The December 1917 coup d'état was a politico-military uprising led by Sidónio Pais, which started in

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 ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, with the objective of taking power from the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, which had won every election in Portugal since the foundation of the Portuguese First Republic in October 1910.

Background

Portugal was taking part in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a participation that was largely unpopular due to its social and economic impacts, and that the government tried to contain using repressive measures. A conspiracy emerges within the Unionists, initially supported by its leader Manuel de Brito Camacho, but who later had a change of heart and did not participate in the coup. Sidónio Pais leads the coup, with the support of every political force except for the

União Sagrada União is the Portuguese word for Union. It may refer to: *the Brazilian federal government *União do Vegetal, a church known for its usage of Hoasca as tea * Brazilian frigate ''União'' (F45), a general-purpose ''Niterói'' class frigate launch ...

(a coalition between the

and the

Evolutionist Party The Republican Evolutionist Party ( pt, Partido Republicano Evolucionista, PRE), commonly known as the Evolutionist Party, was a political party in Portugal led by António José de Almeida. History The party was established on 24 February 1912 a ...

Coup

On the night of 5 December 1917, Sidónio Pais, with the support of multiple units of the Army, occupied the Eduardo VII Park and the main roads of access. The total rebel army forces were around 2.500 in number.

José Norton de Matos José Maria Mendes Ribeiro Norton de Matos, GCTE, GCL (March 23, 1867 in Ponte de Lima, Portugal – January 3, 1955 in Ponte de Lima) was a Portuguese general and politician. 1880s After attending college in Braga, and attending the Escol ...

, then war minister, takes command of the government forces, as both Afonso Costa (head of government) and Augusto Soares (foreign affairs minister) are out of the country. Norton commanded the forces from the Navy Arsenal and had the support of the Navy, National Republican Guard, the Fiscal Guard, the police, and some Army units. On 6 December 1917, multiple houses and businesses are sacked as the police does not leave its quarters. The Navy, positioned in the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...

river and led by Leote de Rego aboard the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

, exchange fire with the rebel forces in Eduardo VII. On 7 December 1917, the government forces decide to take over the forces on Eduardo VII. A column of Navy and GNR members attempt a frontal attack from the Avenida. Another column attempts to attack from ''Rato'', supported by artillery placed in the ''São Pedro de Alcântara'' garden (in

Bairro Alto Bairro Alto (; literally: ''Upper District'') is a central district of the city of Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. Unlike many of the civil parishes of Lisbon, this region can be commonly explained as a loose association of neighbourhoods, with no ...

). These attacks are slow and unsuccessful. On 8 December 1917, the government hands president

Bernardino Machado Bernardino Luís Machado Guimarães, GCTE, GCL (; 28 March 1851, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 29 April 1944, Porto, Portugal), was a Portuguese political figure, the third and eighth president of Portugal (1915–17, 1925–26). In 1917, ...

its resignation.

Aftermath

The facilities and houses of Democratic leaders are sacked. A Military

Junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...

, led by Sidónio Pais, was then established.{{Cite web, title=Museu da Presidência da República, url=http://www.museu.presidencia.pt/, access-date=2020-09-20, website=Museu da Presidência da República, language=pt The Junta officially deposed the president, government and parliament. Afonso Costa and Augusto Soares were imprisoned as they returned to the country,

Norton de Matos Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada *Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

and Leote de Rego escaped in an English steamboat, and president

was exiled by the Military

. The Military Junta only ruled for a few days, giving way, on 11 December 1917, to a government led by Sidónio Pais. Sidónio was later elected, in a

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, as president, after the regime was altered from a

semi-presidential system A semi-presidential republic, is a republic in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two being responsible to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliamentary republic in that it has a ...

to a full-presidential system. The casualties of the coup are registered as 109 dead and 500 wounded.

Gallery

File:O terceiro governo presidido por Afonso Costa, 1917.png, Afonso Costa's government in 1917 File:Sidónio Pais, phot. Bobone.png, Sidónio Pais commanded the rebel forces File:Norton de Matos - Portugal na Guerra (1 Jun. 1917).png,

commanded the government's forces File:Leote do Rego (Ilustração Portuguesa, 1915-05-24).png, Leote de Rego (in ''NRP'' Guadiana) commanded the Navy forces File:NRP Guadiana.jpg, ''NRP Guadiana'', stationed in the

, exchanged fire with the rebels File:Bernardino Machado em Entrecampos - Ilustracao Portuguesa 618 1917.jpg, President

(15 December 1917) departing for his exile File:Sidónio Pais presta juramento no Parlamento após a sua eleição para presidente da República, 1918.png, Sidónio Pais is sworn in after being elected President in the

1918 Portuguese general election General elections were held in Portugal on 28 April 1918, following a coup by Sidónio Pais in December 1917.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1542 The elections were boycotted by the Democratic ...

References

1917 in Portugal Political history of Portugal Conflicts in 1917 Military coups in Portugal

Background

Coup

Aftermath

Gallery

See also

References