January11,1822-GeneralAvilezMutiny

In December 1821, a resolution arrived in Rio de Janeiro, issued by the Cortes of Lisbon (and signed by the king), decreeing the return of the prince- regent to Portugal. In the eyes of Brazilians, this was an inadmissible step backward. In this context, in addition to the appeals of palace politicians, a notice printed and distributed throughout Rio de Janeiro in the first days of 1822 called on the city's residents to appear at Rua da Ajuda, nº 137, by January 8th, in order to sign a petition asking that d. Pedro remain in Brazil. About 8,000 signatures were collected.

Figure 1 — Call to the population to sign a petition in favor of d. Pedro's remaining in Brazil. 1822. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional [or1467077]

Image description: The image is a page from an old document, written in Portuguese. It is in black and white. At the top, it reads "NOTICIA." Below that is a long paragraph with left-aligned text. The text mentions the generality of the inhabitants of a court and their dedication to the Portuguese Nation. At the bottom, it reads "RIO DE JANEIRO NA IMPRENSA NACIONAL."

Right on the 9th, armed with popular prestige, the prince- regent made the decision that would become known as the "fico."

But not everyone celebrated his decision. In particular, the Governor of Arms, Jorge de Avilez Zuzarte de Sousa Tavares.

Figure 2 — Portrait of Jorge de Avilez Zuzarte de Sousa Tavares, 1st Count of Avilez. Author unidentified. n.d. Wikimedia Commons.

Image description: This is a painting depicting a man wearing a blue military uniform with gold details. The figure is centered in the image, with his face turned forward. At the top of the image, there is an inscription that reads "1º Conde de Aviles." The uniform is adorned with several medals and crosses from military orders, arranged symmetrically across the chest. The man holds an object that appears to be a sword in his right hand. The background is dark, further highlighting the uniform and medals.

Since the previous year, general Avilez had distinguished himself as a notorious defender of the Cortes of Lisbon. It was said that the one who really commanded in Rio de Janeiro was the officer. Faced with d. Pedro's affront against Portugal's liberal regime, Avilez incited his subordinates, aiming to create animosity and force the regent's obedience to the Cortes. He went to the barracks and told his men that he had been dismissed by d. Pedro. The soldiers cheered the "constitutional general" and, on that February 11th, started a riot in Rio de Janeiro.

Almost two thousand soldiers, obedient to the general, marched to the Castelo hill — "from where they threatened to sweep away with machine-gun fire the population at their feet". It is said that the euphoria of the rebels was so great that lieutenant colonel José Maria da Costa — who had already had a few drinks —, swore that the prince would embark one way or another: "we shall drag him by the ears", he is said to have said. The news that the troops would forcibly take d. Pedro to the frigate União spread quickly that very day. Princess d. Leopoldina and her children fled to the Santa Cruz estate, twelve leagues from the capital, and escape plans were also drawn up for the prince.

The uprising did not go as planned. A key factor in this was that the garrison at Quinta da Boa Vista remained loyal to the prince. But besides officers and police officers, thousands of ordinary people joined the resistance in support of d. Pedro, at Campo de Santana. In the early hours of February 12th, nearly ten thousand men stood ready: a popular militia made up of “farmhands, priests and friars, some mounted, others on foot, armed with pistols, knives, and even simply a wooden staff,” according to chroniclers of the time.

In the face of the reaction in favor of d. Pedro, Avilez laid down his arms and withdrew his troops to Praia Grande (today, Niterói). They boarded the ships that would take them back to Portugal, but they did not set sail. Tensions between the general and the regent continued for another month. The population feared a surprise attack. In a letter to King d. João VI, the prince regent made sure to report that he had given the soldiers his ultimatum: "they shall board the ships, or they shall die." D. Pedro organized the defenses and, on February 15th, finally imposed his will, and Jorge de Avilez and the rest of his troops returned to Europe.

Image description: This is a painting depicting a naval scene during the General Ávila Mutiny on January 11, 1822. The image shows a ship with several figures wearing 19th-century military uniforms. On the left side, two men in blue and white uniforms stand near cannons. In front of them is a man pointing at something in the distance. At the center, other men in similar uniforms watch attentively. On the right, a man in a black and white suit stands out, while other figures in various uniforms are spread across the ship's deck. The background features the sea and other distant ships under a partly cloudy sky.

Bibliographic References

CARVALHO, José Murilo de; BASTOS, Lúcia; BASILE, Marcello. To Arms, Citizens!: handwritten pamphlets of Brazil's independence (1820-1823). Editora Companhia das Letras, 2012.

ENDERS, Armelle. A história do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Gryphus Editora, 2015.

MARSON, Izabel Andrade; OLIVEIRA, Cecília Helena L. de Salles (Orgs.). Monarquia, Liberalismo e Negócios no Brasil: 1780-1860. São Paulo: Edusp, 2013.

PEDREIRA, Jorge Miguel Viana; COSTA, Fernando Dores. D. João VI: a prince between two continents. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2008.

SHULTZ, Kristen. Tropical Versailles: Empire, Monarchy, and the Portuguese Royal Court in Rio de Janeiro, 1808-1821. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 2008.

STARLING, Heloisa Maria Murgel; DE LIMA, Marcela Telles (Orgs.). Vozes do Brasil: political language during the Independence period (1820-1824). Brasília: Edições do Senado Federal, 2021.