PERNAMBUCO HISTORY |
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Pernambuco was first colonized by Portuguese settlers.
In 1534, Dom João III, king of Portugal created the Hereditary Captaincies.
Pernambuco, one of these captaincies, was granted to Duarte Coelho. The
administrator of a captaincy was known as Donatario.
Duarte Coelho had arrived at Pernambuco, then known as Nova Lusitânia (New
Lusitania), in 1535 and established his government in the area on which
Olinda was to be founded.
After bloodshed battles against the Caetê indians, which had an alliance
with the French, Duarte Coelho founded Olinda at the site of the Marin
indian village. This victory made possible to estabilize the captaincy and
to start Portuguese rule. |
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The village (vilas) of Olinda (first capital) and Igarassu were founded
1537.
Pernambuco was one of the two only prosperous captaincies (the other was São
Vincente), mainly due to the plantation of sugar cane and cotton. With the
support of Dutch East India Company, The sugar mills (engenho) were
constructed and the sugar industry had greatly developed. In 1612,
Pernambuco produced 14,000 tons of sugar; by 1640s, more than 24,000 tons of
sugar were exported to Amsterdam.
In 1630, Pernambuco, as well as many Portuguese possession in Brazil, was
occupied by the Dutch. Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen, count of Nassau, was
appointed as ruler of the Nieuw Holland (Dutch colonization enterprise in
Brazil).
Nassau's government built Maritania or Mauristaad (Recife) on delta islands,
which is somewhat silimilar to Holland's topography. This moved the
political focus from Olinda to Recife. The Dutch administration of Nassau's
was remarkably noted by advancements in urbanism, culture, and science. The
Dutch legacy is still recognizable in Pernambuco's people, accent, and
architecture.
Portugal reconquered Pernambuco after Battle of Guararapes in 1654 and
Olinda had regained its status of political center. However, Recife remained
the commercial /port city.
In 1710 the Mascate War took place in Pernambuco. This conflict put the
mascates (traveling salesman) from Recife against the establishment hosted
in Olinda and led by the Senhores de Engenho (owners of the sugar mills,
literally: sugar mill lords).
Pernambuco was the home for the most important rebellions and insurrections
in Brazilian history, especially in the 19th century.
1817 was the year of the Pernambucan Revolution, a republican separatist
movement which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Pernambuco. The
main causes of the revolution was insatisfaction with the colonial
administration. The republic was declared on March 7, 1817. After military
intervention, the secession ended on May 20, 1817. The current flag of
Pernambuco is actually the flag of that Republic.
As a reaction to the Emperor Dom Pedro I dissolution of the Constituent
Assembly, the Confederation of the Equator was set on July 2, 1824. The
Confederation was another separatism movement which emcompassed the
provinces of Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, and Ceará. On
November 29, 1824, the Confederated forces capitulate to the imperial army.
Pernambuco was the site of the brief liberal republican Praieira revolt in
1848, which was Brazil's response to the European year of failed liberal
revolutions. The military officer who put it down was Deodoro da Fonseca,
later briefly the first president of the Brazilian republic. |
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