Portuguese Independence Restoration Day (01/12)

Every year on December 1, Portugal celebrates the Day of Restoration of Independence (O Dia da Restauração da Independenceência/Restoration of Independence Day). The Portuguese themselves clarify that today is not just Independence Day, but — Independence Restoration Day.

In 1580, Portugal lost its independence as a result of a dynastic union with Spain. Simply put, the Spanish king Philip II took possession of the Portuguese crown, and for several decades Portugal became an appendage of the Spanish Empire. She was embroiled in the endless wars that Spain waged with England and Holland.

The country was impoverished, its population was declining, and the Inquisition intensified its persecution of the Marans (Jews forcibly converted to Christianity). The massive (more than 300 thousand people) flight of maranas abroad caused a leak of significant capital from Portugal. Trade came under the control of foreigners, mainly the Dutch and British. Tax oppression grew.

In 1637-1638, popular unrest showed that the limit of patience had come. The uprising in Evora, which broke out on August 21, 1637, received the greatest scale. The rebels drove away the corregidor, destroyed the prison, and burned the tax lists. Shortly after these events, slogans of the struggle for the country's independence were put forward.

However, the Portuguese nobility generally did not support the uprising. The nobility of Evora, led by the archbishop, constituted a junta, whose main goal was to calm the rebels and thereby rehabilitate itself in the eyes of the Madrid court. The same position was occupied by the popular contender for the throne and future king of independent Portugal —, Duke Joao of Bragana. But nevertheless, for several months Evora was under the control of the lower classes. Other cities followed her example: the uprising engulfed the provinces of Alentejo and the Algarves and reached the walls of Lisbon in a wave. The uprising was suppressed only by March 1638.

At the end of 1640, a palace conspiracy, on the one hand, and a popular uprising, on the other, brought the founder of the Bragan dynasty, John IV the Happy, to the Portuguese throne. So on December 1, 1640, Portugal was able to regain its independence from Spain.

The Cortes recognized John IV the Happy as king in January 1641. In 1654, the king forced the expulsion of the Dutch from the Portuguese colonies in Brazil. The life of the monarch ended before Spain recognized the independence of Portugal, but most importantly — independence was gained!

This holiday is very loved by the Portuguese, especially young people. Festive processions, fireworks, concerts and numerous feasts — traditional signs of today.

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