ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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War of the madmen 1776

Synopsis
The so-called War of the Madmen was a significant anti-Portuguese uprising on the island of Timor. The conflict arose after the colonial government moved from Lifau, located in the western enclave of Oecussi, to Dili on the eastern side of the island. This alteration upset the balance of power among the various small polities (called kingdoms or chieftaincies) that constituted the fragmented political landscape of the region. The war began in 1776, when the inhabitants of the kingdom of Luca declined to pay the tributes owed to the Portuguese governor and the Catholic missionaries (fintas and legados). Reportedly led by a female spiritual leader, this popular uprising gained the support of king D. Sebastião do Amaral of Luca and quickly developed into a political and religious movement that sought to drive the Portuguese out of the area. The colonial authorities struggled to suppress the uprising, and it was only with the assistance of the allied king of Viqueque that it was finally contained. After D. Sebastião do Amaral's death, in 1777, the rebels were led by his nephew, Tomás do Amaral, and kept on fighting against the Portuguese until 1785, when a new governor successfully quelled the uprising by granting the rebel leaders a series of offices and privileges in exchange for peace. Nonetheless, the situation remained tense and in the early decades of the 19th century the kingdom of Luca once again experienced rebellion under the leadership of queen D. Ana Maria or Maria Amaral.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 9 years. Name in sources: Guerra dos Doidos. Location: Luca Country (current): Timor. Monarchy: Portuguese. Main participants: Indigenous, Local elites, Women. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-colonial, Political, Religion. Leadership: Sebastião do Amaral, Tomás do Amaral. Relevance: low.

Further reading
HAGERDAL, Hans (2012). Lords of the Land, Lords of the Sea. Conflict and adaption in early colonial Timor. Leiden: KITLV Press. ROQUE, Ricardo; COUTINHO, Luísa (2022). “A ‘guerra dos doidos’ em Timor-Leste (1776-1786)”. Revista Oriente, 29, pp. 105-110.
Cite this entry

Ferreira, José Miguel (2023). "War of the madmen 1776", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. http://atlas.cidehusdigital.uevora.pt/revolt/war-of-the-madmen-1776/ (accessed on 11 Fevereiro 2023).