Liberal Revolution of 1820

A military uprising that began in Porto in 1820, ended absolutist rule in Portugal, and compelled King João VI to return from Brazil and accept a constitution.

Revolutionary Junta of Porto: A provisional governing body formed by revolutionaries in Porto in August 1820. It organized the uprising and issued the call for a national constituent assembly.
Transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil: The relocation of Portugal's royal court to Rio de Janeiro in 1807 during the French invasion. The court's prolonged absence made Portugal's political subordination a central grievance.
João VI of Portugal: King of Portugal from 1816 to 1826, who returned from Brazil in 1821 after the revolution. His return and acceptance of constitutional government were central demands of the revolt.
Return of João VI to Portugal: João VI's 1821 voyage from Brazil to Portugal in response to demands from the Portuguese Cortes. His return fulfilled a defining demand of the revolutionary movement.
Spanish Revolution of 1820: A military uprising in Spain in 1820 that forced Ferdinand VII to restore the liberal Constitution of 1812. Its near-simultaneity reveals a broader Iberian challenge to absolutist restoration.
Lisbon Provisional Junta: A provisional government formed in Lisbon after the city joined the 1820 revolution. Its alliance with Porto turned a regional revolt into a national movement.
Peninsular War: The 1807–1814 conflict in Iberia between France and its allies and the forces opposing Napoleonic rule. War and invasion set in motion the court's flight and Portugal's political crisis.
Manuel Fernandes Tomás: A Portuguese magistrate and politician who helped lead the 1820 revolution and shape its constitutional program. He was a prominent civilian architect of the movement's political agenda.
Brazilian independence: The separation of Brazil from Portugal, declared in 1822 and recognized by Portugal in 1825. The Cortes' effort to restore Portuguese authority in Brazil helped drive the break.
Liberal Triennium: The period of constitutional government in Spain from 1820 to 1823, initiated by Rafael del Riego's uprising. Portugal's revolution unfolded alongside this Spanish constitutional experiment.

Linked from 8 pages