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2010
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During the first decades of the 18th century, the Brazilian territory stretched well beyond what had been granted the Portuguese Crown by the Tordesillas Meridian. Various movements of territorial penetration had resulted in the occupation of the areas at the mouth and basin of the Amazon river and of the northeastern littoral, as well as in the penetration of its sertões (arid interior), in the foundation of Laguna and of the Colony of Sacramento, in the settlement of the interior of the Minas Gerais region, and in the exploration and occupation of the the auriferous areas of Mato Grosso and Goias.
However, it was the foundation in 1680 of the Colony of Sacramento in the upper margin of Rio de la Plata that gave rise to a strong rivalry between Portuguese and Castillians, who sought dominion of the Platina Region and of the south of Brazil, as it brought into question Spanish monopoly of this estuary. The conflicts that arose from this situation were resolved via various accords, such as the Utrecht one in 1715. Nevertheless, the 1735 Castillian attack to the Colony, unleashed a series of diplomatic efforts to obtain English support for Portuguese claims and find new ways to resolve the question of Iberian boundaries in South America. Thus, in the mid 18th century, a need existed to define the possessions of both countries, especially in this region.
Although in Lisbon a sentiment developed that military defense of the Colony of Sacramento was not possible and that the question should be resolved diplomatically, there also existed an awareness of the urgency of assuring dominion of Amazonia and the western interior of Brazil. The Castillians, on the other hand, wished to get rid of the uncomfortable Portuguese presence in Plata. In Spain, meanwhile, Phillip V passed away on 9 July, 1746. Ferdinand VI, who was married to Dona Maria Barbara of Bragança, daughter of Dom João V, succeeded him, which resulted in a positive outlook for the two crowns reaching an agreement. In September of that year, Tomás da Silva Teles, Viscount of Vila Nova de Cerveira, was nominated embassador of Portugal in Madrid. In Spain, José of Carvajal and Lancaster was appointed for the positions of Minister and Councilor of State. The death of Cardinal Dom João da Mota e Silva in October 1747 contributed to increased intervention in the Portuguese Court by Alexandre Gusmão, who early on had gathered geographical data that allowed for more exact knowledge of Brazilian geography. From then on, the rhythm of diplomatic negotiations between the two countries, in which Gusmão played a fundamental role, increased. These were started in January 1747 and ended with the signature of a treaty regarding boundaries, Tratado de Limites, on 14 January, 1750 - though dated the previous day - by the Iberian crowns´ negotiators, Silva Teles and Carvajal and Lancaster.
Commonly known as the Treaty of Madrid, this diplomatic agreement, revoked the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), the Escritura of Saragoza (1529) and the Treaty of Utrecht (1715), becoming the only defining instrument of the colonial regions which were under the influence of the two Iberian crowns in various continents. In its lengthy preamble, the allegations presented by both parties during the negotiations were enunciated. The impossibility of implementing the Tordesillas line and the violations of this Meridian were recognized: in the East with the occupation of the Philippines by the Spanish, and in the West by the occupation of the Amazonian Valley and the western territories of Brazil as well as the foundation of the Colony of Sacramento by the Portuguese. The two principles on which the entire negotiation was based were also presented: uti possidetis, which originated from Roman Law and according to which each party would retain the territories it already possessed, excepting the concessions established by the treaty, and the balizas naturais, that is, the utilization of the most significant geographical barriers, such as river courses, mountain ranges and sierras as dividers of the possessions.
The territorial boundaries of the two crowns in South America were defined throughout several articles. The dividing line started in Castilhos Grandes, in what currently is Uruguai, and ran through rivers of the Uruguai, Parana, Paraguai, and Amazonian watersheds, ending north of the mouth of the Amazon River. Due to lack of knowledge of the territory, boundaries were not defined based on balizas naturais in only two segments; imaginary lines were established between points that really were known. It was also established that these boundaries would be demarcated on the terrain by mixed teams, constituted by experts at the service of both crowns. It determined that, in case of war, the subjects of both crowns in South America would continue in peace, not allowing either one to use their ports or the enemies of the other to pass through their territories. The contracting parties were obligated to guarantee reciprocally the entire frontier and its adjacent territories in South America and to aid each other against attacks or invasions by third parties.
With the signing of this treaty, Portugal achieved diplomatic sanctioning for the territorial expansion by Portuguese and Portuguese-Brazilians that had occurred in South America. The Philippines remained under Spanish domain and the Portuguese exchanged the Colony of Sacramento for the Territory of Sete Povos das Missões Orientais, in the south of what currently is Brazil. Spain guaranteed exclusive dominion of Rio de la Plata and Portugal retained possession of a great portion of the Amazonian Basin. Distancing the Portuguese from the Colony, the Spanish avoided the smuggling of metal that occurred there and even the hypothetical English presence. In the south, Portugal guaranteed a continuous strip of land all the way to the Uruguai River and stepped up colonization of Rio Grande do Sul.
Although the signature of this agreement provoked satisfaction in some sectors, the Paraguai Jesuits, wounded by the cession of Sete Povos, showed their displeasure. On the occasion of the signing of the treaty, they organized a strong resistance to the presence in that territory of the demarcating teams, which led to the Guaranitic War. In Portugal, the merchants who lost a source of contraband with the cession of the Colony of Sacramento, some politicians, such as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, and men like João de Sousa Azevedo, who was connected to the territorial exploration of Brazil, or António Pedro de Vasconcelos, former Governor of that citadel, made their opposition vigorously known.
Despite this opposition, and after the signature of complementary agreements which established both how the demarcation of the new South American boundaries was to occurr in the terrain and the way in which the delivery of the territories ceded by both crowns was to take place, Carvalho e Melo initiated the preparation of these projects. In Europe numerous experts were hired to form the demarcation teams with other Portuguese. There were six teams, three belonging to the north division and as many to the south division. However, only the latter collaborated with the Spanish teams, demarcating nearly the whole dividing line assigned to them. In the north, Portuguese and Spanish never met. The demarcating work in the southern region was begun on 1 September, 1752 in Castilhos Grandes, with a conference between delegates of both crowns, and ended on 8 April, 1760 with the closure of the activities of the second southern team.
Nevertheless, the death of King Ferdinand VI in August 1759, and the ascension to the Spanish throne of Charles III as well as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo´s growing power in the Lisbon Court, both of whom were against the treaty, would lead to the revocation of the Madrid accord, with the signing of the Treaty of Pardo on 12 February, 1761, which annuled all the work that had been carried out, as the circumstances prior to 1750 were returned to. A new accord between the Iberian crowns regarding colonial boundaries would be signed only in 1777 in Saint Ildefonse, maintaining to a great extent the dividing line that had been agreed to in Madrid.
Bibliography:
ALMEIDA, Luís Ferrand de, Alexandre de Gusmão, o Brasil e o Tratado de Madrid (1735-1750), Instituto Nacional de Investigação Científica, Centro de História da Sociedade e da Cultura, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, 1990. CORTESÃO, Jaime, Alexandre de Gusmão e o Tratado de Madrid, 9 tomos, Ministério das Relações Exteriores, Instituto Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro, 1950-1963. FERREIRA, Mário Clemente, O Tratado de Madrid e o Brasil Meridional. Os trabalhos demarcadores das Partidas do Sul e a sua produção cartográfica (1749-1760), Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, Lisboa, 2001.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel
However, it was the foundation in 1680 of the Colony of Sacramento in the upper margin of Rio de la Plata that gave rise to a strong rivalry between Portuguese and Castillians, who sought dominion of the Platina Region and of the south of Brazil, as it brought into question Spanish monopoly of this estuary. The conflicts that arose from this situation were resolved via various accords, such as the Utrecht one in 1715. Nevertheless, the 1735 Castillian attack to the Colony, unleashed a series of diplomatic efforts to obtain English support for Portuguese claims and find new ways to resolve the question of Iberian boundaries in South America. Thus, in the mid 18th century, a need existed to define the possessions of both countries, especially in this region.
Although in Lisbon a sentiment developed that military defense of the Colony of Sacramento was not possible and that the question should be resolved diplomatically, there also existed an awareness of the urgency of assuring dominion of Amazonia and the western interior of Brazil. The Castillians, on the other hand, wished to get rid of the uncomfortable Portuguese presence in Plata. In Spain, meanwhile, Phillip V passed away on 9 July, 1746. Ferdinand VI, who was married to Dona Maria Barbara of Bragança, daughter of Dom João V, succeeded him, which resulted in a positive outlook for the two crowns reaching an agreement. In September of that year, Tomás da Silva Teles, Viscount of Vila Nova de Cerveira, was nominated embassador of Portugal in Madrid. In Spain, José of Carvajal and Lancaster was appointed for the positions of Minister and Councilor of State. The death of Cardinal Dom João da Mota e Silva in October 1747 contributed to increased intervention in the Portuguese Court by Alexandre Gusmão, who early on had gathered geographical data that allowed for more exact knowledge of Brazilian geography. From then on, the rhythm of diplomatic negotiations between the two countries, in which Gusmão played a fundamental role, increased. These were started in January 1747 and ended with the signature of a treaty regarding boundaries, Tratado de Limites, on 14 January, 1750 - though dated the previous day - by the Iberian crowns´ negotiators, Silva Teles and Carvajal and Lancaster.
Commonly known as the Treaty of Madrid, this diplomatic agreement, revoked the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), the Escritura of Saragoza (1529) and the Treaty of Utrecht (1715), becoming the only defining instrument of the colonial regions which were under the influence of the two Iberian crowns in various continents. In its lengthy preamble, the allegations presented by both parties during the negotiations were enunciated. The impossibility of implementing the Tordesillas line and the violations of this Meridian were recognized: in the East with the occupation of the Philippines by the Spanish, and in the West by the occupation of the Amazonian Valley and the western territories of Brazil as well as the foundation of the Colony of Sacramento by the Portuguese. The two principles on which the entire negotiation was based were also presented: uti possidetis, which originated from Roman Law and according to which each party would retain the territories it already possessed, excepting the concessions established by the treaty, and the balizas naturais, that is, the utilization of the most significant geographical barriers, such as river courses, mountain ranges and sierras as dividers of the possessions.
The territorial boundaries of the two crowns in South America were defined throughout several articles. The dividing line started in Castilhos Grandes, in what currently is Uruguai, and ran through rivers of the Uruguai, Parana, Paraguai, and Amazonian watersheds, ending north of the mouth of the Amazon River. Due to lack of knowledge of the territory, boundaries were not defined based on balizas naturais in only two segments; imaginary lines were established between points that really were known. It was also established that these boundaries would be demarcated on the terrain by mixed teams, constituted by experts at the service of both crowns. It determined that, in case of war, the subjects of both crowns in South America would continue in peace, not allowing either one to use their ports or the enemies of the other to pass through their territories. The contracting parties were obligated to guarantee reciprocally the entire frontier and its adjacent territories in South America and to aid each other against attacks or invasions by third parties.
With the signing of this treaty, Portugal achieved diplomatic sanctioning for the territorial expansion by Portuguese and Portuguese-Brazilians that had occurred in South America. The Philippines remained under Spanish domain and the Portuguese exchanged the Colony of Sacramento for the Territory of Sete Povos das Missões Orientais, in the south of what currently is Brazil. Spain guaranteed exclusive dominion of Rio de la Plata and Portugal retained possession of a great portion of the Amazonian Basin. Distancing the Portuguese from the Colony, the Spanish avoided the smuggling of metal that occurred there and even the hypothetical English presence. In the south, Portugal guaranteed a continuous strip of land all the way to the Uruguai River and stepped up colonization of Rio Grande do Sul.
Although the signature of this agreement provoked satisfaction in some sectors, the Paraguai Jesuits, wounded by the cession of Sete Povos, showed their displeasure. On the occasion of the signing of the treaty, they organized a strong resistance to the presence in that territory of the demarcating teams, which led to the Guaranitic War. In Portugal, the merchants who lost a source of contraband with the cession of the Colony of Sacramento, some politicians, such as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, and men like João de Sousa Azevedo, who was connected to the territorial exploration of Brazil, or António Pedro de Vasconcelos, former Governor of that citadel, made their opposition vigorously known.
Despite this opposition, and after the signature of complementary agreements which established both how the demarcation of the new South American boundaries was to occurr in the terrain and the way in which the delivery of the territories ceded by both crowns was to take place, Carvalho e Melo initiated the preparation of these projects. In Europe numerous experts were hired to form the demarcation teams with other Portuguese. There were six teams, three belonging to the north division and as many to the south division. However, only the latter collaborated with the Spanish teams, demarcating nearly the whole dividing line assigned to them. In the north, Portuguese and Spanish never met. The demarcating work in the southern region was begun on 1 September, 1752 in Castilhos Grandes, with a conference between delegates of both crowns, and ended on 8 April, 1760 with the closure of the activities of the second southern team.
Nevertheless, the death of King Ferdinand VI in August 1759, and the ascension to the Spanish throne of Charles III as well as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo´s growing power in the Lisbon Court, both of whom were against the treaty, would lead to the revocation of the Madrid accord, with the signing of the Treaty of Pardo on 12 February, 1761, which annuled all the work that had been carried out, as the circumstances prior to 1750 were returned to. A new accord between the Iberian crowns regarding colonial boundaries would be signed only in 1777 in Saint Ildefonse, maintaining to a great extent the dividing line that had been agreed to in Madrid.
Bibliography:
ALMEIDA, Luís Ferrand de, Alexandre de Gusmão, o Brasil e o Tratado de Madrid (1735-1750), Instituto Nacional de Investigação Científica, Centro de História da Sociedade e da Cultura, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, 1990. CORTESÃO, Jaime, Alexandre de Gusmão e o Tratado de Madrid, 9 tomos, Ministério das Relações Exteriores, Instituto Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro, 1950-1963. FERREIRA, Mário Clemente, O Tratado de Madrid e o Brasil Meridional. Os trabalhos demarcadores das Partidas do Sul e a sua produção cartográfica (1749-1760), Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, Lisboa, 2001.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel