Alphonso was successor to the duke of Braganza, who had reigned under the title of John IV. Alphonso being of a weak constitution, of great imbecility of mind, ill edu cated, and addicted to mean company and low pleasures, his mother endeavoured, by every artifice and intrigue, to get him deprived of the crown, which she meant to place on the head of his younger brother Don Peter. This she was unable to accomplish: but after her death, Alphonso, from various circumstances, was compelled to sign a re signation of the kingdom, and his brother was declared regent, and invested with all the powers of royalty. Al phonso's wife having transferred her affections to Don Peter, a circumstance which had led her to induce her husband to submit to the resignation—their marriage having been de clared null by the chapter of Lisbon, and the regent hav ing gained a papal dispensation, and the consent of the states, married the lady who had been his brother's wife. On the death of Alphonso, the regent succeeded by the title of Peter II. Peter, having died in 1706, was suc ceeded by his son John V. In 1750, on the death of John, Don Joseph ascended the throne, a prince whose reign, not distinguished for any thing enterprising or he roic, is probably one of the most memorable, but most revolting periods in Portuguese history. It is deeply stained with domestic blood, and rendered odious by the most shocking cruelty. In 1758, the king was attacked by assassins, and narrowly escaped with his life. The fami lies of Aveira and Tavora, in consequence of an accusa tion (afterwards proved to be unfounded) exhibited against them, of having conspired against his majesty's life, were cruelly destroyed by torture. On various pretences execution succeeded execution, with awful rapidity. An earthquake overwhelmed the city of Lisbon, and shook the whole kingdom to its centre. A famine threatened to accomplish what this visitation had left undone. And in addition to these and similar calamities, the Portuguese dominions were invaded by Spain with a powerful army ; their capital threatened ; their prince almost determined to save himself by flight ; evils from which they could not have been saved, had not England interposed to bring about a peace, which was concluded in 1763. this reign the management of public affairs was in the hands of the celebrated marquis de Pombal, a minister of un bounded authority, which he not unfrequently directed to the most cruel and arbitrary proceedings, and whose re moval from office, in the subsequent reign, excited joy throughout all ranks of the community.
Joseph, who died in 1777, having left no sons, was suc ceeded by his daughter Mary, whom he had married, by dis pensation from the pope, to Don Peter, her uncle, with a view of preventing the crown from falling into a foreign family. The queen having fallen into a state of religious melancholy, the prince of Brazil published an edict (1792) declaring that as his mother, from her unhappy situation, was incapable of managing the affairs of goverment, he would place his signature to public papers, till the return of her health, but that no other change should take place in consequence of her indisposition. From this unhappy state she was doomed never to recover. She attained, how ever, to very advanced years, and at her death was succeeded by her son, the present reigning monarch. In the beginning of the late war with France, Portugal took a feeble part con junctly with England and Spain; but after Spain had made peace with France, a war took place between the former country and Portugal, which, however, was productive of no very important events, and which was terminated by treaty in 1801. On the rupture of the peace of Amiens, and the renewal of the French war, Portugal remained for some time neutral; but having, at length, determined in favour of France, she advanced, from time to time, large sums of money to that power, and at last went so far as to order her ports to he shut against the ships of war and merchant vessels of England. She now found herself
placed in peculiar and extremely dangerous circumstances —virtually at war with great Britain, a power with which she had for centuries been intimately connected, whose friendship had often averted from her impending ruin, and from whose hostility she had every thing to dread—and leagued with France, her ancient enemy, in whom she could place no confidence, and whose armies, having in vaded Spain, were rapidly advancing to Lisbon, to possess or to destroy it. In such circumstances the government hesitated long what steps to adopt. Distrustful of Bo naparte, expecting no assistance from any foreign power, and aware that the internal resources of the nation were inadequate to its defence, the royal family of Braganza abandoned a kingdom which they could not defend, and emigrated to Brazil. In November, 1807, they sailed from the Tagus, in a fleet of eight sail of the line, carrying with them about 18,000 Portuguese subjects, including many persons of distinction. And from this period, Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil, may be regarded as the seat of the Portuguese government. On the removal of the royal family the councils of state attended them; and the king was represented in Lisbon by a regency, and the councils by committees; and no other important altera tion took place in consequence of the departure of the court to the Brazilian colony.
Nor were the views of the king of Portugal, in regard to the views of Bonaparte, unfounded. The French im mediately took possession of Lisbon, and the administra • tion of the new government was conferred on Junot, now dignified with the title of duke of Abrantes. They were not, however, allowed long to retain possession of the Portuguese territories. England, having resolved to assist Spain and Portugal in their resistance to French usurpa tion, despatched an army to the latter country, and halving defeated the enemy at Vimeira, compelled them to evacu ate Portugal, by the convention of Cintra. Portugal, how ever, was not yet freed from foreign aggression. The in vading armies of France having met with considerable success in Spain, having taken Nladrid, and forced Sir John Moore to make a precipitate retreat from the penin sula, Portugal was again attempted to be overrun and subdued. Three armies were collected on its frontiers, one under marshal Soult, in Gallicia, another under gene ral Lapisse, at Salamanca, and a third on the banks of the Tagus, under marshal Victor. Had these armies been concentrated, and placed under the management of one commander, the object the French had in view, notwith standing the bravery of the Portuguese and the English forces, must soon have been realised, and Portugal have fallen a prey to her ambitious and unprincipled inva ders. These armies, however, being thus disunited,— fearing to be severally committed, and not knowing the views and operations of each other,—lost the precious mo ment for action, in suspense, inactivity, or petty move ments. Soult, indeed, having entered Portugal on the north, took Chaves and Oporto, with great slaughter, and gained several important advantages. Victor and Lapisse, having, at length, united their forces, had forced the pas sage of the Tagus, and were making rapid advances towards Lisbon. But this success was but of short dura tion. Chaves and Oporto were soon recaptured. A deci sive victory was gained over Soult on the banks of the Douro, attended with the loss of the greater part of his army : and abandoning all his artillery and wheel-carriages, he was himself obliged to flee beyond the frontiers of the kingdom, whither he was soon followed by Victor and La pisse, without having accomplished any thing, either to undermine in any degree the resources of Portugal, or afford them the hope of greater success by a subsequent invasion.