ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Hausa slave conspiracy in Bahia 1807

Synopsis
In the early 19th century, the arrival of enslaved Africans in Bahia increased, among them the Hausa, who had been enslaved in their region of origin, Central Sudan, in the north of present-day Nigeria, amidst intense conflicts associated with the expansion of Islam and Jihad. They were the main protagonists of a revolt that was being prepared in the city for the Feast of Corpus Christi (May 28, 1807), aiming to kill white people, destroy churches, and establish a Muslim government. Allegedly, it was a well-crafted plan by the rebels who had already appointed their own authorities, distributed weapons among themselves, and established contacts to involve enslaved Hausa and other ethnic groups from the sugar plantations in the Recôncavo region of Bahia. The planned insurrection was aborted before it even began. Having been warned of its imminence, the governor of the captaincy, Conde da Ponte, ordered the arrest of the main leaders, placed the public water sources under surveillance, and imposed a curfew on the enslaved people in the city. The ensuing repression, which included dozens of other arrests, interrogations, and a manhunt in the city and the Recôncavo in search of those presumed to be involved in the conspiracy, along with rumors of a new uprising planned for the Feast of St. John (June 24), kept the entire region on edge for over a month. Although contained, these events of 1807 were only the first in a series of revolts led by Hausa slaves in Bahia.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 1 month. Name in sources: Conspiração de escravos haussás. Location: Salvador da Bahia Country (current): Brazil. Monarchy: Portuguese. Main participants: Africans, Enslaved. Number of participants: 100-250. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-colonial, Freedom, Religion. Leadership: Baltazar (a slave), Antonio José Ricardo (a freedman), and others. Relevance: low.

Further reading
REIS, João José (2006). “La révolte haoussa de Bahia en 1807: résistance et contrôle des esclaves au Brésil”. Annales: Histoire, Sciences Sociales, 61(02), 383-418. REIS, João José (2014). “Há duzentos anos: a revolta escrava de 1814 na Bahia”. Topoi, 15 (28), 68-115. SCHWARTZ, Stuart B. (2000). “Cantos e quilombos numa conspiração de escravos haussás. Bahia, 1814”, in J. J. Reis, F. S. Gomes (org), Liberdade por um fio. História dos quilombos no Brasil. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, pp. 373-406.
Cite this entry

Ramos, João Espadeiro (2024). "Hausa slave conspiracy in Bahia 1807", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. http://atlas.cidehusdigital.uevora.pt/revolt/hausa-slave-conspiracy-in-bahia-1807/ (accessed on 30 Junho 2024).