Over 60 members gathered at the Hotel Riviera in Carcavelos on 18 January for the Society’s annual lunch and to hear Eduardo Gomes talk on The Impact on the Portuguese People of the War in the Peninsula (1808-1814), ably assisted by Tânia (above).
Eduardo began with a discussion of the embarkation of the Royal Family to Brazil, based on the description he had given in his novel, Terra Queimada. For the ordinary inhabitant of Lisbon, the day of 27 November 1807 marked the beginning of the War. A huge fleet was docked at Restelo in Belém and the population, alerted by the rumours that the French were coming, went down to the docks to see what was happening. There, in heavy rain, they found the Royal Family preparing to leave, together with about 15,000 followers, which included the majority of the Portuguese political, religious, and cultural elite, together with incalculable wealth, including the royal treasure and precious religious objects. Many trunks and suitcases could not be loaded, to the great benefit of thieves.
Differing opinions exists regarding the monarch’s departure. For some, it was justified to safeguard Portugal's independence, while for others, it was no more than an act of cowardice. The latter view was enhanced when it became know that the departing Prince Regent had decreed “that the troops of the Emperor of France be well accommodated in military barracks and provided with everything they desire while they remain in the Kingdom”. The Church also exhorted the Portuguese to support French rule, much to the astonishment of the people, as the Church had previously criticised the French. The advance guard of the invaders were exhausted and poorly fed and Eduardo argued that the 15,000 Portuguese soldiers in Lisbon could easily have defeated them, but they lacked orders to do so.
The Portuguese elite who remained were divided into pro-French and pro-British factions. Most intellectuals and progressive liberals supported the French Revolution, and were reluctant to admit that Napoleon had become authoritarian and had introduced censorship and severely restricted individual freedoms. On the other hand, the conservative faction supported the Monarch and the Church and being supporters of the parliamentary system of government, they were committed to the principles of an absolute monarchy.
Throughout the country, wherever it was known that the French soldiers were in the vicinity, the local populace fled to their villages and hid out of reach of the French. They left behind their homes and harvests, in the knowledge that the French would either steal or destroy everything. Those who stayed behind hid their valuables in pots buried in the ground of their homes. The French left a trail of destruction behind them, stealing, raping the women and murdering the men. This led to famine, which was to last for many years: there was no grain to sow, no animals to work the land, and no vines or fruit trees.
Eduardo then reminded us of the tragedy of the bridge of boats in Porto on 29 March 1809, when fleeing from Marshal Soult's troops, thousands rushed onto the only bridge that connected Porto with Vila Nova and nearly 4,000 died when the bridge of boats collapsed. It is estimated that the three French invasions caused at least 100,000 deaths among the Portuguese, mostly civilians, not counting those who would die from hunger in the coming years.
As it advanced into Portugal in November 1807, the French army under Junot had to cross mountain passes and faced a tremendous storm, which brought huge amounts of rain and mud. The lack of supplies and increasing disease made the soldiers very vulnerable and Eduardo argued that if the Regency had been more courageous, the first French invasion could have been repulsed. Lacking direction and increasingly harassed, the local population attacked the French on their own initiative whenever possible, especially the stragglers. Killing the French invader became a badge of honour for those Portuguese who had lost everything. No rules of war applied and the French were tortured and dismembered. Eduardo argued that this behaviour has been erased from the collective memory, with historians instead concentrating on the abuses committed by the French.
Eduardo only briefly touched on the third French invasion and the role of Wellington. Instead, he left us with a couple of questions to ponder. Wellington ordered a scorched-earth policy north of the Lines of Torres Vedras to ensure that the French would have nothing to eat. Eduardo then asked “would Wellington have done the same to his compatriots if Britain itself had been invaded by the French?” Assuming the answer would have been ‘no’, why then did the Portuguese not revolt against the British orders?
Eduardo concluded by noting that moments of cowardice were mixed with others of great heroism. He argued that such schizophrenia could be seen throughout the 19th century, as Portugal’s sense of identity was challenged by national and international events, concluding with Lord Salisbury’s Ultimatum in 1890. The country took refuge in what he called “nationalist mysticism”, perhaps better known to us as Saudade, through which the Portuguese could be transported back to their glorious past.
A questions and answers session followed the talk, and members then sat down to the customary excellent buffet lunch provided by the Riviera Hotel.
Eduardo’s novel, Terra Queimada, can be purchased from the website of Bertrand Livreiros.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER