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In 1816 Maria I, after twenty-four years of insanity, died and the prince
regent was proclaimed João VI (r.1816-26). The new king, who had acquired a
court and government in Brazil and a following among the Brazilians, did not
immediately return to Portugal, and liberals continued to agitate against the
monarchy. In May 1817, General Gomes Freire Andrade was arrested on treason
charges and hanged, as were eleven alleged accomplices. Beresford, who was still
commander in chief of the Portuguese army, was popularly blamed for the
harshness of the sentences, which aggravated unrest in the country. The most
active center of Portuguese liberalism was Porto, where the Sinédrio was
situated and quickly gaining adherents.
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Portugese Army Officers Conspiracy 1817... The Pernambuccan revolution in 1817 encouraged army officers in Portugal to
conspire against the regency of British Marshal William Carr Beresford. Twelve
of the conspirators, including a general officer, were tried secretly and
hanged. Anti-British sentiment deepened.
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