Portugal, Old and Young, an Historical Stuudy
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' < 5 M: din ,; v' '-;'.>': ; ;>:'.'' V- - m, IBS ''>. : :;'' ': ;. ,V :'.<"...' Bill'''"':'':'' PORTUGAL OLD AND YOUNG Oxford University Press London Edinburgh Glasgow New Tork Toronto Melbourne Cape Town Bombay Humphrey Milford Publisher to the University IS32.5 ^v? PORTUGAL OLD AND YOUNG AN HISTORICAL STUDY BY GEORGE YOUNG AUTHOR OF 'CORPS DE DROIT OTTOMAN'; 'NATIONALISM AND WAR IN ' THE NEAR EAST ; 'PORTUGAL: AN ANTHOLOGY' FORMERLY SECRETAKY OF LEGATION, LISBON OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1917 The Altar-piece of San Vicente, by Nuno Gonsalvez, of which one to this is one the panel is reproduced as a frontispiece book, of few surviving and us the masterpieces of Portuguese mediaeval painting, gives portraits was a Great of some of the leading personages of the period when Portugal Power. The youth kneeling before St. Vincent in theforeground is Affonzo V, ' ' and the is his el rey cavalleiro (b. 1432, k. 1438, d. 1481), lady opposite he claimed the Crown wife and niece, the Infante of Castile, through whom of Castile. The Castilians resisted the union, made Isabella her younger sister Queen, defeated the Portuguese at Toro, 1476, as completely as they had been defeated by the Portuguese at Aljubarrota in 1383, and founded the Kingdom of Spain by marrying Isabella to Ferdinand of Aragon. Affonzo ' was also involved in Moroccan adventures, which earned him the title of the ' African and nothing much else. The child behind is his son, John 11 ' k. d. the intellectual the Perfect' (b. 1433, 1481, 1493), and careworn face in the background, under a large hat, is no other than Prince Henry the Navigator uncle of Affonzo and son of John the Great and Philippa, daughter of John of Gaunt the most illustrious and interesting personality of this Anglo-Portuguese dynasty. These paintings were lost in dirt and darkness in a Lisbon church until the Revolution. After being most carefully cleaned, they can now be seen in the Museum. Their resplendence makes them a worthy record of Old Portugal, and Toung Portugal is significantly symbolized in their resur- rection. PREFACE the an Portugal, during the years before war, gave and of English student of national reform movements international relations much interesting material and many the the opportunities of usefulness. But war simplified situation both internally and internationally, by submerging the cross-currents and side-channels through which the national renascence was its and Portuguese threading way ; subsides. Not these will not again appear until the flood allies in wartime is that the military relationship between difficulties but like other war without diplomatic ; such, after There- liabilities, are carried over to be paid off peace. the fore, as we have found before, especially after Napoleonic wars, a return to peace conditions may be a trying process for of under- both parties, unless there be a certain standard standing between the two peoples. its have The following essays on Portugal and people been written as a contribution to the better understanding of in and as the contribution that Portugal England ; only a friend of Portugal can make since the war caused him to ' ' for ' and Lisbon for desert diplomacy intelligence ', London. The shortest and stupidest story of a nation can scarcely fail as the worst trans- to convey something of its spirit just lation must give some idea of a foreign poet. Portugal : an Anthology^ published last year, was an attempt to give an vi Preface insight into the spirit of Portugal through a collection of some of the more national and characteristic poems and ballads ; and the translations used in this book are borrowed from it. But both these books will have best served their purpose if they encourage the reader to embark in person on an excursion into Portugal or its poetry. The intending tourist to Portugal after the peace will learn all that is necessary at the Royal Mail or Booth Line offices while the student of Gil ; intending Vicente or Camoens may be glad to hear that King's College, in the London University, is founding a Chair of Portuguese and already has three lecturers at his disposal. G. Y. July 1 91 7 CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE i. PORTUGAL AND THE WAR . I 2. OLD PORTUGAL 4 1 3. EMPIRE AND ECLIPSE .... 92 4. RESTORATION AND REACTION . 146 5. POMBAL AND THE PENINSULAR WAR 179 6. YOUNG PORTUGAL .... 235 7. PORTUGAL AND THE PEACE 302 INDEX ILLUSTRATIONS The Altar-piece of San Vicente, By Nunc- Gonsalvez . Frontispiece Spain and Portugal. ........ viii The World, showing Spanish and Portuguese colonization . .159 Portugal . .181 Portugal and the War For thou hast great allies : Thy friends are exaltations, agonies, and Love, and man's unconquerable mind. Wordsworth. How is it that Portugal comes to be included in this series as a belligerent ? Why is Portugal at war and at war on our side ? This book has been written as an answer to these questions questions which can only be answered by giving some idea of the part played by Portugal in past European history, of the present position of Portugal in the European polity, and of the potential power, moral and intellectual, repre- sented by the Portuguese people. The present war has taught us to take moral factors into account in dealing with political problems, and to accept nationalism as a moral force capable of dealing with the most unpromising material facts. Even those who have hitherto been accustomed to consider foreign affairs in terms of big battalions and battleships may now be ready to admit that the military and material mechanisms of the greatest Empires are dependent for their driving force on the spirit of ' ' Nationalism. But such real-politikers would probably still maintain that the practical effect of any particular nationalist force factor in European politics is measured by the national in terms of men, money, or munitions. And if there are 1832-5 B 2 Portugal and the War any who for this reason may be inclined to ignore Portugal as a factor in our foreign relations, they may well be surprised to learn what an important influence on the fortunes of Europe in general, and of England in particular, Portugal has exercised and will no doubt exercise again. Indeed, to show this much will be comparatively easy. Though it will be much less easy to explain exactly how Portugal comes to be involved in the conflict now proceeding between opposing European national philosophies. Even when in due course this crisis comes to be considered without prejudice and in a proper perspective, it will probably still be difficult for the future historian to explain the principles governing the attitude to the present war of the lesser nationalities. If, now, an attempt were made to lay down the general principles governing the participation or non-participation in the war of the secondary nations it would be little more than a profession of faith in our national cause as drawn up for us by our own prophet and daily proclaimed from the minarets of our press. Yet even now, while rejoicing over the enrolling of the Portuguese in the ranks of the faithful, we may be curious to know how they came to be there, while other nations are not. Putting on one side those lesser nations involuntarily involved as belligerents, such as Belgium and Serbia, how does it happen that Portugal is a belligerent, Spain a neutral, Italy a belligerent, Greece a neutral, Bulgaria a belligerent, Albania a neutral, Turkey a belligerent, Persia a neutral, Roumania a belligerent, Sweden a neutral ? The answer is of course different in each case, and each case would take a book to answer. But it is suggested that the course of national policy in each case will probably be found to have been a compromise along the line of least resistance between Portugal and the War 3 static and forces the static conflicting dynamic political ; forces of dynastic, capitalistic, conservative, class interests, and the dynamic forces of democratic, progressive, popular influences. Sometimes these political forces have been so evenly balanced that the initial impetus for the plunge into war or for the recoil from it could be given by some party or even by some personality. In these cases anti- national influence has in some cases been able to exercise a decisive influence over national policy. If it were possible to explain these collisions between political forces as straight issues between democratic and despotic influences, between public opinion and personal policy, between progressive influences and particular interests, then the business of explaining belligerency or neutrality in such a case as that of Portugal would be merely that of analysing present-day politics in that country. It cannot, however, be maintained that the more democratic polities where public opinion and a progressive party are both strong have invariably taken up arms on our side, or that the despotic and conservative polities are all enlisted on the side of our enemies it is demonstrable that ; though a balance of these forces tends to a policy of neutrality. It does, however, seem to be indisputable that in the West at all events, nationalism as expressed in popular opinion, and as existing in Spain, Italy, Greece, Roumania, and Portugal, has tended to take arms on our side circum- up ; although stances have in cases retarded or restrained it from carrying this preference to the point of belligerency. Moreover it is as indisputable that in the East the principles and policies of our opponents have proved more attractive than ours to the Eastern form of nationalism as existing in Bulgaria, and Persia because these nations are still Turkey, ; possibly B 2 4 Portugal and the War in an earlier, cruder stage in which the fear of disintegra- tion at home and domination from abroad drives nationalism to the drill-sergeant and the despot.