Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1975 The oD wnfall of a King: Dom Manuel II of Portugal. Russell Earl Benton Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Benton, Russell Earl, "The oD wnfall of a King: Dom Manuel II of Portugal." (1975). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 2818. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/2818 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. 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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 ; ■ I *:■' I 76-132 BENTON, Russell Earl, 1939- THE DOWNFALL OF A KING: DCM MANUEL II OF PORTUGAL. The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1975 History, modern Xerox University MicrofilmsAnn fArbor, Michigan 48106 © 1975 RUSSELL EARL BENTON ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. THE DOWNFALL OF A KING: DOM MANUEL II OF PORTUGAL A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Hie Department of History by Russell E. Benton A.B., Erskine College, 1961 M.A., Stetson University, 1962 August 1975 INTRODUCTION The events which transpired in Portugal in October 1910 did not greatly affect the world at large. For Dom Manuel II, the last king of Portugal, they were profoundly important. By the autumn of 1910, the likelihood of a Republican revolution in Portugal was so great foreign journalists even went there to witness the end of the monarchy. The stage was thus set for the overthrow of a venerable dynasty, one which had occupied the Portuguese throne for 270 years, and the downfall of an ancient monarchy stretching back some eight centuries. The House of Braganza, which had ruled Portugal since 1640, pro­ vided the country with more rulers— fourteen— for a longer period of time than any of her other dynasties. Manuel II was the last member of that family to occupy the ancient throne. He was only eighteen years old when he suddenly found himself king following the murder of his father and older brother in February 1908^ and he ruled but two and one- half years before the Republican revolution removed him from power in October 1910. The remaining years of his life he spent in exile abroad largely occupied with the collection of an extensive library of early Portuguese literature. When he died suddenly in the summer of 1932, he was only forty-two. No biography of the last of the Braganza monarchs exists in the English language. In writing this work my original intention was to examine all the relevant material available on Manuel II and to draw a portrait of the monarch from it. In doing so I found it difficult to ii secure enough primary sources relating to the earlier years of his life before he appeared in the national spotlight in 1908. Likewise, many of the papers associated with his reign were destroyed by his personal secretary in October 1910 at the outbreak of the revolution. I have, therefore, decided to concentrate on the major event of his life, the 1910 Revolution, and his later years in exile when he made valuable contributions as a man rather than as a monarch. In undertaking my research I am endebted to a number of individuals and institutions for their generous help. Chief among the individuals are: Mrs. Asta-Rose Alcaide, Cultural Affairs Specialist, the Enbassy of the United States, Lisboa, and her secretary, Mrs. Luise Mello; Mr. Rudi Gomes, formerly Political Counselor, the Embassy of the United States, Lisboa; Dr. Manuel Corte-Real, Protocol Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Government, Lisboa, and Dr. Helder de Mendonja e Cunha, Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lisboa; Dr. Maria Luisa Bartolo, Chief of Cultural Services, Casa de Braganza FundayTo, Lisboa, and A. Luis Gomes, Director of the Casa de Braganza Funda9^0 , Lisboa, who generously furnished me with several rare publications relating to Manuel II; Dr. Armindo Aires de Carvalho, Conservador-Chefe of the Nacional Palacio de Ajuda, Lisboa, and his staff for the personal­ ly conducted tour of Portugal's crown jewels; Dr. Mario Q. Gra^a, Direc­ tor of the Biblioteca Muncipal, Lisboa; and the Honorable Luis Couceiro Feio, Secretary-General of the Cause Monarquica for his invaluable help. I would, furthermore, like to express my appreciation to the directors and staffs of the following institutions who provided research facilities: The Library of the Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; the Arquivo Nacional de Portugal, Lisboa; the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, Lisboa; the Museu da Marinha, Lisboa; the Library in the Ducal Palace at Vila Vicosa, Portugal; the Public Record Office, London; the British Library (formerly part of the British Museum), Lon­ don; the Bodleian Library of Oxford University, Oxford, England; the Twickenham Reference Library, Twickenham, England; and the Richmond Public Library, Richmond, England. I am especially endebted to His Majesty, Umberto II of Italy, Manuel II's cousin, for the interview which he granted me at his seaside villa in Cascais, Portugal on June 23, 1972. I wish to extend my appreciation to J. Preston Moore, Professor Emeritus of History, Louisiana State University, who originally encouraged me in this endeavor; and to two members of the Department of History, Louisiana State University, under whose guidance I completed this disser­ tation: Jane L. DeGrummond and Karl A. Roider, Jr. Finally, to my parents I owe eternal gratitude for their lifelong guidance and encouragement. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION............................................... ii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS....................................... vi ABSTRACT ................................................... vii CHAPTER I. THE PORTUGAL OF MANUEL II'S CHILDHOOD, 1889-1908 . 1 II. MANUEL'S EARLY LIFE, 1889-1908 .................... 17 H I . MANUEL II'S REIGN, 1908-1910 ...................... 47 IV. THE 1910 R E V O L U T I O N .............................. 94 V. MANUEL'S YEARS IN EXILE, 1910-1932 ................ 131 EPILOGUE ................................................... 206 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................. 219 APPENDIXES A. THE HOUSE OF BRAGANZA, 1640-1910 .................. 227 B. THE PRESIDENTS OF PORTUGAL DURING MANUEL II'S LIFETIME, 1911-1932 230 VITA ..................................................... 231 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Illustration Page 1. Prince Manuel, in 1904, in naval uniform............. 25 2. Dora Manuel II in his coronation regalia ............. 61 3. Manuel and his bride at Sigmaringen at the time of their marriage, September 1 9 1 3 .................... 159 4. The last formal portrait of Dam Manuel II, 1932 . 198 $ vi ABSTRACT Dom Manuel II, the last Braganza monarch of Portugal (1908-1910), was the second son of King Carlos (1889-1908) and his consort, Amelia of Bourbon-Orleans. He ascended the throne following the tragic death of his father and elder brother in Lisbon on February 1, 1908. Unpre­ pared for the responsibilities which befell him, he proved unable to resolve Portugal's internal problems and in 1910