# Belém Rebellion (1823)

The Belém Rebellion (1823) was a rebellion against the Kingdom of Portugal as an attempt to proclaim independence to Grão-Pará and integrate into the Brazilian Empire.

## Background

After Dom Pedro I proclaimed the independence of Brazil from Portugal on September 7, 1822, several provinces in the northern and northeastern regions of the country were initially reluctant to join the new Brazilian Empire. Among these provinces was Grão-Pará, where they remained loyal to the Portuguese crown, and the region continued to be controlled by authorities aligned with Portugal.
In early 1823, tensions grew as a movement emerged to align the province with the new empire. A group of pro-independence military officers, alongside some civilians, started planning a rebellion in Belém, the provincial capital. Their goal was to seize strategic points in the city, declare independence, and pledge allegiance to Dom Pedro I. These were led by Captain Boaventura Ferreira da Silva and João Baptista Balbi, a civilian leader. Despite the secrecy surrounding their plans, loyalist authorities were aware of potential rebellion.

## Rebellion

The rebellion began on the night of April 13, 1823, when around 100 rebels, led by Boaventura and other officers, gathered at Balbi's residence in Belém. The insurgents seized control of the city's artillery park. Antonio de Loureiro Barreto, one of the leaders, took command of the troops and managed to infiltrate the artillery compound by feigning the rank of a colonel. The guards, caught off guard, allowed the rebels to enter without resistance.
With fireworks set off to signal the occupation, the rebels continued their plan. Boaventura rallied additional forces, gathering soldiers and civilians who supported independence. As they marched to Largo das Mercês (today Praça das Mercês), they met up with allies from the third regiment, led by José Narciso da Costa Rocha. Together, the group celebrated Dom Pedro I and declared their intention to join the Brazilian Empire. They fortified themselves at the artillery park, setting up cannons at key points to defend against any counterattack.
The first violent incident occurred when a loyalist officer, Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Nunes, attempted to resist the occupation. He fired a cannon at the rebels, killing one and wounding another. The rebels retaliated, firing multiple shots that left Nunes severely injured, which led to his death 3 days later.
However, by dawn on April 14, the tide turned against the rebels. Loyalist forces, led by the governor of arms José Maria de Moura and the colonels João Pereira Villaça and Francisco José Rodrigues Barata, advanced through the city. As they approached, Boaventura ordered his men to hold fire, not wanting to escalate the situation. Sensing the rebels’ hesitation, Barata marched into Largo das Mercês, proclaiming allegiance to the Portuguese Crown and Dom João VI. Demoralized and outmaneuvered, the rebels surrendered shortly thereafter.

## Aftermath

After their failture, Portuguese authorities quickly arrested many of the insurgents, holding them in the now-destroyed Fortress of Barra in Belém. Others, particularly civilian supporters, were confined in the public jail. While a few managed to escape, the majority faced imprisonment and, later, deportation.
Under pressure from the president of the provincial governing council, Romualdo Antonio de Seixas, authorities ultimately decided against capital punishment for the rebels, fearing that severe reprisals might provoke further unrest. Instead, 271 of the rebels were deported to Lisbon, where many suffered from disease and poor conditions in the São Julião prison. Of those deported, only 171 survived the ordeal and eventually returned to Brazil.
Despite the failed rebellion, tensions in Grão-Pará continued, another revolt, just a month later, began on the island of Marajó, in May 1823, resulting in a Portuguese victory. Grão-Pará later incorporated into the Brazilian Empire in October 1823.