“A soldadesca desenfreada”: politização militar no Grão-Pará da Era da Independência (1790-1850)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the soldiers’ politicking process in Grão-Pará during the years of 1790-1850. Along this period, several wars and revolts happened in Europe and Spanish America that modified and helped to build up the politics and government forms in the occidental world. These movements influenced the Portuguese Empire, provoking several revolts and politics actions of many social groups, with many projects of social inserting in the Grão-Pará until middle of the century XIX. Among many other groups there were militaries involved with this process. The perspective in this study is to reflect on the socials papers of militaries, from soldier the inferior officers. On the streets and barracks, they were influenced by spread of ideas and new forms of disagreements that came from the questionable movements which occurred in Europe and America, they got fit in their old traditions ways of fighting against the military politic of the Portuguese state. In some context of revolts, this militaries to want as to solve internal problems in the “quarters” as to promote some changes in the social hierarchy established during the colonial period, and reinforced in the post-independent period. These militaries’ performance in revolts that had intervention aspect in the state politic was combated with violence – it means the exclusion of the troops or killing the troops’ leaders – and also with the promise of reforming the Army rules.