War of the Two Brothers 1828-1834

By the spring of 1828, the Portuguese problem of royal succession seemed to have been resolved. Pedro, the rightful heir to the throne, abdicated in favor of his underage daughter, Maria; his brother, Miguel, would be regent until Maria was of age at which time she would marry Miguel, effectively allowing him to remain in power. In return, Miguel swore to uphold the Constitutional Charter that Pedro had granted to Portugal.

The Constitutional Charter attempted to reconcile absolutists and liberals by allowing both factions a role in government. Unlike the constitution of 1822, this 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 persons meeting certain tax-paying and property-owning requirements. Judicial power was exercised by the courts; executive power by the ministers of the government; and moderating power by the king, who held an absolute veto over all legislation.

Most absolutists were not satisfied with this compromise, and they continued to regard Miguel as the legitimate successor to the throne because he was committed to Portugal whereas Pedro chose to rule in now independent Brazil. Although it initially appeared that Miguel would abide by the charter, pressure mounted for a return to absolutism. Miguel dissolved the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Peers and, in May 1828, summoned the traditional Cortes of the three estates of the realm to proclaim his accession to the kingship and nullifying the Constitutional Charter.

This usurpation did not go unchallenged by the Constitutionalists. On May 18, 1828, the garrison in Oporto declared its loyalty to Pedro, Maria, and the Constitutional Charter. The rebellion against Miguel spread to other cities. Miguelites suppressed most of these rebellions, and many thousands of Constitutionalists were either arrested or fled to Spain or Britain. Miguelites now launched a bloody war of reprisals. Only in the Azores, an island group in the Atlantic, did Constitutionalists manage to hold on to power; a Miguelite attack on Praia Bay on August 12th failed. A regency on behalf of Maria was established in the Azores and Constitutionalists marshaled their forces. They managed to purchase a British naval squadron and the Constitutionalist cause was bolstered further following the abdication of Pedro from the Brazilian throne in 1831 to support the rebellion.

In July 1832, a Constitutionalist military expedition with 7,500 troops occupied Oporto, which was subsequently besieged by the Miguelite forces numbering 80,000. The siege lasted about a year during which Constitutionalist forces grew to nearly 18,000 while Miguelite strength dwindled to 24,000. In June 1833, the Constitutionalists, still encircled at Oporto, sailed a force Algarve in southern Portugal. At the same time, a British led Constitutionalist squadron defeated the Miguelite flotilla off Cape St. Vincent. On July 24th, the Constitutionalists occupied Lisbon, the capital. A stalemate of nine months ensued. The Miguelites controlled the rural areas, where they were supported by the aristocracy and the peasantry. The Constitutionalists occupied the cities, where they commanded a sizeable following among the middle classes. British, French and Spanish support strengthened their cause. The Miguelists suffered defeats at Asseiceira in February 1834 and Santarem in May. On May 26, 1834, Miguel surrendered at Evora-Monte. He was guaranteed an annual pension and banished from Portugal. Pedro restored the Constitutional Charter and Maria was crown after being declared of age.

Notes

[1] Correlates of War includes UK as a belligerent but some other sources suggest the Constitutionalists funded a British fleet, making the British forces mercenaries in the service of Constitutionalists. Other sources suggest Brazilian, British, French and other volunteers served with the Constitutionalists.

References

Clodfelter, 285-6; COW510; Dixon and Sarkees, 241-3; Kohn, 298-9; Portugal - A Country Study.

Category

Intra-State War

Region

Western Europe

Belligerents

Portuguese Miguelites, Portuguese Constitutionalists^[1]

Dispute

Governance

Initiation Date

May 18, 1828

Termination Date

May 26, 1834

Duration

6 years, 9 days
(2200 days)

Outcome

Imposed Settlement
(Constitutionalist victory)

Fatalities

Total: 20,000
Miguelites: 12,000
Constitutionalists: 8,000

Magnitude

4.3