Portugal: A Historical View of the Age of Revolutions, from 1814 to 1827, by an English Eyewitness

Resumo

In 1827, a book was published in London with the lengthy title

An Historical View of the Revolutions of Portugal Since the Close of the Peninsular War: Exhibiting a Full Account of the Events Which Have Led to the Present State of That Country, by an Eye-Witness. This work was anonymous and received excellent reviews in the British Press. The author’s name is easily guessed by the clues expressed in the Preface of the book. Only one Englishman fulfils all the criteria: Major John Murray Browne (1792-1828). This is a unique document, written by a foreigner with extensive knowledge of the country and the people of Portugal and highly connected with the King’s court. The book reveals a most exciting period in the history of Portugal. It covers the period that followed the Peninsular War, with the country wholly devastated, up to the 1820 revolution. It continues by analysing the years that followed (1820-1827), with revolutionary and counterrevolutionary events. The political aspects of the Constitution of 1822 and the Portuguese Charter of 1826 are also described.