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Cartista was a Portuguese ideology which arose after the Portuguese
Liberal Revolution of 1820 The Liberal Revolution of 1820 () was a Portuguese political revolution that erupted in 1820. It began with a military insurrection in the city of Porto, in northern Portugal, that quickly and peacefully spread to the rest of the country. The Rev ...
. Members supported the Constitutional Charter of 1826 granted by
Peter IV of Portugal '' Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1831 (under the name of ...
, which was an attempt to reduce the conflicts created by the revolution. This was a less radical charter than the Constitution of 1822. Portuguese Chartism was quite different from both European and British Chartism, and was in some ways antithetical, as they believed in a
liberal-conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...
ideology. A scathing contemporary description defined them as either personal enemies of Dom Miguel, or were simply acting out of self-interest. By 1851, the Chartists successfully carried out a military coup against Costa Cabral. The party became part of a power-sharing agreement with Partido Progressista, which became the basis of the system of "rotativism", where they took turns ruling Portugal


Background

Following the
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
, when the monarchy had remained transplanted in Brazil and continental Portugal was run by British-supported elites, pressure developed from professional classes to obtain more power, in light of their rule from abroad. Outward pressure eventually resulted in the 1820 Revolution, which established a Liberal constitution, investing power in the political structures and turning Portugal into a constitutional monarchy. King
John VI of Portugal '' Dom'' John VI (; 13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826), known as "the Clement" (), was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves from 1816 to 1825, and after the recognition of Brazil's independence, titular Emperor of Brazil ...
returned to the continent and supported this form of government, although during his reign there were pressures from the old elites, such as the multiple attempts by his son
Miguel of Portugal '' Dom'' Miguel I (26 October 1802 – 14 November 1866), known by several nicknames, was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834. He was son of King John VI and Queen Carlota Joaquina. Following his exile as a result of his actions i ...
to overthrow the established Liberal constitution. The death of John VI, and the abdication of his successor,
Peter IV of Portugal '' Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1831 (under the name of ...
in favour of his young daughter (
Maria da Glória Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, d ...
), once again, allowed Miguel an opportunity to seize the throne. Ultimately, this led to a
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
between the Chartists (supported by Peter VI) and the absolutist king (Miguel). Following the
Concession of Evoramonte The Concession of Evoramonte, also known as the Convention of Evoramonte,Smith, p. 398 is a peace treaty signed on 26 May 1834, in the town of Evoramonte, Alentejo, between the Constitutionalists and the Miguelites, that ended the Portuguese ...
, which put an end to the
Liberal Wars The Liberal Wars (), also known as the Portuguese Civil War () and the War of the Two Brothers () was a civil war in Portugal that lasted from May 1828 to May 1834, fought between liberal progressive constitutionalists (led by former King P ...
, two political factions developed, becoming more and more distinct: the conservative Chartists and the Vintistas, which were further to the left of liberal thought. In its early years, the Chartist party was considered the most unpopular party in Portugal. Historical accounts showed that it was far weaker than the Royalists. A scathing contemporary description, for instance, stated that "it is composed generally of men who were either personal enemies to Dom Miguel, or were bought by money, or else act from motives of self-interest at the moment... it is neither respected, looked up to, nor beloved." The Chartists, however, effectively influenced the form of the Portuguese government later on. Following the restoration of the Charter, the Chartists came to power several times (under several different names), battling against various internal conflicts and counter-revolutions, such as the
Patuleia The Patuleia, Guerra da Patuleia, or Little Civil War was a civil w ...
and the Revolution of Maria da Fonte. During the reign of Queen Maria II, there were reports that she was increasingly leaning towards the Chartist party, particularly in 1847. She eventually sided with Costa Cabral, who was a former radical turned Chartist, giving him sweeping power. This development attested to the relevance of the party in the Portuguese polity during her reign. By 1851, the Chartists - through the leadership of the Duke of Saldanha - successfully carried out a military coup against Cabral. The party became part of a power-sharing agreement with Partido Progressista thereafter. This agreement became the basis of the system of "rotativism" where the Chartist and Partido Progressista leaders took turn ruling Portugal.


Regeneration

When the formation of political parties was clarified as a result of the Regeneração, the Cartistas re-formed in 1851 as the "Partido Regenerador", which up to the advent of the Republic in Portugal was the main conservative party of the right of the Constitutional Monarchy. More than half of Portugal's presidents of the council of the second half of the 19th century belonged to this political party.


Factionalism

A faction of 25 led by
João Franco João Franco Ferreira Pinto Castelo-Branco, GCTE (; 14 February 1855 – 4 April 1929) was a Portuguese politician, minister, 43rd Minister for Treasury Affairs (14 January 1890) and 47th Prime Minister (19 May 1906 – 4 February 1908). ...
, opposing Hintze Ribeiro's leadership of the main party, formally broke away on 12 February 1901, and became the Partido Regenerador Liberal (officially called the Centro Regenerador Liberal) on 16 May that year.


European Chartism

Despite the resemblance of its name and some of its objectives, Portuguese "cartismo" is not directly equivalent to European
chartism Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of ...
, since the letter it defended (the Constitutional Letter of 1826) was a charter that had been granted to the Portuguese in particular, rather than the generic charter of rights aspired to by European chartism. Indeed, it itself attacked the wishes of European chartism, particularly British Chartism, closer to the resolutions of the Portuguese Constitution of 1822 than those of the Portuguese Constitutional Charter.


See also

* Belenzada * Cabralism *
Chartism Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of ...
in general *'' Setembrismo'', the anti-Cartista party


References

{{Authority control Cabralism Political history of Portugal 19th century in Portugal Conservative parties in Portugal es:Cartistas