Aspects of the history and historiography about Brazil and Portugal in the first decades of the nineteenth century

Abstract

The reflections presented in this paper are the outcome of the research I have been developing in the recent years, following the footsteps of Brazilians from different provinces who have fought on Portuguese soil against the regime launched after Dom Miguel’s rise to the Portuguese throne in 1828. An understanding of the behavior of these characters is only possible from the standpoint of the history and historiography on the relations between Brazil and Portugal in the years following the Brazilian independence. Among the categories and concepts adopted as the guiding thread of the analysis, the first one has to do with the Luso-Brazilian Empire, related to the category of monarchic absolutism. Considering the chief antagonists, Dom Pedro and Dom Miguel, and the respective groups supporting them, the paper has aimed at the discussion of the different stances concerning the maintenance or abolition of the above-mentioned Empire. The second part of the paper tackles the theme of popular mobilizations, especially regressive ones, in both contexts, in the light of the concepts of counterrevolution and restoration.