This post is also on:
Português 
English
Pernambuco and its capital, Recife, have a rich history marked by important events that have shaped not only the region, but also Brazil.
Pernambuco and its capital Recife, have a turbulent history.
Recife’s history began in 1537: the king of Portugal divided the large colony into strips of land;
The lands, called Hereditary Captaincies, were donated to wealthy entrepreneurs so that they could prosper in the name of the Crown.
However, by dividing up the land, the king also divided up the huge investments needed to make such a vast country manageable and, above all, profitable;
Few Hereditary Captaincies lasted, but Duarte Coelho managed to make a success of Pernambuco by having Olinda as its capital.
The strongest consumer crop in Pernambuco was sugar cane.
In 1630, the Netherlands conquered the area and put a big mark on the history of north-eastern Brazil.
They governed a large area that ran roughly from São Luís do Maranhão to Salvador, in Bahia. Under the inspiring rule of John Maurice of Nassau, Recife’s urban planning was realised by designing a street plan and building bridges, bringing in prominent architects.
When John Maurice had to leave Recife, there was turmoil: a small army of Portuguese soldiers and local rebels took over, driving the Dutch completely out of north-eastern Brazil.
The History of Pernambuco and Recife is marked by conflicts between indigenous people and the Portuguese, Dutch domination and even an attempt at independence.
Discover the history of Pernambuco and Recife, one of Brazil’s oldest states.
História de Recife PE
Main historical landmarks of Pernambuco and Recife
The history of Pernambuco and Recife is marked by conflict.
- Indians in Pernambuco
- Colonisation of Pernambuco
- Territory of the Captaincy of Pernambuco
- Sack of Recife in 1595
- Dutch Occupation (1630-1645)
- War of the Mascates
- Confederation of the Cariris
- Pernambuco Revolution – 1817
- Equator Confederation – 1824
- Praieira Revolution – 1848
- Development of the Sugar Industry
1 Indigenous people in Pernambuco
The territory that is now the state of Pernambuco was populated by various indigenous tribes such as the Caetés, Cariris and Tabajaras, among other ethnic groups.
Each had its own language and customs and were often enemies. This was important for the Europeans, as they formed alliances with various indigenous peoples in order to conquer the territory.
2. Colonisation of Pernambuco
Through the system of Hereditary Captaincies, Duarte Coelho took possession of the Captaincy of Pernambuco, initially called the New Lusitania Captaincy.
The town of Olinda was founded in 1535 and became a village in 1537.
Olinda was founded in 1535 by the grantee Duarte Coelho, making it one of the first cities in Brazil. Initially, it was the administrative and economic centre of the Captaincy of Pernambuco.
Olinda became an important cultural and religious centre, with a legacy that remains to this day, visible in its colonial architectural ensemble, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city of Recife was also founded in 1537.
Not all the Hereditary Captaincies were successful, but thanks to the cultivation of sugar cane, the Captaincy of Pernambuco prospered.
At first, the Portuguese used indigenous slave labour in the sugarcane plantations.
However, the plantation owners began to use black slaves on the plantations, due to the lucrative slave trade with the Portuguese colonies in Africa.
3. Territory of the Captaincy of Pernambuco
The Captaincy of Pernambuco comprised a much larger territory than today. It incorporated what we now call the states of Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Ceará and part of Bahia.
4. Sacking of Recife in 1595
By the end of the 16th century, the Captaincy of Pernambuco had become one of the richest in the colony. This attracted the attention of the English, Dutch and French, who organised expeditions to take the then capital, Olinda.
It’s important to remember that, at this time, Portugal was united with Spain, in the period known as the Iberian Union.
In turn, Spain was at war with England and Holland.
So it was as much a matter of invading Olinda as Seville. The English, allied with the Dutch, seized Recife in 1595 and took several valuable products such as sugar, wood and cotton.
The sacking of Recife, also known as James Lancaster’s Expedition in 1595 and Lancaster’s Pernambucan Expedition, refers to an English military expedition that took place in April 1595, during the Anglo-Spanish War, whose objective was to sack the port of Recife, in the vicinity of Olinda, in Pernambuco, Colonial Brazil, which at the time was part of the Iberian Union.
Led by the English admiral James Lancaster, it was the only British privateering expedition whose main objective was Brazil, and represented the richest booty in the history of privateering in the Elizabethan period.
The expedition sailed across the Atlantic capturing numerous ships before reaching its destination, Pernambuco, the richest captaincy in colonial Brazil. Lancaster seized the harbour of Recife and remained there for almost a month, defeating a series of Portuguese counter-attacks before leaving.
The amount of sugar, brazilwood, cotton and high-priced goods looted was huge, forcing him to charter Dutch and French ships that were there to take the goods to England, making the expedition an absolute military and financial success.
From then on, the Captaincy organised two companies for the defence of Recife and Olinda.
5. Dutch occupation (1630-1645)
The Dutch invasion began in Bahia in 1624 and they were expelled from the capital thanks to the action of a Portuguese-Spanish armada a year later.
.
However, they would return to conquer a piece of the sugar trade by invading Recife and Olinda in 1630.
Recife was officially elevated to a town during the Dutch occupation of Brazil, when the West India Company invaded Pernambuco in 1630.
Under the command of Maurício de Nassau (1637-1644), Recife prospered, with the construction of bridges, canals and the introduction of urban and cultural advances. Nassau transformed Recife into a cosmopolitan centre, promoting religious tolerance and the development of the arts and sciences.
End of Occupation: The Pernambuco Insurrection (1645-1654) led to the expulsion of the Dutch in 1654, marking an important moment of local resistance.
Despite fierce fighting – Olinda was burnt down – the Dutch remained in those lands until the outbreak of the Pernambuco Insurrection in 1645.
6. War of the Mascats
The Mascates’ War took place between 1710 and 1711 between the plantation owners concentrated in Olinda and the Portuguese merchants who lived in Recife.
The Mascates’ War was a conflict between the Portuguese merchants of Recife (the “mascates”) and the plantation owners of Olinda, who resisted the growing economic and political influence of Recife.
The victory of the mascates consolidated Recife as the main city in the region, culminating in its elevation to a town in 1710, separating administratively from Olinda.
Many historians point to this war as the first nativist rebellion in Brazil.
After all, the conflict pitted the white elite already born in Brazil against the Portuguese who had recently arrived from the metropolis.
7. Confederation of the Cariris
The Confederation of the Cariris or War of the Barbarians was a series of battles that took place between 1683 and 1713.
After the expulsion of the Dutch, the Portuguese colonisers continued to expand into the northeastern hinterland. They sought to increase sugar and cotton crops, as well as pasture for cattle.
However, some indigenous tribes, such as the Cariris, Crateús and Cariús, banded together and started attacking the farms.
In order to defeat them, the northeastern landowners had to bring in bandeirantes from São Paulo to fight them. The Confederation of the Cariris only ended in 1713 when the last pockets of resistance were exterminated in Ceará.
8. Pernambuco Revolution – 1817
In the first half of the 19th century, several territories on the American continent rebelled against European domination.
This revolution was one of the first attempts at independence in Brazil, inspired by Enlightenment ideals and the examples of other revolutions around the world.
Thus, inspired by Enlightenment ideas and the Independence of the United States, a group of insurgents planned the emancipation of the now province of Pernambuco.
Victorious at first, the participants managed to set up a provisional republican government and establish freedom of worship and the press.
The revolt lasted just over two months and was violently repressed by Portuguese forces. The Pernambuco Revolution, however, is remembered as a symbol of the struggle for freedom and independence.
They were harshly repressed by troops sent by Dom João VI. As punishment, four participants were executed and the territory of Alagoas became an independent province.
9. Confederation of Ecuador – 1824
The Confederation of Ecuador was a separatist and republican revolt that took place in Pernambuco in 1824. It must be understood within the context of the First Reign, when Dom Pedro I was in power.
A separatist movement that arose as a reaction to the centralisation of power by Dom Pedro I, shortly after Brazil’s independence.
Pernambuco was the epicentre of this revolt, which sought to create an independent republic in the Northeast. The movement was defeated, but it highlighted tensions between the central government and the provinces.
The Confederation of Ecuador was harshly repressed by imperial troops who attacked Recife and some of its leaders, such as Frei Caneca, were executed.
10. Praieira Revolution – 1848
The Praieira Revolt was a liberal and republican movement that took place in Pernambuco during the imperial period, influenced by the European revolutions of 1848.
Despite its defeat, the Praieira Revolt is seen as an important struggle for civil rights and democracy in Brazil.
The protests began at the headquarters of the newspaper Diário Novo, located on Rua da Praia, and its members were known as “praieiros”.
The fighting began in Recife, but soon spread to Pernambuco’s Zona da Mata.
The rebellion would only end two years later with imperial intervention and several of its leaders were amnestied.
11. Development of the sugar industry
Sixteenth to nineteenth centuries: Pernambuco, especially the region of Recife and Olinda, was one of the largest sugar production centres during the colonial period. The wealth generated by sugar cane drove the development of the region, albeit at the cost of slave labour.
Legacy: The legacy of the sugar economy is still present today in the culture and landscape of Pernambuco, with historic mills still visible.
See Pernambuco’s oldest churches and the first church in Brazil
History of Pernambuco and Recife
