post of
   commander-in-chief of the Army, and sent him to exile. On May 14, John
   returned to the Palace of Bemposta and re-established the liberal
   government. However, a new conspiracy was discovered on October 26 of
   the same year, and this time Queen Carlota Joaquina was imprisoned in
   Queluz.

   In his reign, John promoted the arts (mainly literature), commerce and
   agriculture, but being forced to return to Europe and following
   palatial conspiracies aggravated by the independence of Brazil
   transformed John into an unhappy man, and he died soon after the
   Abrilada in 1826. It was also near the end of his life, on November 15,
   1825, that he recognized the independence of Brazil and restored his
   son Peter's right to the Portuguese throne. Before his death he named a
   Regency Junta headed by one of his daughters Isabel Maria of Braganza,
   that would govern the country between his death and the acclamation of
   the future king.

Civil War

   Peter I, Emperor of Brazil; Peter IV, King of Portugal
   Enlarge
   Peter I, Emperor of Brazil; Peter IV, King of Portugal

   The death of King John VI created a constitutional problem as his
   rightful successor was the Emperor of Brazil, Peter I. His second son,
   Prince Michael, had been exiled due to attempts to overthrow his own
   father in the Vilafrancada and the Abrilada. When the king died, he
   left his daughter Princess Isabel Maria as regent, expecting that Peter
   I of Brazil would return to Portugal and reunite Brazil with its former
   colonial power.

   At the time, Peter I was facing problems in his new-born country, and
   to aggravate these issues he accepted the throne of Portugal as King
   Peter IV, on March 10, 1826. He was soon faced with two alternatives,
   and as the constitution of Brazil prohibited the monarch to succeed to
   another crown he had to choose between Portugal and Brazil. Peter chose
   the second option and abdicated ( May 28 of the same year) in favour of
   his eldest daughter (his eldest son would be Peter II of Brazil)
   Princess Maria da Glória. Since she was only seven at the time, he
   arranged a marriage between Maria and his brother Michael, exiled in
   Vienna. Meanwhile, his apparent indecision between Brazil and Portugal
   further damaged his waning popularity.

   Returning from Austria, Prince Michael, now regent, immediately
   proclaimed himself King of Portugal, deposing Maria da Glória (who had
   not arrived in Portugal yet) and annulling the Liberal Constitution
   recently approved by Peter IV, concentrating all the powers in the
   person of the King. This triggered a civil war known as the Liberal
   Wars between the supporters of absolutism (lead by Michael I) and of
   liberalism. Michael tried to obtain international approval, but failed
   due to the pressures of the United Kingdom. During his short reign only
   the United States and Mexico recognized him. This usurpation was
   followed by both demonstrations in support of absolutism and failed
   revolutions to reinstate liberalism. Thousands of liberal idealists
   were killed, arrested, or forced to flee to Spain.^

   In Brazil, Peter I was facing problems. In the aftermath of a political
   crisis that followed the dismissal of his ministers and amidst a
   growing economic crisis, Peter abdicated his throne in Brazil in favour
   of his son, Peter II on April 7, 1831. He then returned to Europe to
   fight against his brother Michael. He went to Britain where he was
   joined by many Portuguese exiled liberals and set up a government in
   exile. He then departed to Terceira Island, Azores, a territory which
   had stayed loyal to the liberal cause.
   Duke of Terceira
   Enlarge
   Duke of Terceira

   In July 1832, with the backing of liberals in Spain and England, a
   liberal military expedition landed near Oporto. It was besieged by
   Miguelite forces, occasionally engaging in sporadic skirmishes. In June
   1833, the liberals, still encircled at Oporto, sent a force commanded
   by António José Severim de Noronha, Duke of Terceira, to Algarve,
   supported by a naval squadron commanded by Charles Napier, using the
   alias Carlos de Ponza. Terceira landed in Faro and marched north
   through Alentejo to conquer Lisbon on July 24. Meanwhile, Napier's
   squadron encountered the absolutist fleet near Cape Saint Vincent and
   decisively defeated it the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1833).

   The liberals were able to occupy Lisbon, making it possible for Peter
   to repel the Miguelite siege in Oporto. A stalemate of nine months
   ensued. Towards the end of 1833, Maria da Glória was proclaimed Queen
   regnant, and Peter was made regent. His first act was to confiscate the
   property of all who had supported Michael. He also suppressed all
   religious orders and confiscated their property, an act that suspended
   friendly relations with the Papal States for nearly eight years, until
   mid-1841.

   Meanwhile, 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
   Oporto, 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 the Battle of Asseiceira. The
   Miguelite army was still considerably strong (about 18,000 men), but on
   May 24, 1834, at Évora-Monte peace was declared under a convention by
   which Michael formally consented to renounce all claims to the throne
   of Portugal, was guaranteed an annual pension, and was banished from
   Portugal, never to return. Peter restored the Constitutional Charter
   and died soon after, on September 24, 1834. Maria da Glória resumed her
   interrupted reign as Maria II of Portugal.
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