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Angola THE 1800s: TURMOIL IN PORTUGAL, REFORM AND EXPANSION IN ANGOLA
The Early Nineteenth Century
The nineteenth century ushered in a period of crisis
for
Portugal. The invasion by Napoleon's armies in 1807 forced
the
Portuguese court into exile in Brazil. In 1820 the regency
was
overthrown, and a conflict began between
constitutionalists and
monarchists that did not end until 1834. Many of these
changes were
echoed in Angola, where there were uprisings and an army
mutiny
that toppled the colony's governor.
The instability in Europe in the first three decades of
the
nineteenth century removed Portugal, Britain, France, and
Holland
from the Angolan slave market. But this turn of events
allowed
Angolan traders access to other markets. Unfettered trade
with
Brazilians, Cubans, and American southerners enabled the
Portuguese
slave dealers to enjoy a period of great prosperity, while
the
Angolan kingdoms suffered increased depopulation. After
the
constitutionalist triumph in Portugal in 1834, a
provisional junta
took charge in Luanda.
Data as of February 1989
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