Portuguese Empire

(Today part of: Portugal , Angola, Mozambique)

In exchange for weapons, mercenaries and protection of convoys that transported gold from Brazil, the Portuguese supplied Great Britain with wine, gave them a market for woolen fabrics, secure havens in waterways outside Europe and acted as their allies against Castile. Even after banishing Napoleon’s army the British kept economically and politically using the incompetent regency and practically governed Portugal as one of their colonies. A revolution came after a country-wide successful uprising against British government and the cession of the throne of Portugal to Maria II (1826 – 1853), the underage daughter of the king, whose brother was crowned king of independent Brazil in 1822. This revolution would, in the next thirty years, go through phases of constitutional radicalism reactionary repression, civil war, national uprising and urban terror. Forty governments came and went during this period.

With British economical support, the final victory was achieved by the liberal and mercantile south that sided with the queen. Thus, the revolution of the reactionary forces failed without involvement of the Holy Alliance, that considered Portugal of lesser importance. Portugal thoroughly changed: leaders dissolved monasteries, distributed church lands, sold crown estates, established new aristocratic titles, and created a parliamentary system, with the right of vote limited by property owned.