Balaiada
Encyclopedia
The Balaiada was a social revolt that occurred between 1838 and 1841 in the interior of the province of Maranhão
, Brazil
.
, suffered a grave economic crisis because of competition with the increasingly productive United States
. In addition, the cattle
industry consumed a large part of the workforce in this region. These factors explain the involvement of the slave and poorly paid free workers in the movement.
A political power dispute arose in the heart of the elite class, which was reflected in Maranhão by the opposition of liberals (bem-te-vis) and conservatives (cabanos). When Pedro de Araújo Lima, Marquis of Olinda
became prime minister, provoking the so-called regresso conservador ("conservative regression"), the Maranhão conservatives took advantage of the opportunity to remove the liberals in power, and at the same time, weaken them further by contracting the service of the cattle ranchers, traditionally supported by the liberals.
.
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Background
During the imperial period, the Maranhão region, which exported cottonCotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, suffered a grave economic crisis because of competition with the increasingly productive United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In addition, the cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
industry consumed a large part of the workforce in this region. These factors explain the involvement of the slave and poorly paid free workers in the movement.
A political power dispute arose in the heart of the elite class, which was reflected in Maranhão by the opposition of liberals (bem-te-vis) and conservatives (cabanos). When Pedro de Araújo Lima, Marquis of Olinda
Pedro de Araújo Lima, Marquis of Olinda
Pedro de Araújo Lima, the Marquis of Olinda Pedro de Araújo Lima, the Marquis of Olinda Pedro de Araújo Lima, the Marquis of Olinda (Sirinhaem, 22 December 1793 — Rio de Janeiro, 7 June 1870, was a statesman and monarchist during the period of the Empire of Brazil (1822–1889). His long political...
became prime minister, provoking the so-called regresso conservador ("conservative regression"), the Maranhão conservatives took advantage of the opportunity to remove the liberals in power, and at the same time, weaken them further by contracting the service of the cattle ranchers, traditionally supported by the liberals.
The movement
The event which began the revolt was the detention of the brother of the rancher Raimundo Gomes, from the ranch of his father Inácio Mendes, a liberal, by the order of a submayor of the town of Manga, José Egito, a conservative. Contesting the detention of his brother, Gomes, with the support of a contingent of the National Guard, invaded the municipal jail and freed him, in December 1838. Afterward, Gomes, with the support of Cosme Bento, an ex-slave with a force of 3,000 escaped Africans, and Manuel Francisco dos Anjos Ferreira, called the balaio ("basket") because he was a basketmaker, spread the revolt across the interior of Maranhão, conquering the second-most important city in the province, Caxias, and passing on to PiauíPiauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
.