Harry Potter’s Morning Light

   Chapter 2395 "Refining Love" (middle)

  In 1777, Queen Maria I of Portugal succeeded to the throne. In name, she and her husband Pedro III ruled together. In fact, Pedro never took care of the government and only cared about hunting and religious affairs.

At that time, during the independence of the United States, Spain, France, Britain and the Netherlands were all involved in this war, and the trade between Portugal and Brazil was in an active period, so in 1776 the Marquis of Pombar suggested that the king signed a decree, Banned all Portuguese ports from being open to North American ships, and considered them pirates "because such a misfortune would induce some vassals to rebel against their natural lords".

After the succession, Queen Maria I continued to implement this policy of Pombal, making Portugal "neutral", and at that time due to the war, the United States cut off Atlantic trade with Britain, which was conducive to neutral countries such as Portugal as a supplier of British goods. . During this period, Portugal's wine exports also increased significantly, while the British imports decreased. During this period, the trade surplus between Portugal and the United Kingdom was the first time.

From 1757 to 1777, about 25,000 slaves were transported from Portuguese Guinea to Pará and Maranhão. To help the Brazilian and Portuguese settlers, the Portuguese government also provided them with loans and reduced the interest from 5% to 3% %, it was finally removed entirely, and slaves were sold at what they were sold on the west coast of Africa plus a little bit of shipping. During this time Brazil's cocoa beans multiplied in number, as well as cotton, rice, and hides.

Since the earthquake in Lisbon, the king, including the king, has lived in a wooden house, which was later burned down. Thanks to the increase in trade during this period, the royal family was able to rebuild the baroque-rococo on the original site of the wooden building. style palace, however halfway through the project was interrupted by financial constraints and domestic movements.

   However, the most damage was the "Orange War" led by Lucien and Godoy, and the project had to stop halfway. Since the outbreak of the French Revolution, Portugal's police chief, Manac, has been trying to prevent the circulation of newspapers and books about the Revolution in Portugal. Portuguese diplomats believe that they must join forces with Spain and the United Kingdom to deal with France.

  At that time, the physical and mental state of the Portuguese Queen Maria I was not very good. In 1782, when the Marquis of Pombal died, Pombal's political enemies began to clamor for the people of Pombal's faction, and Maria I suppressed it.

  There were once some Porto citizens, who took to the streets to make trouble after getting drunk, against the Upper Douro Agricultural and Wine Corporation, because the company monopolized all hotels in Porto and closed many taverns. These were later suppressed, 13 men and 1 woman were hanged in public, 10 women and 46 men were exiled, and many others were sent to galleons for hard labor.

  Some new nobles were born due to Pombar's policy, but the old nobles were suppressed by Maria I. Another privilege of these monopoly companies that benefited from the Marquis of Pombal was the ability to tax certain products of the Portuguese colonies, thus ensuring that the royal family could receive a fixed tax at a certain time.

In short, Maria I was extremely uneasy and guilty of suppressing the old aristocracy. In addition, her husband died in 1786. Because of her grief, her spirit was more unstable. In addition, the turbulent situation in Europe made her exhausted, so in 1792 her Melancholia turned into madness, sometimes sober and sometimes confused, and no one dared to imagine that she would continue to rule, her eldest son Joao had become the de facto ruler.

Louis XVI was escorted to the guillotine. This year, France sent an envoy to Portugal to try to persuade Portugal to remain neutral. The prince made new treaties of alliance with Spain and England.

   But the war did not go well. In 1795, Spain signed a peace treaty with France behind Portugal and England, so that France turned to deal with the alliance between England and Portugal. Godoy asked for an alliance with Prince Joao, who believed that Portugal had lost a lot of armaments and needed Britain as an ally, and did not agree to the request not to allow British ships to stop in Portuguese ports.

Then Spain declared war on Britain, Portugal sent people to Paris to negotiate, trying to maintain neutrality, and the French demand was to cede part of Brazil's land, and reparations in exchange for peace, on Valentine's Day 1797, a Portuguese spy helped the British navy Having routed the French fleet off Cape St. Vincent, in April France expelled the Portuguese envoys and forced Spain to invade Portugal.

  The international situation at that time was very unfavorable to Portugal, and there were only two ways out, either incorporating France or forming an alliance with the United Kingdom, either one would destroy Portugal’s independence.

In 1801, Napoleon asked Madrid to issue an ultimatum, asking Portugal to make a final choice between Britain and France, but Portugal remained silent. In April, the French army attacked Portugal, always thinking that the only way to solve the Portuguese problem was to send troops to occupy Portugal's Godoy. Led five columns to support, and then Portugal signed the "Badajos Treaty" with Spain, and signed the "Madrid Treaty" with France to cede the territory of northern Brazil to France, pay 25 million francs in indemnity, and cede the city of Olivesa to Spain, but did not close all ports to the British fleet.

  When Spain blocked the Mississippi River and prevented British ships from entering and leaving at will, the British fleet cruising in the Caribbean Sea and South America also wanted to retaliate. However, the "fishing" of ships from neutral countries during the war was based on the pretext of transporting enemy goods. Now that there is peace, this excuse is not easy to use, but someone has come up with a solution, which is to "liberate slaves".

It is also possible that the first person to do this was an abolitionist. In any case, twenty Spanish "slave ships" returning to Europe from the United States laden with tobacco were "caught" like this, and then fewer slaves were loaded in Liverpool. But Portugal did not replace Britain in the slave trade to North America.

  Portugal still wants to remain "neutral", for fear of being rash and invading Spain. There are still many "professionals" in Portugal who agree with the values ​​of the French Revolution. Fearing that these people would make similar moves to Paris as the French and Spaniards approached, when the royal family retreated, Queen Maria was dazed and asked why she was leaving.

   Had it not been for the bad weather, they might have been escorted to Brazil by British warships. The French didn't take Lisbon either, and then they went back one after another. In fact, as early as 1580, someone proposed to move the capital from Lisbon to Brazil. At that time, the ruler of Spain was the Habsburg family, and the illegitimate son of Charles V defeated the fleet of the Ottoman Empire and gained hegemony in the Mediterranean, making the Spain's national strength reached its peak.

At the same time, the Netherlands became independent. It was very ambitious. Sebastian, who planned to expand its territory in North Africa, died in battle in 1578. He did not even leave an heir. If there are nobles who recognize Philip who paid the ransom for them II, while others recognized Sebastian's great-uncle Enrique I. There is nothing wrong with this regent, except that he was originally a bishop, so he had no children. When he succeeded to the throne, he wanted to marry a wife. However, the then Pope Gregory XIII had a good relationship with the Habsburg family and did not Ken broke Enrico's oath to allow him to marry, and after two years Enrico died and the Habsburgs took the Portuguese throne.

  Although the male blood of the Portuguese king has been cut off, there is still a female heir. The Duchess of Catarina, the Portuguese princess, once claimed the legal succession to the Portuguese throne in 1580, but it was unsuccessful, because Portugal does not have a queen.

Then Philip II tried to set up the post of vice king in Brazil, as well as the chief of the Knights of Christ, the license to send a private ship to India every year, and the betrothal of one of their daughters to the heir of Philip II, etc. Offer to bribe Catarina's husband, the Duke of Braganza, to make his wife relinquish her claim.

Some people persuaded the couple to accept the title of "vice king" to develop in Brazil. Portugal has poor land and is still relying on Spain. Development is limited everywhere, but Catarina did not agree. Even if her husband died, without his support, she She spent her life paving the way for her descendants to seize the Portuguese throne.

   "If we recapture Egypt, it means we have to fight the Ottomans again, so what about our trade in the Levant?" a Marseille merchant asked Georgiana.

   His question caused a chatter.

   "And we have already sent charge d'affaires to rebuild the consulates in the eastern Mediterranean countries, not to mention I don't think it is possible for us to retake Egypt until the British withdraw."

   "Cough cough." Aston Martin coughed, and everyone who was going to agree closed their mouths.

  Georgianna didn't say anything, what could she say?

  Farrong looked at her firmly, but he was old, and there was only one person, how strong was his support.

   "How about Algiers?"

   asked Barryon, who had been silent.

  Everyone looked at him.

   "Can cotton be grown in Algiers?" Barryon asked.

   "I'm afraid I won't know until I investigate," said Perrier.

   "Then organize an expedition," Barryon said to Georgiana. "Tell your friend not to go to Congo, but how about going to Algiers? Madame."

   (end of this chapter)