ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Soldiers mutiny in Rio Negro 1757

Synopsis
In March 1757, soldiers stationed on the Rio Negro in the State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão, in the Portuguese Amazon region, responsible for the defense and demarcation of borders, mutinied against the representatives of the local government. Motivated by better working conditions in both the towns and the hinterlands (sertões), soldiers, drummers, and corporals protested against the delayed payment of wages, lack of food and uniforms, excessive punishments, and imposed taxes. Led by two corporals, 120 men took control of the Arraial de Mariuá for two days, protesting along the network of rivers, invading villages, fortifications, and royal fisheries in the region. Repressive forces controlled the revolt, and after three months, members of the War Council in Belém do Pará agreed to grant pardon to the mutineers, except for their leaders, who were sentenced for the crimes of theft, desertion, and insurrection.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 1 month. Name in sources: Motim de soldados no Arraial de Mariuá. Location: Captaincy of Rio Negro Country (current): Brazil. Monarchy: Portuguese. Main participants: Soldiers. Number of participants: 100-250. Main reasons & motivations: Fiscal, Labour conditions. Leadership: Manoel Correia Cardoso, Fernando de Souza Ferreira. Relevance: low.

Further reading
HEMMING, John (2009). Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon. London: Thames & Hudson, chapter 4. SANTOS, Fabiano Vilaça dos (2007). "Com as fardas nos braços: motins de soldados no Pará e Rio Negro". Anais Eletrônicos do XXIV Simpósio Nacional de História. São Leopoldo: Oikos. SILVA, Leonardo Augusto Ramos (2023). Na "Pátria das sublevações": descontentamento e revoltas da gente de guerra no rio Negro (1754-1777). Belém: Universidade Federal do Pará (MPhil thesis).
Cite this entry

Silva, Leonardo Ramos (2023). "Soldiers mutiny in Rio Negro 1757", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. http://atlas.cidehusdigital.uevora.pt/revolt/soldiers-mutiny-in-rio-negro-1757/ (accessed on 27 Dezembro 2023).