The April Revolt ( pt, Abrilada), in the
history of Portugal, was an
absolutist political revolt that took place in April 1824. It succeeded the
Vilafrancada Vilafrancada was an uprising led by prince Miguel I of Portugal in Vila Franca de Xira on 27 May 1823.
Origins
The liberal regime established in Portugal by the Liberal Revolution of 1820 did not enjoy the confidence of more traditional elements o ...
(1823) and foreshadowed the
Portuguese Civil War (1828–1834).
History
On 30 April 1824,
Infante Miguel, who had been appointed
generalissimo of the
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...
, had top civilian and military people of the country arrested and placed in the dungeons of the
Castle of São Jorge and the
Tower of Belém
A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
. Among them stood out the figures of the Quartermaster-General of Police,
Baron Rendufe, the
Duke of Palmela
The Duke of Palmela (in Portuguese ''Duque de Palmela'') is a Portuguese title granted by royal decree of Queen Maria II of Portugal, dated from October 18, 1850, to ''Dom'' Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela, Pedro de Sousa Holstein (17 ...
(then in government in coalition with the
Earl of Subserra) and the
Viscount of Santa Marta. D. Miguel, who had the support of his mother
Carlota Joaquina
Don (honorific), Doña Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830) was List of Portuguese royal consorts, Queen of Portugal and List of Brazilian royal consorts, Brazil as the wife of King Dom John VI of Portugal, ...
, considered them guilty of being supporters of
liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
and of his father, D.
John VI. Miguel's stated intention was to end what he called "pestilential bevy of free-masons", a reference to
Freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
liberal and constitutional.
Various military corps were then sent to the former Palace of the Inquisition, (where the
Teatro Nacional D. Maria II
The Queen Maria II National Theatre ( pt, Teatro Nacional D. Maria II) is a theatre in Lisbon, Portugal. The historic theatre is one of the most prestigious Portuguese venues and is located in the Rossio square, in the centre of the city.
His ...
stands today), in
Rossio
The Rossio is the popular name of the King Pedro IV Square ( pt, Praça de D. Pedro IV) in the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is located in the Pombaline Downtown of Lisbon and has been one of its main squares since the Middle Ages. It has been ...
,
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, then installing its headquarters. He then gave orders to besiege the
Palace of Bemposta, where the king was accompanied by his English adviser, General
William Carr Beresford
General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, (; 2 October 1768 – 8 January 1854) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. A general in the British Army and a Marshal in the Portuguese Army, he foug ...
.
The support of John by the diplomatic corps in Portugal was decisive to solve this conflict, in particular the action of the French ambassador
Hyde de Neuville. In an attempt at appeasement, one diplomat managed to enter the palace and convince the king to call his son. He achieved, thereby, an agreement that brought back the troops to barracks, but that the detainees remain imprisoned, with the exception of Palmela, who took refuge in a British ship, continuing the political and military instability.
In May, diplomats helped D. John VI to take refuge in the British ship ''
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
'', where he took a series of measures: he deposed D. Miguel from his position as head of the Army, ordered the release of political prisoners and the capture of the supporters of his son, who was summoned to come aboard. Once retained, D. Miguel was forced to embark for France in the
frigate Pearl, putting an end to the uprising of miguelistas. The infante was deported from there to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, and Dona Carlota Joaquina, was placed under house arrest in the
Palace of Queluz.
Revolutions in Portugal
19th-century revolutions
1824 in Portugal
Conflicts in 1824
{{Portugal-hist-stub