Fausto de Aguiar Cardoso (December 22, 1864 – August 28, 1906) was a Brazilian lawyer, poet, philosopher, and politician from the state of

Sergipe Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...

. He was born in a rural part of the state Sergipe, and studied at the

Faculty of Law of Recife Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

. He was elected to political office in 1900, and came into dispute with Olímpio Campos in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, the seat of the

First Brazilian Republic The First Brazilian Republic, also referred to as the Old Republic (, ), officially the Republic of the United States of Brazil, was the Brazilian state in the period from 1889 to 1930. The Old Republic began with the coup d'état that deposed ...

. Cardoso returned to Sergipe in 1906 and led a revolt against the state government. He was assassinated in 1906 by federal troops summoned to the state by Olímpio Campos. Cardoso's sons, in turn, avenged their father's death and murdered Olímpio Campos shortly after in Rio de Janeiro.

Early life and career

Fausto Cardoso was born in Sergipe on Engenho São Félix, a plantation in present-day Divina Pastora. Cardoso completed preparatory school in Sergipe, and secondary school at Colégio Sete de Setembro in

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

. He entered the

in 1880. He became a disciple of

Tobias Barreto Tobias Barreto de Meneses (June 7, 1839 – June 26, 1889) was a Brazilian poet, philosopher, jurist and literary critic. He is famous for creating the " Condorism" and revolutionizing Brazilian Romanticism and poetry. He is patron of the 38th ch ...

(1839-1889), a poet and literary critic, also of Sergipe. He became a member of the Movement for the Renewal of National Thought (''Movimento de Renovação do Pensamento Nacional''). Cardoso wrote for newspapers in Recife and became an editor of the newspaper ''Saara''. Cardoso returned to Sergipe after graduation from law school in Recife. He became a public prosecutor first in Capela and later in

Laranjeiras Laranjeiras (, ''orange trees'') is an upper-middle-class neighborhood located in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Primarily residential, It is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, having been founded in the 17th century, with the ...

. Cardoso witnessed the strength of the growing republican movement in Laranjeiras that foreshadowed the end of the

Empire of Brazil The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...

in 1889. He fell out of favor with local politicians in Sergipe due to his support of republican ideals, and moved to Rio de Janeiro. He worked as a law professor, journalist, and professor. Cardoso wrote ''Concepção Monistica do Universo'', a book on philosophy, and later "Taxonomia Social", on social science in this period. He additionally published numerous articles on history and law.

Political career

Cardoso and Sílvio Romero supported Colonel Manuel Prisciliano de Oliveira Valadão, who was running for a seat in the Senate from Sergipe in 1894; Valadão's investiture was approved by President

Floriano Peixoto Floriano Vieira Peixoto (; 30 April 1839 – 29 June 1895) was a Brazilian military and politician, a veteran of the Paraguayan War and several other conflicts, and the second president of Brazil. Born in (today a district of the city of ...

. The candidacy was declared illegal and created discontent, resulting in the shortening of the Constitutional Government presided over by

José Calazans José Alves Calazans (born 20 October 1939), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a right winger. Career Calazans began his career at Bangu, and played there until 1957. In 1960, he was one of the main people responsible ...

. The dispute led to the creation of two groups: the ''Pebas'', which represented the elites of Aracaju; and the ''Cabaús'', which represented the elites of the rural sugarcane region, and favored José Calazans. The dispute lasted for much of the 1890s. Fausto Cardoso was elected Federal Deputy for Sergipe for two terms, once in 1900-1902 and again in 1906-1908. He became involved in the political group of Monsignor Olímpio Campos, but soon became his opponent and rival. Cardoso returned to Sergipe in 1906 and formed a political party, the Progressive Party (, PP). The followers of Fausto Cardoso and the Military Police took over the Government Palace, invaded the Legislative Assembly, and impeached several deputies. They deposed the state president, Guilherme de Campos, brother of Olímpio Campos. The Campos brothers notified the Brazilian federal government about the illegality of the movement, which became known as "Revolt of Fausto Cardoso" or the "Tragedy of Sergipe".

Death in Aracaju

Monsignor Olímpio Campos, as Senator for Sergipe, petitioned President

Rodrigues Alves Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, PC (; 7 July 1848 – 16 January 1919) was a Brazilian politician who first served as president of the Province of São Paulo in 1887, then as Treasury minister in the 1890s. Rodrigues Alves was elected the ...

to send army troops from Bahia and Pernambuco to Aracaju. Fausto Cardoso went to the Government Palace unarmed, to appeal to the federal army troops on August 28, 1906. They shot him and two others with rifle and shotgun fire after his speech. Cardoso asked for water after the shooting at a house at on the corner of Rua de Pacatuba on Praça do Palácio, a broad public plaza, and died. Fausto Cardoso's sons, Armando de Aguiar Cardoso and Humberto de Aguiar Cardos, avenged their father's death; they murdered Olímpio Campos three months later in Rio de Janeiro. Fausto Cardoso and Olímpio Campos are commemorated with broad public squares in the Historic Center of Aracaju, with

Praça Fausto Cardoso A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

located on the margins of the Sergipe River.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardoso, Fausto 1864 births 1906 deaths People from Sergipe 19th-century Brazilian male writers 19th-century Brazilian politicians