Confederation of The Equator - The Rebellion

The Rebellion

On July 2, 1824, only one day after the departure of Taylor, Manuel Paes de Andrade made use of the chance and announced the independence of Pernambuco. Paes de Andrade sent invitations to the others provinces of the north and northeast Brazil so that they could join Pernambuco and form the Confederation of the Equator. In thesis, the new republican State would be formed by the provinces of Grand Pará (current Amazonas, Roraima, Rondônia and Pará), Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Sergipe, Paraíba, Pernambuco and Bahia. However, none of them adhered the secessionist revolt, with the exception of a few villages in southern Ceará and in Paraíba. However, in Ceará the situation became more serious with the deposition of the President Pedro José da Costa Barros that was substituted by the confederate Tristão Gonçalves de Alencar Araripe. The other cities and villages of the province refused to accept the act and counterattacked. Alencar Araripe left to the countryside where he tried to defeat the legalist troops. While he was absent the capital of the province, Fortaleza, reaffirmed its loyalty to the Empire. In Pernambuco, Paes de Andrade could only count with Olinda, as the remaining of the province did not join the revolt. The confederate leader prepared his troops for the inevitable attack from the central Government and recruited by force even children and old men. Pedro I, after knowing of the secessionist revolt, spoke: “What are the demands of the insults from Pernambuco? Certainly a punishment, and such a punishment that it will serve as an example for the future”.

Paes Barreto gathered himself troops to quell the revolt but was defeated which made him keep his forces in the countryside waiting for reinforcements. On August 2 the Emperor sent a naval division commanded by the Admiral Thomas Cochrane, composed of a ship of the line, a brig, a corvette and two transports and also 1,200 soldiers led by Brigadier General Francisco de Lima e Silva. The troops disembarked in Maceió, capital of Alagoas, from where they travelled by land towards Pernambuco. The legalist forces soon met with Paes Barreto and his 400 men who joined the march. Throughout the way, the army was strengthened by militians that increased their numbers to 3,500 soldiers. Most of the population of Pernambuco, that lived in the countryside, including partisans of Paes Barreto and the neutral or indifferent to the disputes between both factions, remained faithful to the monarchy.

Meanwhile, Cochrane, that was already making a siege by sea to Recife, tried to convince Paes de Andrade to surrender and thus to prevent unnecessary deaths. Andrade arrogantly refused the offer alleging that he preferred to die fighting “in the field of glory”. On September 12, the army led by Brigadier General Lima e Silva and Paes Barreto attacked Recife. Manuel Paes de Andrade, who had sworn that would fight to death ran away secretly with José da Natividade Saldanha without informing his companions and departed in a British ship. The rebels, without leadership and unmotivated, were completely defeated five days later in Olinda. A few led by Frei Caneca managed to escape towards Ceará. They believed that they would be able to join the confederates in that province. Few weeks later they were defeated by legalist troops. Some died, such as João Soares Lisboa and Alencar Araripe (murdered by his own men) while others were imprisoned, such as Frei Caneca. The rebels in Paraíba did not fare better and were quickly overhelmed by troops of the province (each side had 2,000 men) without the aid of the central Government.